This eighth novel in the classic, acclaimed Nathaniel Drinkwater naval adventure series is perfect for fans of Patrick O'Brian and C.S. Forester
From the tide-torn waters of the Thames, where Captain Nathaniel Drinkwater is compelled to deal with a deserter, to the seas off stunning, traitorous Cape Horn - storm-scoured gateway to the Pacific - the great cruiser Patrician is tense with the threat of mutiny.
Despite this, Drinkwater captures a Spanish frigate and meets the stunning Dona Ana Maria, daughter of the Commandante of San Francisco. But, having disturbed a hornet's nest of colonial intrigue, Drinkwater finds that the Spanish are eager to humiliate him and the Royal Navy. Moreover, a Russian battleship lurks somewhere offshore, pursuing Tsar Alexander's dark plans. Caught between two formidable enemies, Drinkwater must defeat enemies on all fronts if he is to survive - including on his own ship.
Packed with exciting incident, worthy of wide appeal to those who love thrilling nautical encounters and the sea - Nautical magazine
This author has quietly stolen the weather-gauge from most of his rivals in the Hornblower stakes - Observer
Richard Woodman is well-known for his Nathaniel Drinkwater series of historical naval novels, a dozen other sea-stories, histories of the development of ships and works on sea-power during the Napoleonic Wars. He has also produced two widely acclaimed studies of convoys operations during the Second World War, Malta Convoys and Arctic Convoys.