Quarterdeck: Thomas Kydd 5 - Tapa dura

'Kydd is such an outstandingly real character that it is hard to remember you are reading fiction - it's so carefully researched and based on historical facts. Such is the skill of the writer that it is impossible to put this book down ...' -- Western Daily Press 'Stockwin's imaginative storyline conveys much of the emergent America's pioneering spirit - but he's even better at recreating life aboard one of His Majesty's ships.' -- Yorkshire Post 'I was soon turning over the pages almost indecently fast ... Roll on, the promised adventures of Kydd and Renzi.' - Independent 'Gripping ... Rich in action and full of interesting characters, this thrilling novel leaves you in awe of the 18th-century seaman.' - Peterborough Evening Telegraph 'The vantage point of the common sailor gives the nautical novel a fresh twist. In Stockwin's hands the sea story will continue to entrance readers across the world.' - Guardian 'Stockwin paints a vivid picture of life aboard the mighty ship-of-the-line... the harsh naval discipline, the rancid food, and the skill of the common sailor are all skilfully evoked.' - Daily Express 'The appeal of the story is in the telling, which is atmospheric, authentic and disclosed from the unusual perspective of the ordinary sailor working his way up the ranks... The author had a long career in the Royal Navy, which adds to his prose that extra dash of salty realism.' Publishing News on MUTINY 'As with the previous books, Seaflower is a busy story, crammed with events but never predictable. Like all good sea stories, it takes you to strange and wonderful places. There are hurricanes and battles and intrigues ... Fans of naval fiction, or just whose who appreciate a good yarn, will not want to miss it.' West Australian on SEAFLOWER

Thomas Kydd was promoted to acting lieutenant at the bloody Battle of Camperdown in October 1797. Now, he must sit an examination to confirm his rank - or face an inglorious return before the mast. But this is only the first of many obstacles for a man who was pressed into the King's Service and discovered a calling for the sea. Kydd is from humble origins, yet he attains the lofty heights of the quarterdeck as an officer in His Majesty's Navy. If he is to avoid spending the rest of his career as a tarpaulin officer, he must also become a gentleman. Kydd and his enigmatic friend Nicholas Renzi set sail in HMS Tenacious for the North American station. Aboard the old 64-gun ship, Kydd comes to doubt he will ever match up to the high-born gentlemen officers. The frontier town of Halifax, which is also home to a British prince of the blood, provides a welcome diversion. Meanwhile, the young United States is in dispute with revolutionary France, the Quasi War, and Kydd finds himself in the USS Constellation in the heady days of the birth of the American Navy. On his return to Halifax, Kydd surmounts more hurdles, both personal and professional - will he ever see himself as truly one of a band of brothers?