As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means if you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Series
The extended Birds of Prey sequence follows successive Courtney generations from the Second Anglo-Dutch War and the Indian Ocean trading world through the French and Indian War, the American Revolution, the Napoleonic era and the rise of the Zulu kingdom. Its ten books connect maritime commerce, piracy, colonial settlement and family rivalry across Africa, India and North America.
Reading order
The southern African coast, 1667. Sir Francis Courtney, his son Hal and the crew of the Lady Edwina operate under licence against Dutch shipping during the Second Anglo-Dutch War. The capture of a valuable East India Company vessel appears to promise ransom and profit. The setting…
The western Indian Ocean in the later seventeenth century. Hal Courtney commands the Golden Bough south from Ethiopia with Judith Nazet and a crew hardened by war. An uneasy truce between England and the Dutch offers little protection when another vessel closes during the night and…
The Indian Ocean at the beginning of the eighteenth century. Hal Courtney accepts a royal commission to suppress pirates attacking East India Company shipping and takes his sons on a voyage towards Madagascar and the Arabian coast. The mission unfolds when the English East India Company…
Africa, Arabia and India at the beginning of the eighteenth century. Francis Courtney leaves Devon after his stepfather’s debts destroy the security of his estate and travels to the Cape intending to confront his uncle Tom, whom he blames for his father’s death. The truth he…
The Cape and southern African interior in the 1730s. Jim Courtney helps Louisa Leuven escape after a storm wrecks the prison ship carrying her to the Dutch colony. Colonial officials respond by pursuing both the prisoner and the family that sheltered her. The novel portrays the…
North America during the French and Indian War. Theo and Connie Courtney are separated after the death of their parents. Theo joins British forces, while Connie’s path takes her through France and into the political world supporting the French war effort. The French and Indian War…
Britain and North America from 1774. Rob Courtney leaves an East African trading post and enters the Royal Navy as Britain’s conflict with its American colonies becomes open war. Across the Atlantic, his Courtney relatives support independence. The revolution creates an unusual Courtney conflict in which…
Paris in 1794 and the Cape in 1806. Paul Courtney witnesses his mother’s execution during the Reign of Terror and joins the army that will carry Napoleon’s ambitions into Egypt. Adam Courtney, meanwhile, serves at sea under the reputation of his admiral father. Each setting represents…
Southern Africa, 1820. Ann Waite rescues a child from a wrecked boat, while the scarred survivor Ralph Courtney disappears. Two years later hardship forces Ann and the boy back into Ralph’s company as he searches for the harbour known as Nativity Bay. The settlers arrive during…
The southern African Highveld, 1829. After Shaka’s assassination, Ralph Courtney, Ann Waite and their son Harry seek refuge at the Mahikeng mission. They hope to escape the violence and enslavement that followed them from the Zulu kingdom. Shaka’s death does not end regional instability; rival Zulu…