Two Americans, one civilian, one navy enlisted man, are drawn into the hard-boiled underworld of early 20th Century Japan as they investigate the grisly discovery of three severed human heads adrift in an open boat belonging to a missing ship. Their exploration of the seedy side of the Asiatic Fleet exposes brutal violence and betrayal lurking in unexpected quarters. Blending the historical authenticity of Patrick O'Brian with the crackling narrative and dialogue of Raymond Chandler, Crossland establishes himself as a unique voice in nautical fiction.  

 

Geoffrey Frost, American sea captain and veteran of the China Trade, and Ming Tsun, his enigmatic mute friend, return in this latest installment of the highly literate and compelling saga of the American struggle for Independence at sea. After a clash against well-armed British warships, Frost’s ship, the privateer Audacity, must be laid up for repairs. Frost, however, is not the kind of man to sit idle for long, and when a new secret weapon invented by David Bushnell comes to light, he recognizes a rare opportunity to strike hard at the complacent English. Commanding the prototype submarine Narwhal, Frost and the freed slave Darius set out to bring terror from below, all the while narrowly avoiding sinking and certain death in the cast iron tomb. Fender proves in this harrowing novel of power and suspense why he is quickly distinguishing himself as one of the eminent voices of American historical fiction.

 

$26.95 US HARDCOVER FIRST EDITION

 

Jan Needle's fourth Sea Officer William Bentley naval adventure finds the young lieutenant in the Bahamas.With the Biter sunk beneath the Caribbean waves, along with Captain "Slack Dickie" Kaye's corrupted dream of riches, Will Bentley is forced inexorably deeper into the brutal and rapacious world of Jamaican politics. Although he brilliantly cuts out a mysterious French brig from a secret bay, his hopes of recovering his lost honour with a triumphant return to Port Royal are blighted by the news that Deb Tomelty, his beloved "Spithead Nymph," has been held responsible for the death of a leading planter--and that William must help to hunt her to her death!

 

 

Fresh from the boisterous goldfields of New Zealand's 1870s, Wally McConnochie, a young Maori-Scot, hopes to escape poverty and family tragedy by signing onto a British barque, the Bristol, as ship's doctor. Short on medical training he struggles with a hard-nosed crew, the spirits of Maoridom and blackguards who wait at every port. Through the Pacific, Far East, Indian Ocean and Mediterranean, aboard ship and in waterfront markets and pubs, Wally survives fisticuffs, misunderstandings with Captain Pockletree, nicknamed Poxy, and close calls with pirates, cholera, poisoning and drowning. The cramped environment of the sailing ship's dispensary becomes the crucible where Wally must confront his fears of discrimination, inadequacy and family misfortune.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yankee privateer Captain Phillip Fairaday and Royal Navy Lieutenant Eliot Marlborough return in this sea adventure of 1776. As the conflict in the Chesapeake Bay grows more savage, so, too, does the conflict between these former friends. While Fairaday raids Tory commerce with increasing success, Marlborough joins the ship’s company of HMS Roebuck 44 in order to intercept and destroy the inshore Rebel threat. When they meet in ship to ship action off the North Carolina coast only one will retain his command; for the other, an uncertain fate looms.

 

$15.95 US Trade Paperback First Edition

ISBN 0972630384