In the winter of 1795, Pearce serves aboard HMS Flirt within Horatio Nelson’s squadron while his pregnant lover tries to preserve her respectability in Britain. A former friend, Henry Digby, has become another enemy within the service.
Reconnaissance against the French coast leads to raids, the destruction of a battery and dangerous fighting ashore. Pearce must contend with divided loyalties and an antagonistic captain if he is to survive and return to Emily.
Nelson’s Mediterranean operations give reconnaissance strategic importance because the fleet must act with incomplete knowledge of French coastal strength. Pearce’s raids therefore serve a larger naval campaign even while his private enemies use the chain of command against him. The novel places individual courage inside a service where patronage and hostility between officers can determine who receives credit, blame or another dangerous assignment.
Julian Stockwin
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Richard Woodman
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