Book
Midshipman Bolitho and the ‘Avenger’
First published 1978
In the winter of 1773, Richard Bolitho returns to Falmouth while HMS Gorgon is refitted, bringing his friend Martyn Dancer home for Christmas. Rumours of smuggling and wrecking are followed by a murder near the Bolitho estate, and the promised leave becomes an investigation into violence along the Cornish coast.
The arrival of the small warship Avenger gives the navy a vessel capable of pursuing the coastal gang. Bolitho’s involvement becomes personal when he discovers who commands her, forcing him to balance family loyalty, naval obedience and the growing evidence that the criminals have protection ashore.
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