Ramage's Challenge - Tapa dura

The Napoleonic Wars are raging and a group of eminent British citizens have been taken captive in the Mediterranean by French troops. The Admiralty traces their location and sends the valiant Lord Ramage to effect their release. As Ramage and his crew negotiate the hazardous waters off the Tuscan coast, they soon begin to doubt the accuracy of their instructions. Ramage comes to realize that in order for his mission to succeed he must embark upon a fearful and highly dangerous escapade where the stakes have never been higher.

Dudley Pope was an experienced Naval officer, journalist and historian who has delighted generations of readers with thrilling stories of high adventure at sea. He was widely applauded throughout his life, gaining the reputation of being 'the best of Hornblower's successors'. He is perhaps most loved for his Ramage series which follows the exploits of Lord Nicholas Ramage during the Napoleonic Wars, but he is also highly respected for his scholarly works.