KING'S COAT

The first Alan Lewrie, this action-packed naval adventure is ideal for fans of C. S. Forester, Patrick O'Brian and Julian Stockwin. His exploits echo with the bustle of crowded ports and the crash of naval warfare. It is 1780 and 17 year old Alan Lewrie is a brash young libertine with a head full of dreams. When he is found in bed with the wrong woman, he is forced to leave his profligacy behind for a new life at sea. Although sickness and hard labour await him aboard the tall-masted Ariadne, Lewrie finds himself gradually adapting to the world of a midshipman. But as he heads for the war-torn Americas and into a hail of cannonballs, will he ever catch wind of the plot brewing against him back at home? 407pp, paperback.