Seth Hunter – författare

The compelling fourth historical naval adventure from a master of maritime storytelling. Seth Hunter''s electrifying series is the perfect read for fans of Master and Commander and novels by Iain Gale. ''Seth Hunter has a more natural storyteller''s eye than Patrick O''Brian'' Daily Telegraph 1796: Nathan Peake, captain of the frigate Unicorn is sent with a small squadron into the Adriatic to help bring Venice into an Italian alliance against the French.

He establishes a British naval presence, harrying the French corsairs that swarm out of Ancona in Italy. While Nathan confronts the politics of ''intrigue, poison and the stiletto'' in Venice, his mission is further complicated by the arrival of Napoleon Bonaparte''s aide de camp, Junot.

Recognising Nathan as the ''American'' who saved Bonaparte''s life in Paris, Junot invites him to army headquarters where he unwillingly joins the French in a victorious battle against the Austrians.

Meanwhile, in Venice, French troops move into the city and a new revolutionary government takes power. Nathan learns that Bonaparte is negotiating a peace deal with the Austrians - Britain''s only remaining ally. Worse, the Spanish are about to ally with the French. Nathan returns to the Unicorn and rejoins Nelson for the decisive Battle of St Vincent against the entire Spanish fleet.

What readers are saying about THE WINDS OF FOLLY:''Full of action and intrigue mixed with a worldly view of historical figures. A non-stop read - his best yet''

''Another winning combination of naval action and espionage from Seth Hunter''

''More fascinating adventures through the Adriatic. The integration of old and new characters makes the story believable with its pieces of history woven through''

''A compelling read, imaginative, knowledgeable, fast-moving . . . full of twists and turns'' Naval Review1797: Britain stands alone against the forces of Revolutionary France. A victorious French Army, led by the youthful Napoleon Bonaparte, is poised to invade Britain. And in his country''s darkest hour, Captain Nathan Peake finds himself imprisoned by his own side on the Rock of Gibraltar - charged with treason.

To prove his innocence Nathan must uncover the great deception that masks the French war aims. Is the great armada being assembled in Toulon bound for the shores of Great Britain - or Egypt? His secret mission to discover the truth about Napoleon''s invasion plans will hurl him into two of the greatest battles of the 18th century. What readers are saying about THE FLAG OF FREEDOM:''A seafaring yarn mixing great historical action, politics, spies and beautiful women. You can''t wait to turn the page''

''Seth Hunter on top form. Nathaniel Peake is one of the best characters I''ve read in a long time''

''A gripping novel based upon historical fact which paints a graphic picture of life and times in Europe combined with the reality of naval life''

1798: Old enemies, Nelson and Napoleon, launch a new war in the east - and to the victor go the spoils . . . The unputdownable sixth historical naval adventure from a master of maritime storytelling. Seth Hunter''s gripping series is the perfect read for fans of Julian Stockwin and Patrick O''Brian. ''The action is handled with complete assurance and all matters nautical carry the requisite salty whiff of authenticity . . . Hunter keeps the plot continually on the boil.'' Yorkshire Evening PostThe Mouth of the Nile, 9th August, 1798: Admiral Nelson has sent Captain Nathan Peake on a desperate journey across the Middle East to convey a grim warning to British India. Bonaparte''s army is poised to deliver a fatal blow to the source of Britain''s wealth and power by marching overland to India.

Arriving in Bombay, Nathan takes command of the East India Company''s naval wing - the Bombay Marine - an under-armed and poorly crewed flotilla of sloops and gunboats.With these meagre resources he must stop the flow of French supplies to their Indian ally and protect the Company''s trade from the pirates and privateers swarming in the Bay of Bengal.

But when Nathan discovers the truth behind the East India Company''s honourable facade he confronts some tough personal choices - and a crisis of conscience even more threatening than the enemy.

What readers are saying about THE SPOILS OF CONQUEST:''Seth Hunter''s fine mixture of fact and fiction has kept me hungry to read on all the way through. Wonderful!''

''The characters are engaging, the action exciting and the background nicely researched''

''[Seth Hunter''s] writing style is first class as he keeps the story moving quickly forward, providing graphic description, injecting humour, and always a plausible scenario''

1794: Murder, mutiny and betrayal as war rips through the Caribbean . . .The second brilliant novel in Seth Hunter''s naval adventure series, featuring Captain Nathan Peake. The perfect series for fans of HORNBLOWER and Iain Gale. ''This book has it all; naval battles, mutiny, pirates, spies - even a witch queen! Will be welcomed by lovers of naval historical fiction'' Daily Mail

Newly-promoted Captain Nathan Peake is despatched to the Caribbean to take command of the British navy''s latest frigate, the 32-gun Unicorn. But the Unicorn already has a tragic history of mutiny - and murder.

Meanwhile the Revolutionary authorities in Paris have sent the best frigate in the French fleet, the 44-gun Virginie, on a secret mission to spread mayhem from the shores of Cuba to the swamps of the Mississippi Delta.

While the Unicorn embarks on her epic duel with the Virginie, Nathan confronts the seductive charms of Sabine Delatour, witch queen of the Army of Lucumi, the intrigues of the American agent Gilbert Imlay...

What readers are saying about THE TIDE OF WAR:''[Seth Hunter is] a worthy challenger to the nautical stories of Patrick O''Brien and Dudley Pope. The pacing is relentless and totally absorbing''

''The research and description of the time is excellent. A first-class read''

''Seth Hunter''s passion for history leaves the reader with a vivid sense of place and time''

Friends turn against friends, patriots are betrayed, and lovers must pay the ultimate price . . .The first gripping naval thriller in Seth Hunter''s historical adventure series, for fans of Julian Stockwin and Patrick O''Brian''Rousing . . . a complex plot, written with wit, suspense, intrigue, and action'' Publishers Weekly 1793: The French have killed their king and are about to embark on the violent period of bloodletting known as the Terror. Brig-sloop Commander Nathan Peake is on smuggler patrol off the Sussex coast and desperate for some real action. As revolutionary France declares war on England, he seizes his chance. Peake is given a vital mission; to destroy the French economy by smuggling millions of French banknotes across the Channel and into the heart of Paris. His operation leads him from perilous seas to the Empire of the Dead - a labyrinth of catacombs under the French capital where bodies are buried, secrets hidden and plots hatched.

But as opposition to the Terror mounts, Peake is forced to leave Paris and join the storm-tossed British squadrons in the Atlantic in the first thunderous battle between the rival navies.What readers are saying about THE TIME OF TERROR:

''A breathtaking journey through revolutionary Paris . . . masterfully blends history and humanity''

''A must-read for fans of naval historical fiction. Well researched and plotted with characters who really come alive''

''A thrilling story . . . both on the water and on land''

''Full of humour and history and lust. A gripping tale, masterfully written''

1795: Young warriors Nelson and Napoleon learn the art of war and the cost of fame . . .The third novel in this epic, thrilling series of war and villainy on the high seas, featuring Captain Nathan Peake. Seth Hunter''s brilliant series will enthral fans of Dudley Pope and Patrick O''Brian. ''Another slick nautical adventure in the Patrick O''Brian tradition . . . rousing naval battles, twisty plot, and muscular prose'' Publishers Weekly on THE TIDE OF WAR

Nathan Peake charts a perilous course through the treacherous seas off Brittany and into the even more dangerous waters of post-Revolutionary Paris. There he encounters two of the most beautiful and scandalous courtesans in history - and their little toy soldier, laughingly dubbed Captain Cannon, who is about to win enduring fame as Napoleon Bonaparte.

Returned to the command of the frigate Unicorn, Nathan is sent to join another young glory-seeker, Captain Horatio Nelson, in a bid to wreck Bonaparte''s plans for the invasion of Italy. But Nathan has his own private agenda - to find his lost love amid the chaos of war - and as the fighting spreads from the mountains to the sea, he discovers that glory comes at a higher price than all the gold in the vaults of Genoa.

What readers are saying about THE PRICE OF GLORY:''Seth Hunter is a natural storyteller and a master of description, whether it be wild seas, ship to ship battles, dangerous political intrigue or the natural beauty of the countryside when Nathan Peake is ashore. Totally absorbing''

''A really fantastic read and immaculately researched''

''[Seth Hunter''s] is a natural storyteller and his prose is beautifully elegant. There''s wit, adventure, big seas, monumental battles, and even a moving love story. A delight''

The eighth volume in the thrilling adventure series featuring Nathan Peake, British naval officer and spy, during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars

“All I need is three days of fog,” Napoleon told his admirals, and they would have his greatest enemy at their mercy and the world at his feet.

It is 1803, and Britain and France are on the eve of war. Captain Nathan Peake, still in command of the sloop Falaise, is recruited to coordinate a secret operation to land agents and weapons on the coast of Brittany and Normandy to raise the flag of rebellion. Instead, he discovers that the real plan is to kidnap or assassinate Napoleon on the road to his country home of Malmaison on the outskirts of Paris. As Peake navigates the conspiracy and its aftermath, he finds his paths crossing with those of the legendary Sir Sidney Smith, American inventor Robert Fulton, and the Empress Josephine. But as the fog of war thickens, the risk of a chance encounter with someone who knows Peake’s true identity also grows. And all the while Napoleon is strategizing to divide his enemy and concentrate his forces on the weakest link. It has worked for the general many times on land—but will it now work at sea?

This is the story of the murders and intrigues, the myths and mysteries—and crucially the naval encounters—that preceded the most famous battle in nautical history. This is Nathan Peake’s Trafalgar, the true story of the events leading up to the campaign.

The ninth volume in the thrilling adventure series featuring Nathan Peake, British naval officer and spy, finds a young America divided against itself . . .

1806: The United States faces an existential threat from within. Vice President Aaron Burr, feeling cheated of the presidency, conspires to destroy the Union – and if he can’t become president legally, to set himself up as the leader of a breakaway republic in the West. At the same time, President Jefferson’s plan to outlaw the Atlantic slave trade provokes a secessionist movement in the Southern states. Mere decades after achieving independence from Great Britain, the young nation is in serious danger of falling apart.

To further complicate matters, a French fleet escapes the British naval blockade and heads westward across the Atlantic. Onboard is Emperor Napoleon’s younger brother, Jerome, intent on exploiting America’s internal divisions to his and his country’s advantage.

And in their wake, on a mission to assist the beleaguered President Jefferson, is the newly promoted commodore Nathan Peake with a small squadron of British warships led by the seventy-four-gun Scipio.

Nathan has his own problems to contend with, however, and at times they appear overwhelming. They include his pregnant lover who is under suspicion of being a French agent, his secretive and complicated association with the Bonaparte family, his own dissident officers, the pro-slavery faction in the British Navy, and an American double agent intent on exploiting the national crisis for his own personal gain.

The scene is set for an epic clash among the British Navy, Napoleonic France, and the forces driving America apart. And as the 1806 Battle of the Atlantic reaches the mouth of the Chesapeake, the Eastern Seaboard is about to be hit by one of the worst hurricanes in history.