HMS Hazard

The sixteenth volume in the popular John Pearce Adventures set on the high seas

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 the sound and speedy warship HMS Hazard, 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 Pearce's main task and specific orders. Can he 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?

Droits of the Crownexpertly captures the essence of the trials and triumphs of a life at sea while also giving a rare look behind the curtains at the corruption, power, and politics of the era. The characters and superb seamanship will stick with me for a long time. It's the most fun I've had with a historical nautical adventure since Patrick O'Brian, and my next stop is to pick up the very first John Pearce book to find out what else I've been missing!

--Stefan Read, former tall ship captain and member of Toronto's shantymen Pressgang Mutiny

Donachie assails your senses with the whiff of salt air and the heave and roll of a living ship beneath your feet. His characters are gritty and authentic, and he describes their world in all its high adventure and low brutality.

--Chris Durbin, author of The Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures

Droits of the Crownis a literary burgoo with just the right mix of historical authenticity and storytelling, one that grips the reader and carries them along. Donachie knows his time period and his subject matter, he knows how to spin a yarn, and once again, it shows.

--James L. Nelson, author of the Isaac Biddlecomb Novels

Exciting and unpredictable.

-- "The Bookbag"

High adventure and detection; cunningly spliced battle scenes which reek of blood and brine; excitements on terra firma to match

-- "Literary Review"

High-speed epic from an ace storyteller.

-- "Daily Sport"

Outflanking and out-gunning C. S. Forester.

-- "Cambridge Evening News"

Pure adventure with excitement and daring all the way . . . historical fiction at its very best.

--Historical Novels Review Online

David Donachie, the author of the John Pearce naval adventures, was born in Edinburgh in 1944. He has always had an abiding interest in the naval history of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and, has published a number of historical adventure novels. David lives in Deal on the English Channel with his partner, the novelist Sarah Grazebrook.

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?

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