Alexander Kent

Richard Bolitho, Midshipman

Captain Richard Bolitho is placed in charge of the flagship of a squadron attempting to force Britain's entry into the Mediterranean during the late eighteenth century

The Flag Captain

1778: The year the American War of Independence became an all-out struggle for freedom from British rule -- and the year young Richard Bolitho took command of the Sparrow, a small, fast and well-armed sloop of war.

Sloop of War

"H.M.S. Phalarope" is ordered to the Caribbean but the most deadly enemy is already aboard her. "January 1782, Portsmouth" His Britannic Majesty's frigate "Phalarope" is ordered to the assistance of the hard-pressed squadrons in the Carribean. Aboard is her new commander -- Richard Bolitho. To all appearances the "Phalarope" is everything a young captain could wish for. But beneath the surface she is a deeply unhappy ship -- her wardroom torn by petty greed and ambition, her deckhands driven to near-mutiny by senseless ill-treatment... "From the Paperback edition."

To Glory We Steer

Command a King's Ship

With the epic scenes of action, powerful characterisation and the authentic period detail that we have come to expect from multi-million copy seller Alexander Kent, this all-action naval adventure is perfect for fans of Patrick O'Brian and C. S. Forester. You'll be hooked from page one! 'One of our foremost writers of naval fiction' -- Sunday Times 'Shipwreck, survival ... a spirited battle ... a splendid yarn' -- The Times 'I recommend it to anyone who liked Sharp, Hornblower and Master and Commander...this series is the daddy!' -- ***** Reader review 'This whole series of books is brilliant.' -- ***** Reader review 'The story line was gripping, felt the sea in my face and guns in my ears' -- ***** Reader review 'These books by Alexander Kent are very well written. I find them riveting and always find myself engrossed completely when I begin reading.' -- ***** Reader review ************************************************************************************ 1801: After eight years of war between Britain and France there is at last a rumour of peace. But the old enemies are well aware that any settlement will be only a breathing space in which to recover from their terrible losses. To obtain the best terms the French muster a show of strength from Biscay to the Channel ports. At the British Admiralty there are some who see a daring opportunity to even the score at any negotiation table - and who better to undertake it than the young Rear Admiral Bolitho! Bolitho's small squadron is still repairing the scars of battle earned at Copenhagen - and as he receives his orders from London, he is, for the first time in his life, torn between the demands of duty and his real desire to marry. When the squadron sails it is joined by an additional ship, a frigate with many memories from the past. But where Bolitho's flag leads so his captains must follow, if necessary to the brink of disaster - for theirs is a tradition of victory. Bolitho's adventures continue in Success to the Brave.

(The Richard Bolitho adventures: 16): lose yourself in this rip-roaring naval yarn from the master storyteller of the sea

A Tradition of Victory

Multi-million copy seller Alexander Kent, brings us another all-action Bolitho adventure. If you're a fan of Patrick O'Brian and C. S. Forester, then this is the book for you! 'Alexander Kent is certainly as good as Forester was in action, and in the wheeling movement of sails.' -- Sunday Times 'A salty testament to the mystique and the brutality of the square-rigger.' -- New York Times Book Review 'Alexander Kent...is, above all, a superb story-teller.' -- Manchester Evening News 'This is a classic story of triumph over adversity and I thoroughly enjoyed re-reading it' -- ***** Reader review 'Couldn't put it down' -- ***** Reader review 'It's action from start to finish with twists and turns to keep the reader guessing and wanting more' -- ***** Reader review 'A brilliant, exciting read'-- ***** Reader review ************************************************************************************ 1782: British Captain Richard Bolitho is ordered to take the frigate Phalarope to the Caribbean, where the hard-pressed royal squadrons are fighting for their lives against the combined fleets of France and Spain and the upstart American privateers. It should have been a proud moment for so young and junior a captain - but the Phalarope has already been driven to near mutiny and she is regarded with shame and suspicion. But Bolitho is no ordinary man and his efforts to give the ship back her pride mark him apart from his contemporaries. As the little frigate sails under the blazing sun and battles enemies within and without, Bolitho spares neither himself nor his men - and in the final great battle of the Saintes, the chance comes to prove what both he and the Phalarope can achieve. Bolitho's adventures continue in Command a King's Ship.

(The Richard Bolitho adventures: 7): more exciting action on the open waves from the master storyteller of the sea

Multi-million copy seller Alexander Kent, brings us another adrenalin-fuelled maritime page-turner full of swashbuckling action and derring-do. Fans of Patrick O'Brian and C. S. Forester will not be disappointed! 'The battle scenes are described so vividly that Alexander Kent must surely have been there himself in a previous incarnation' -- The Nautical Magazine 'As ever, Kent evokes the blood and smoke of battle in crimson-vivid prose' -- Mail on Sunday 'A tale of angry passion, envy and adventure' -- Bookseller 'Great story, great characters, plenty of action' -- ***** Reader review 'As usual, the master writer has done it again' -- ***** Reader review 'Could not put the book down once started'-- ***** Reader review 'Wonderful' -- ***** Reader review ********************************************************************************************* 1784: at a time when most of the fleet is laid up, His Majesty's frigate Undine weighs anchor at Spithead to begin a voyage to India and far beyond. As her new captain, Richard Bolitho is glad to go, despite the nature of his orders and the immensity of the voyage - for he is leaving an England still suffering from the aftermath of war. But he is to learn that signatures on proud documents do not necessarily make a lasting peace, and finds himself involved in a conflict as ruthless as the one which had given him his first command during the war with France. In an uneasy peace, the expansion of trade and colonial development in little-known areas of the East Indies soon push aside the pretence and bring the guns' fury into the open. There is no set line of battle or declared cause to rally Undine's small company, but the dangers and the endless demands have to be faced by the man who commands the only King's ship available. Bolitho's adventures continue in Passage to Mutiny.

(The Richard Bolitho adventures: 8): an enthralling and exciting Bolitho adventure from the master storyteller of the sea. You’ll want to dive right in!

Command A King's Ship

Multi-million copy seller Alexander Kent, brings us another rip-roaring and riveting maritime page-turner. Fans of Patrick O'Brian and C. S. Forester will not be disappointed! 'Mr Kent is Forester's direct heir, and is rapidly showing himself an equal in the genre.' -- Sunday Times 'C. S. Forester never wrote a more exciting novel than Alexander Kent.' -- New York Times Book Review 'A splendid yarn' -- The Times 'A tale of angry passion, envy and adventure' -- Bookseller 'Boy, is this good stuff! Can hardly wait to pick up the next book' -- ***** Reader review 'The author knows how to keep the reader enthralled' -- ***** Reader review 'Hard to stop reading' -- ***** Reader review 'Couldn't put it down from start to finish' -- ***** Reader review ********************************************************************** 1778: a seminal year for the young Richard Bolitho... The American War of Independence changes to an all-out struggle for freedom from British rule - and Bolitho takes command of the Sparrow, a small, fast and well-armed sloop of war. As the pace of war increases, the Sparrow is called from one crisis to another - and when the great fleets of Britain and France convene on the Chesapeake, Bolitho has to throw aside the early dreams of his first command to find maturity in a sea battle that might decide the fate of a whole continent. Bolitho's adventures continue in To Glory We Steer.

(The Richard Bolitho adventures: 6): a swashbuckling naval tale of derring – do and all-action adventure from the master storyteller of the sea

Sloop Of War

Perfect for fans of Patrick O'Brian and C. S. Forester, this is an enthralling, edge-of-your-seat maritime tale from multi-million copy seller Alexander Kent - a real page turner! 'One of our foremost writers of naval fiction' - THE SUNDAY TIMES 'This is the third time I have started reading the Bolitho novels. Never get bored and especially not with this one' -- ***** Reader review 'The only downside of this book is when it ends'-- ***** Reader review 'I can't get enough of Bolitho'-- ***** Reader review 'I don't think there is a better writer in this genre.' -- ***** Reader review 'Action and intrigue all the way.' -- ***** Reader review **************************************************************** 1774: Bolitho is now a newly appointed third lieutenant joining the 28-gun frigate Destiny at Plymouth. It is a far step from midshipman's berth to wardroom - and, at a time when most of the fleet is laid up, Bolitho is considered fortunate. Bolitho's promotion is tinged by personal sadness, but his new captain soon points out that Bolitho's loyalty is to him, the ship and His Britannic Majesty - in that order. Despatched on a secret mission far south to Rio and then to the Caribbean, Destiny and her company face the hazards of conspiracy, treason and piracy - and, as the little ship sails on, Bolitho has to learn how to accept his new responsibilities as a King's officer. All amid broadside battles at sea and the clash of swords in hand-to-hand actions...! Richard Bolitho's adventures continue in In Gallant Company. Have you read Midshipman Bolitho and the Avenger and Band of Brothers where his adventures begin?

(The Richard Bolitho adventures: 4): a gripping, action-packed adventure on the high seas from the master storyteller of the sea

Stand Into Danger

Another thrilling Bolitho adventure from the master of navel fiction, Alexander Kent (pseudonym for Douglas Reeman). March, 1811 After two and a half months of precious peace in Cornwall with his beloved mistress Catherine, Admiral Richard Bolitho is once again summoned to London. In defence of an Empire, the Admiralty must quell the unrest in America - or face the war with those who were once friends. For when diplomacy fails, the cannon will speak. For his daring mission, Bolitho must call on the loyalty of his most trusted officers - and the trust of those he loves the most. Distance too is their enemy, as the Indomitable leads the fleet from Plymouth towards the rich merchant grounds of the Americas. In the troubled seas from Antigua north to Halifax, Admiral Bolitho's revolutionary 'flying squadron' will face their first and harshest test. For a country's freedom. For a hero's right to turn his back on the sea ...

A Richard Bolitho Naval Adventure

For My Country's Freedom

Another exciting Bolitho adventure! This fourteenth Bolitho novel has the epic scenes of action, the powerful characterization and the authentic period detail that have made Alexander Kent a bestseller wherever sea stories are read. After eight years of war between Britain and France there is at last a rumour of peace. But the old enemies are well aware that any settlement will be only a breathing space in which to recover from their terrible losses. To obtain the best terms the French muster a show of strength from Biscay to the Channel ports. At the British Admiralty there are some who see a daring opportunity to even the score at any negotiation table -- and who better to undertake it than the young Rear Admiral Bolitho! In June 1801 Bolitho's small squadron is still repairing the scars of battle earned at Copenhagen - and as he receives his orders from London Bolitho is, for the first time in his life, torn between the demands of duty and his real desire to marry. When the squadron sails it is joined by an additional ship, a frigate with many memories from the past. But where Bolitho's flag leads so his captains must follow, if necessary to the brink of disaster -- for theirs is a tradition of victory.

Returning safely to England after the dramatic capture of Martinque, Vice-Admiral Sir Richard Bolitho finds an all too brief respite from war and politics in the arms of his mistress Catherine Somervell. But the shadow of a new conflict already darkens the horizon. The old enemy, France, forges an uneasy alliance with America - threatening the safety of British trade routes. Although ordered immediately to the Indian Ocean, for the first time Bolitho's thoughts are not of glory but his own - and the Navy's - past. Both Nelson and Collingwood died in their country's service. For the navy's newest Admiral, is there life beyond the sea itself?

The Darkening Sea

This sequel to Beyond the Reef begins in 1809 after Bolitho's return from the West Indies and the capture of Martinique. To his surprise and dismay, Bolitho is ordered to take command of an operation against the French in the Indian Ocean, in order to protect English trade routes.

The frigate Tempest arrives in Sydney, capital of Britain's infant colony in New South Wales. Her captain, Richard Bolitho, yearns to be posted home to England: instead he is ordered to police the southern trade routes.

Passage to Mutiny

As the French enter the American War of Independence young Richard Bolitho is given command of the fast, well-armed sloop Sparrow. He has a chance to prove his ability but danger threatens as real and deadly as the enemy itself.

In 1774, Richard Bolitho is a newly appointed Third Lieutenant, joining the 28-gun frigate Destiny. Dispatched on a secret mission, Destiny and her company face the hazards of conspiracy, treason, and piracy. It is amidst the broadside battles and clashes of swords that Bolitho learns to accept his new responsibilities as a King's officer.

If you love adventure, tight plotting, excellent characterization and vivid writing, set your course for this compelling and captivating naval adventure from multi-million copy seller Alexander Kent. Fans of Patrick O'Brian and C. S. Forester will not be disappointed. Do not miss out! 'One of our foremost writers of naval fiction' -- Sunday Times 'Fans of the Hornblower stories have a treat in THE FLAG CAPTAIN...The book is full of action - and character.' -- Sunday Mirror 'Engrossing' -- ***** Reader review 'An emotional tour de force' -- ***** Reader review 'Typical Alexander Kent " Bolitho " novel - every book in the series has kept me enthralled. I struggle to put them down until the end' -- ***** Reader review 'Superb with unexpected twists and turns, fascinating plot lines and gripping descriptions of naval battles' -- ***** Reader review ************************************************************************** 1797: Richard Bolitho brings the 100-gun Euryalus home to Falmouth to be flagship of the hastily formed squadron which has been chosen to make the first British re-entry to the Mediterranean for nearly a year. As flag captain, Bolitho is made to contend with the unyielding attitudes of his new admiral, as well as the devious requirements of the squadron's civilian advisor. England is still stunned by the naval mutiny at Spithead, in which Bolitho's admiral was personally involved, and as the squadron sets sail, the air is already alive with rumour of an even greater uprising in the ships at the Nore. Only when the squadron is drawn to a bloody embrace with the enemy does the admiral see the strength in Bolitho's trust and care for his men - but by then it is almost too late for any of them. Bolitho's adventures continue in Signal, Close Action!

(The Richard Bolitho adventures: 13): a rip-roaring, rollicking adventure on the high seas from the master storyteller of the sea

Peter Vujakovic

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Alexander Kent

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