AustLit

'1802 - The Treaty of Amiens heralds a fragile peace in the war with France. Britain’s fighting ships languish in ordinary and sailors litter the alehouses of Portsmouth.

'From a beach, Captain Quintrell observes a fleet preparing to sail little knowing he will soon have command of a frigate.

'Entrusted with secret orders, he heads south, unaware of the horrors which lie ahead, but when he enters the freezing Southern Ocean, a mutinous crew, murder most foul and the dangers held within a simmering volcanic island pose as much of a threat as a broadside from a man-of-war.

'Can Captain Quintrell complete his mission and return his ship and his unusual cargo safely to England. When he finally reaches Portsmouth, he believes he had succeeded, but a cruel twist puts him and his crew in mortal danger.

'FLOATING GOLD is the first in a series of naval adventures set during the Napoleonic Wars and featuring Captain Quintrell, and his officers and men.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'The year is 1803 and aboard HM Frigate, 'Perpetual', Captain Quintrell heads south to the Southern Ocean. His orders are to find a missing ship even if it means sailing all the way to Peru. But in order to complete his mission, he must face the challenges of the Horn, an unnerving discovery, French privateers, political intrigue and even deception and unrest amongst his own crew. THE TAINTED PRIZE is a classic age-of-sail nautical fiction adventure and the second in the series following FLOATING GOLD.'

'For officers in His Majesty’s Navy during the Napoleonic War, life was not a continuous round of sea battles and subsequent prizes. Spending many months on blockade duty was far from the exciting and profitable life they had expected when entering the Service.

'Book 3 in the Oliver Quintrell Series, sees Captain Quintrell facing life-threatening events over which he has no control. Ordered to sail to Gibraltar in the late summer of 1804, his ship soon becomes hemmed in, not by Spanish gunboats or French ships of the line, but by the Quarantine Regulations which close the port around him. Unable to halt the loss of life from a raging epidemic, he strives to do his part to help save the Colony when it is at its most vulnerable.

'This nautical fiction adventure is based on actual events which took place in and around Gibraltar between August and December, 1804, including a major sea battle. It shows how ignorance and prejudice can exist in a ship, and presents a startling portrait of life at Gibraltar – a British settlement ruled by a military garrison where naval power was only an incidental force.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'December 1804. Having permission to depart Gibraltar Bay, the British naval frigate ‘Perpetual’ heads into the Atlantic. Because of the need to scrape the ship’s bottom, Captain Quintrell careens the ship on an isolated beach in the Azores. What he discovers on the Western Isles both disgusts and disturbs him, and brings him into direct conflict with a piratical scoundrel whose evil knows no bounds. Fredrik van Zetten proves to be the most fiendish adversary Oliver Quintrell has ever encountered. Despite murmurings and misgivings amongst the crew, ensnaring the rogue privateer and bringing him to justice becomes an obsession and diverts the captain from the Admiralty orders he is committed to follow. Having successfully delivered van Zetten once to the authorities, Oliver Quintrell will not let him slide out of his hands a second time.

'With a few new faces adding colour and intrigue to life below decks, the regular crew of His Majesty’s frigate ‘Perpetual’ embarks on another dangerous and exciting seafaring adventure.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'1805 - Rio de Janeiro - Oliver Quintrell receives orders to sail to England in company with HMS Stalwart - a 74-gun third rate ship-of-the-line. Heading north along the coast of Brazil, the captain is aware of the danger posed by French ships patrolling those waters. But he is unaware of the undercurrent of unrest simmering aboard the third rate. When insurrection turns to mutiny and the life of every man aboard the 74 is threatened, Captain Quintrell and the crew of HM frigate Perpetual must do all they can to bring those responsible to justice.'

(Publication summary)