1793. Privateer Harry Ludlow finds himself aboard the navy's 74-gun Magnanime, with his younger brother James. In command is Oliver Carter, a captain with whom Harry has an unfortunate history. When James is found standing over the body of a dead officer, Harry's feud shifts into the background. But dark secrets start to surface on all sides.

Returning to England, Harry and James become embroiled in a vicious struggle between rival smugglers played out in the English Channel. Witnesses to a bloody confrontation, they flee to Dealonly to find that, behind its picturesque facade, the town is a haven for traders in contraband, seething with corruption and violence."

1795. When his crew is illegally pressed into the Royal Navy by the vicious Captain Toner, Harry sets off in pursuit of Toner's ship. Toner reaches the West Indies with Harry close behind and they sail into a maelstrom of piracy, corruption, and murder.

The discovery of an abandoned Spanish merchant ship off the coast of America plunges Harry Ludlow into a far-reaching conspiracy fueled by jealousy, ambition, and nationalistic fervor.

The long-awaited return of the Bucephalas to the safety of the Cinque Ports is interrupted by a disastrous engagement in the Channel. The looming shape of a merchantman becalmed in fog presents an almost irresistible allure. But for Harry Ludlow and his battle-weary crew, the pursuit of one last easy prize leads to a desperate fight.

This book is the first volume of an epic dual autobiographical novels of England's greatest hero and his legendary mistress.

A compelling read and a probing expostion of the working of the British navy in the late 18th century.--Edward Cline

To a nation consumed by war, Admiral Horatio Nelson is now a hero and Britain's best hope of victory. To those in power, he is an arrogant glory-seeker, too quick to disregard orders! Then there's Nelson's lover, Lady Emma Hamilton: shunned by the establishment for her checkered past. Nelson and Emma defy friends and enemies alike to follow destiny-as Nelson moves closer to the greatest naval battle in history.