July 1801, Plymouth. Richard Bolitho's small squadron is still repairing the scars of battle earned at Copenhagen. Now the Admiralty needs Bolitho again. After eight years of war with France, Britain must show her strength and determination and dramatically weaken the French cause. The Admiralty wants an attack. Rear-Admiral Richard Boltho must follow his flag's tradition of victory - even though for the first time in his life he is torn between the demands of public duty and personal need.
Copenhagen, 1800, and after seven years of cruel war against France, Britain's long-standing ally, Denmark, suddenly poses a threat. The scene of battle shifts abruptly from Europe to the Baltic where Rear-Admiral Richard Bolitho is thrown immediately into a fierce struggle with the enemy.
Jack McEvoy is a Denver crime reporter with the stickiest assignment of his career. His twin brother, homicide detective Sean McEvoy, was found dead in his car from a self-inflicted bullet wound to the head--an Edgar Allen Poe quote smeared on the windshield. Jack is going to write the story. The problem is that Jack doesn't believe that his brother killed himself, and the more information he uncovers, the more it looks like Sean's death was the work of a serial killer.
Now Commodore of a newly formed squadron, in a British fleet stretched to the limit, Richard Bolitho faces one of the toughest commissions of his career: to ascertain the fighting strength of the French - then seek, find, and bring them to battle.
It is April 1797, Falmouth Bay, and returning home after 18 months' continuous service, Flag Captain Richard Bolitho finds himself at the centre of the Great Mutiny crisis.
