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Author

David Donachie

47 fiction

David Donachie (1944–2023) was a Scottish-born historical novelist best known for maritime adventure fiction. Born in Edinburgh, he worked in numerous occupations—including as a salesman, truck driver, publican and theatre employee—before becoming a full-time author. His first novel, The Devil’s Own Luck, appeared in 1991 and began the Privateersman Mysteries. Donachie eventually published more than fifty novels and served two terms as chairman of the Society of Authors, where he campaigned for improved working conditions and remuneration for writers.

His longest series was the John Pearce Adventures, beginning with By the Mast Divided, in which Pearce is illegally press-ganged into the Royal Navy at the outbreak of war with Revolutionary France. Later books such as A Shot Rolling Ship, An Awkward Commission, A Flag of Truce and Droits of the Crown combine naval combat, political intrigue and the harsh realities of eighteenth-century service at sea. Donachie also wrote the Nelson and Emma trilogy and the Contraband Shore series. Under the names Tom Connery and Jack Ludlow, he produced further historical adventures set during the Roman Republic, the Norman conquest of southern Italy, the Byzantine period and the Crusades.

Periods and events

Battle of Trafalgar Vandalic War Gothic War of 535–554 Byzantine Empire French Revolution Royal Navy in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars American Revolutionary War Roman Republic War of the First Coalition Smuggling on the Georgian Coast Caribbean Campaigns of the French Revolutionary Wars Barbary Corsairs and Mediterranean Captivity Privateering in the Napoleonic Wars Battle of Britain

Historical fiction

Historical fiction series by David Donachie (9 series)

Nelson and Emma Trilogy in Order

by David Donachie 3 books 4.6(61)

The Nelson and Emma trilogy fictionalises the parallel lives of Horatio Nelson and Emma Hamilton from their difficult beginnings to the height of Nelson’s naval fame. It follows his formation in the Royal Navy and her ascent from poverty through modelling, patronage and marriage into the diplomatic society…

1. On a Making Tide

4.4(41)

2. Tested by Fate

4.7(4)

3. Breaking the Line

4.9(16)

The Last Roman in Order

by David Donachie 3 books 4.7(29)

The Last Roman trilogy follows Flavius Belisarius from a provincial childhood marked by betrayal to command of the armies of Justinian I. His pursuit of vengeance becomes entangled with imperial service, court rivalry and the emperor’s ambition to recover the western provinces of Rome. The sequence moves from…

1. Vengeance

4.6(12)

2. Honour

4.8(10)

3. Triumph

4.8(7)

John Pearce in Order

by David Donachie 18 books 4.2(6,929)

The John Pearce series follows a radical Londoner who is illegally pressed into the Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary Wars. Pearce and the fellow captives he calls the Pelicans must learn shipboard warfare while resisting abusive officers, pursuing freedom and protecting one another across an expanding conflict.…

1. By the Mast Divided

2. A Shot Rolling Ship

4.4(398)

3. An Awkward Commission

4.3(461)

4. A Flag of Truce

4.3(437)

5. The Admiral’s Game

4.3(380)

6. An Ill Wind

4.3(399)

7. Blown Off Course

4.1(471)

8. Enemies at Every Turn

4.1(389)

9. A Sea of Troubles

4.2(439)

10. A Divided Command

4.2(411)

11. The Devil to Pay

4.2(563)

12. The Perils of Command

4.1(433)

13. A Treacherous Coast

4.3(437)

14. On a Particular Service

4.2(423)

15. A Close Run Thing

4.3(406)

16. HMS Hazard

4.2(420)

17. A Troubled Course

4.3(248)

18. Droits of the Crown

4.3(214)

The Privateersman Mysteries in Order

by David Donachie 6 books 4.3(646)

The Privateersman Mysteries follow Harry Ludlow and his younger brother James after Harry leaves the Royal Navy and commands the privateer Bucephalas during the French Revolutionary Wars. Prize-taking repeatedly gives way to murder investigations, conspiracies and conflicts with naval authority. Across six novels, the Ludlows travel from British…

1. The Devil’s Own Luck

4.2(131)

2. The Dying Trade

4.3(102)

3. A Hanging Matter

4.3(102)

4. An Element of Chance

4.3(113)

5. The Scent of Betrayal

4.2(102)

6. A Game of Bones

4.4(96)

Roads to War in Order

by David Donachie 3 books 4.0(35)

Roads to War follows soldier of fortune Cal Jardine through the crises that lead Europe towards the Second World War. His missions take him from Nazi Germany and threatened Abyssinia to the Spanish Civil War and the struggle over Czechoslovakia. Each novel places Jardine among volunteers, agents and…

1. The Burning Sky

4.0(13)

2. A Broken Land

3.6(11)

3. A Bitter Field

4.4(11)

Republic in Order

by David Donachie 3 books 4.1(8)

The Republic trilogy is a multigenerational saga of soldiers, senators and families competing for power in ancient Rome. An oath made by Aulus Cornelius and Lucius Falerius binds their fortunes, but military duty, political ambition and betrayal gradually place their descendants on opposing paths. The novels move between…

1. The Pillars of Rome

4.4(3)

2. The Sword of Revenge

3.9(5)

3. The Gods of War

Contraband Shore in Order

by David Donachie 3 books 3.9(310)

The Contraband Shore trilogy follows former naval officer Edward Brazier into the Georgian port of Deal, where respectable trade, organised smuggling and local power are inseparable. His attempt to marry Betsey Langridge draws him into a struggle against her controlling family and the criminal interests that dominate the…

1. The Contraband Shore

3.6(137)

2. A Lawless Place

3.9(83)

3. Blood Will Out

4.3(90)

Markham of the Marines in Order

by David Donachie 3 books 4.1(219)

Markham of the Marines follows Irish lieutenant George Markham, a Royal Marine officer burdened by religious prejudice and a reputation for cowardice. Given command of difficult men during the war with Revolutionary France, he must earn their loyalty through fighting ashore and at sea. The trilogy carries Markham…

1. A Shred of Honour

4.1(78)

2. Honour Redeemed

4.1(78)

3. Honour Be Damned

4.0(63)

Crusades Trilogy in Order

by David Donachie 3 books

The Crusades trilogy follows the Norman prince Bohemund of Taranto and his nephew Tancred from dynastic conflict in southern Italy into the First Crusade. Both men see the expedition as a religious war and as an opportunity to secure land, reputation and power beyond the Adriatic. The sequence…