Series: Markham of the Marines. An epic of 18th-century warfare by land and sea, this first novel in the Markham of the Marines trilogy introduces George Markham, lately of the 65th Regiment of Foot, now Lieutenant of Marines on His Britannic Majesty's frigate Hebe. As the winter of comes to the Mediterranean coast of France, Markham will have to prove he is a worthy officer.
Note: If you have already purchased this item, please login to view, avoiding duplicate charges. Irishman, papist, reputed coward: Markham is a man with something to prove. The death of his commanderβkilled by a lucky French musket ball to the throatβprovides him with a chance to lead his men to glory. Markham, a foot soldier by training, is no sailor, and he is suddenly left with a band of surly, disgruntled conscripts under his command.
The salty marines aboard the frigate Hebe deride his ignorance and undermine his authority. Worse, as the winter of comes, Markham and his troublemaking men must face the expansive terror of Revolutionary France.
The fighting takes Markham to the city of Toulon, where he makes the acquaintance of a French soldier named Napoleon Bonaparte. Acclaimed author David Donachie follows Markham through bloody battles, lively seductions, fights with superiors, and run-ins with French spies to offer a stirring tale of derring-do that heats the blood and fires the imagination.
David Donachie β was born in Edinburgh. He always had an abiding interest in military history, including ancient Rome, the Middle Ages, the British navy of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and the clandestine services during the Second World War. He had more than fifty published novels to his credit, with over a million combined sales. The plot complications are worthy of Baroness Orczy or either Dumas.
