John Pearce – serie

1794: Stuck in Palermo harbour, headstrong Lieutenant John Pearce and his trusty Pelicans must repair the battle-damaged HMS Larcher with only meagre funds. Once again, he finds himself protecting Emily Barclay, abandoned by the captain of her merchantman after he discovers her true identity. When Pearce sets sail for Naples, he discovers disloyalty among his crew, who are suspicious of Emily's presence and the troubles that seem to be coming their way.Sailing into danger, they encounter enemies armed with more speed and greater firepower. Lacking proper masts and a bowsprit, Pearce has no option but to run until forced to abandon and burn his ship trapped in an Italian bay. Pearce must face a court-martial for his actions. However, his troubles are only beginning. Admiral Hotham, now in command, seeks to neutralise Pearce, who poses a threat to him. Hotham contrives a deadly plan to send the unwitting Pelicans into mortal danger against a bloodthirsty and piratical Turk called Mehmet Pasha. Only luck and Pearce's fiery thirst for battle can save them.

1794: The Mediterranean is proving dangerous waters for John Pearce and his Pelicans. Having left his lover, Emily, the wife of his mortal enemy Ralph Barclay, in the Tuscan port of Leghorn, Pearce is detained in Naples. When he unknowingly delivers a letter promoting the shady and incompetent Admiral Hotham, Pearce finds himself entangled in a political plot that soon puts those closest to him at peril.When reunited with Emily, John Pearce faces a losing battle to maintain her reputation. Emily sees no future for herself with Pearce and leaves while he is conveying private letters for Horatio Nelson to the British Ambassador, Sir William Hamilton. Learning of her departure, Pearce sets off in pursuit. At the same time, he takes on a superior Barbary corsairs force that has targeted the merchant ship on which Emily is traveling, the Sandown Castle.Outgunned by a barbaric opponent, John Pearce’s chances of survival—and those of Emily and Pearce’s crew—are dubious. And even if they can win this fierce battle, another threat looms on the horizon, as Pearce is not the only one chasing Emily. Ralph Barclay has learned of his wife’s desertion and is on his way to recapture her.

1796: John Pearce is stuck with a difficult mission—a raw crew of Quota Men forced to enlist in the Royal Navy and four brand-new midshipmen as well as Samuel Oliphant, companion cum spy, whom he finds a constant irritant. In his favour he commands HMS Hazard, a sound and speedy warship, a pair of competent officers and, of course, his trusty old friends the Pelicans. Their primary mission is to head for the Mediterranean Fleet and warn Admiral Sir John Jervis of impending danger he will face, fighting a combined French/Spanish fleet. But there is a serious distraction: the imminent arrival of a Spanish vessel from South America carrying silver, for which the Spaniards are waiting before declaring war. Stop that and they will lack the funds to truly engage as an enemy of Britannia, but it is a distraction from his main task and specific orders. Can John Pearce resist the lure of such a valuable capture and risk his ship in a dangerous battle to gain it, or will his duty come first?

London, 1793: Young firebrand John Pearce, on the run from the authorities, is illegally press-ganged from the Pelican Tavern into brutal life aboard HMS Brilliant, a frigate on its way to war. Shipboard life is hard, brutal, and dangerous—that anyone chooses it suggests that life ashore is even worse. But Pearce is not alone; he is drawn to a disparate group of men pressed alongside him who eventually form an exclusive gun crew, the Pelicans, with Pearce their elected leader.The Pelicans find solidarity in facing together the cruelty of their hard-nosed captain, Barclay, and the daily threat of bullying, flogging—even murder. The one light on the horizon is the captain's wife, Emily, who is also aboard and new to life at sea. During an action-packed two weeks, as HMS Brilliant chases a French privateer across the English Channel, Pearce discovers the British Navy is a world in which he can prosper, and he and the Pelicans form friendships that will last a lifetime.

Winter 1795: Lieutenant John Pearce, reckoning to have finally ditched his old enemy, Admiral Hotham, has found a new one in Henry Digby, previously a friend. Meanwhile, Pearce's pregnant and recently widowed lover is adamant they cannot be seen together for the sake of their unborn child as she seeks respectability in society.Aboard HMS Flirt as part of the squadron led by Horatio Nelson, Pearce and his Pelicans soon join a reconnaissance mission which results in the destruction of a key French battery—though the success is short-lived. In raids ashore, split loyalties, and bloody sea fights, Pearce must show bravery and resourcefulness to ensure his survival and return to Emily. But the headstrong lieutenant is faced with immense danger, not only from the enemy but also from his own captain. Only luck and Pearce's fierce appetite for battle can save them from the perils ahead.

John Pearce is going home. But he has to avoid capture by an Algerine warship, having his Pelicans pressed into a British frigate and that's before they are at risk of being hanged for desertion once home. Then there is the problem of Emily Barclay and their son Adam. By cunning and bluff he protects his friends, but not his troubled love life. In a whirlwind of action, there are forged wills, devious trades, contrived murders and dangerous spy missions, with so much deceit that Pearce does not know who to trust. All he can hope to do is survive.

1796: Lieutenant John Pearce is hiding in the smugglers’ hub of Gravelines with his mysterious companion, known only to him as Oliphant, trapped in French territory with no way out. Although they find a crew willing to take them to England, they discover on the journey that Pearce’s old enemies, the Tolland brothers, are still active on the route, and may have been responsible for the murder of Catherine Carruthers.Meanwhile, being on his homeland brings Pearce closer to Emily Barclay and their young son, Adam, but their tumultuous past has left their relationship fragile and the constant need for discretion is an additional strain. Then, just as things may be looking up, it seems Henry Dundas has another role for him and Oliphant: a mission to northeast Spain.

John Pearce faces a court martial, but will cowardly Toby Burns, chief witness, stand up to questioning? With the matter unresolved, HMS Hazard is put under the command of Horatio Nelson, with whom no cruise can be without incident. Sure enough, battle is joined with two Spanish frigates, though success is short-lived and flight in the face of a superior foe becomes the only option.In London, the government denies prize money for the cargo of silver Pearce took off the Santa Leocadia, claiming it as property of the Crown. Pearce’s prize agent seeks to fight this, only to be outmanoeuvred by devious Henry Dundas. Worse, some very bad pennies from the past have come back to haunt the life of Emily Barclay and the thief-taker Walter Hodgson.From Elba, Pearce is sent on a mission to collect fleeing members of the Corsican government: an assignment which looks simple but is anything but. Seeking a solution which will not risk his ship, he seeks the aid of a local clan chief, inadvertently putting himself, his crew, and his rescued charges in jeopardy. Pearce finds himself trapped in a deep Corsican bay, facing odds of two to one, which he can only overcome by employing devious tactics. And even successful, he will be forced to make a decision: to follow his instincts or to obey his orders.

John Pearce, having negotiated the highly questionable sale of the two French prizes taken in The Devil to Pay, has left HMS Flirt, as well as the crew and the wounded Henry Digby in Brindisi and is headed for Naples to see his lover. In an uncomfortable journey he seeks to work out a way to best both Admiral Sir William Hotham and Captain Ralph Barclay, men who are his sworn enemies. All his calculations are thrown into turmoil when he discovers that Emily is pregnant which, while it is a cause for joy, is also a reason to worry; she is still married to Ralph Barclay and by the laws of the time he can claim the child as his own.

1796. Pearce and his wife Emily are in living in Bath, when Minister of War Henry Dundas turns up and suggests a second mission to the Vendee. The proposed expedition looks promising and Pearce takes the bait. Once at sea, however, Pearce and his crew encounter a French fleet and an indecisive battle ensues off the Ile de Groix.

John Pearce is hiding in Gravelines with his mysterious companion, known to him as Oliphant. Although they find a crew willing to take them back to England, they learn on the journey that Pearce's old enemies, the Tolland brothers, are still active on the route, and may have been responsible for the murder of Catherine Carruthers.