John Pearce
3 primary works • 16 total works
Book 3
Since being pressed into service, John Pearce has endured a hectic whirlwind of events, facing wild storms at sea and bitter battles with the enemy. His recent, surprising promotion means that he is now finally free to follow his own wishes, rather than being forced to serve in King George's Navy. However, the same does not apply for the trio of Pearce's closest friends who, with Pearce as their leader, call themselves the Pelicans. Whilst Pearce is indulging himself in London, his friends are shipped off to the Mediterranean. Riddled with guilt over leaving them and still haunted by his father's execution at the guillotine, Pearce vows to liberate the men who have stuck by him through thick and thin. Having spent months trying to get on dry land, he now has no choice; he must take ship and follow them. His application to William Pitt for a place finds him sailing towards the Mediterranean with secret despatches for Admiral Lord Hood. South and ahead of him, his Pelicans are serving under a brutal tyrant aboard a 74-gun ship.
Meanwhile, just off Toulon, Pearce's sworn enemy, Captain Ralph Barclay, puts the lives of his crew as well as that of his beautiful young wife at risk in his vain search for glory. With help being withheld by all higher powers, Pearce is obliged to embark on a dangerous mission before he can free his friends: at stake, the whole British position in the Mediterranean.
Meanwhile, just off Toulon, Pearce's sworn enemy, Captain Ralph Barclay, puts the lives of his crew as well as that of his beautiful young wife at risk in his vain search for glory. With help being withheld by all higher powers, Pearce is obliged to embark on a dangerous mission before he can free his friends: at stake, the whole British position in the Mediterranean.
Book 6
It is 1793. John Pearce and his Pelicans are going home - to gain their freedom and, using the evidence they have, put the treacherous Captain Ralph Barclay in the dock. But first they must take part in the evacuation of Toulon. With the Republican Army at the gates the citizens are panicking, trying to flee the bloody guillotine. Confusion reigns and Pearce must keep his wits about him in order to survive. This is not the end of the troubles they face: the ship designated to remove the wounded from Lutyens hospital has been deliberately delayed by Admiral Hotham, the whole situation made worse when it is discovered many of the French ships singled out for destruction have been saved by the Spanish; was it naive to expect help from a nation more often an enemy than a friend? Captain Ralph Barclay and his wife Emily are among those on a ship back to England; Pearce must sail in close proximity to both - difficult given his loathing for the Captain, in contrast to his regard for the lovely Emily. She discovers Pearce has a copy of the lies her husband told at his recent court martial, papers that would ruin his career and her future security.
And then comes that dread thing, a fire aboard a wooden ship of war! Cast adrift, Pearce and his Pelicans find help from an unlikely source, yet still they face a pursuit they cannot outrun, with no idea from where help may come. Finally back on British soil, the Pelicans hope they have reached the end of their troubles, but with the important documents missing the real concerns have only just begun. Emily Barclay holds the key, but do her loyalties lie with her husband or her conscience?
And then comes that dread thing, a fire aboard a wooden ship of war! Cast adrift, Pearce and his Pelicans find help from an unlikely source, yet still they face a pursuit they cannot outrun, with no idea from where help may come. Finally back on British soil, the Pelicans hope they have reached the end of their troubles, but with the important documents missing the real concerns have only just begun. Emily Barclay holds the key, but do her loyalties lie with her husband or her conscience?
Book 7
Lieutenant John Pearce is in London seeking protection for his friends, the Pelicans, from a reluctant Admiralty, unaware that they have been turfed off the ship on which he left them in safety. Sitting in the tavern where he and the Pelicans were first press ganged, Pearce considers his future. Lacking funds, an occupation if he leaves naval service, or the evidence of perjury he once had to bring to justice Captain Ralph Barclay, the brute who pressed he and his companions into the Navy, his prospects are not promising. Ralph Barclay is a man with problems of his own. His young wife, Emily, is refusing to live under the same roof as him and she has the means to get her own way: the evidence Pearce believes lost at sea. Barclay's slippery clerk, Gherson, has as much to lose as his employer and decides that Pearce must be silenced and, if need be, Emily Barclay too. After many trials, dodging press gangs and writs, Pearce's companions finally arrive in London just in time to join Pearce in his new enterprise. A smiling stranger has offered him an opportunity he can not refuse.
It involves fetching a ship laden with contraband back from the French port of Gravelines, an illegal act but very profitable. But is it all as it seems? Are Pearce and his Pelicans sailing into prosperity - or danger?
It involves fetching a ship laden with contraband back from the French port of Gravelines, an illegal act but very profitable. But is it all as it seems? Are Pearce and his Pelicans sailing into prosperity - or danger?
John Pearce comes back from Corsica demanding that Captain Barclay of HMS Brilliant, the man who originally pressed him and his fellow Pelicans into the Navy, be tried at home by a civilian court. Against the background of the ongoing siege of Toulon and with the Revolutionary Army massing to attack, no-one in authority sees this as a good time to accede to his requests.Barclay's patron Admiral Hotham contrives a way out of the dilemma. He staffs the ship Pearce captured in Corsica with members of the Revolutionary Navy refusing to serve under the Bourbon flag and gives it to Henry Digby, with Pearce and his Pelicans under him, so that they may transport the renegade French sailors to an Atlantic port and set them free.Whilst Pearce is gone Hotham fixes a court martial where Barclay is found innocent for lack of evidence, a ruse that leads to an open breach with his wife Emily. Pearce eventually returns to the siege having survived conflict on both land and water only to find Barclay acquitted and exempt from further trial under the law of double jeopardy.
Despite clear warnings not to do so he begins a romance with Emily Barclay, but mayhem surrounds the evacuation of Toulon and the revolutionary forces, including Napoleon Bonaparte, are closing in to retake the port...
Despite clear warnings not to do so he begins a romance with Emily Barclay, but mayhem surrounds the evacuation of Toulon and the revolutionary forces, including Napoleon Bonaparte, are closing in to retake the port...
1794. Free from jail, John Pearce is not free from the smugglers whose boat he stole - they want bloody revenge and are prepared to chase him to the ends of the earth to get it. While lying low at Emily Barclay's, Pearce soon has other pressing concerns on his mind: fellow Pelicans Charlie and Rufus remain incarcerated in the Chatham hulk prison ship, and Emily's rescue of the court martial papers that threaten to damn Pearce are at risk due to the dangerous scheming of Ralph Barclay and his slippery clerk, Gherson. Granted a commission by William Pitt, John Pearce soon evades his pursuers by undertaking a dangerous mission in support of a massive revolt in the Vendee region of France. As high rebellious ambition turns to bloody disaster, Pearce must extricate himself from peril - along with old flame Amelie Labordiere - and rejoin Admiral Howe's fleet as it heads off a French fleet and American grain convoy. Also serving with Admiral Howe is Ralph Barclay - who has somehow contrived to yet again press Pearce's friends Charlie and Rufus into his crew.
The danger for the Pelicans is only just beginning, however, as Howe's collision with the French fleet climaxes in one of the greatest battles of the Revolutionary War: the Battle of the Glorious First of June. Daring escapes, a deadly swordfight, bungled thefts involving devious villains, a dangerous mission for the British government and history-changing battles combine in the eighth adventure starring the flamboyant John Pearce and his loyal Pelicans.
The danger for the Pelicans is only just beginning, however, as Howe's collision with the French fleet climaxes in one of the greatest battles of the Revolutionary War: the Battle of the Glorious First of June. Daring escapes, a deadly swordfight, bungled thefts involving devious villains, a dangerous mission for the British government and history-changing battles combine in the eighth adventure starring the flamboyant John Pearce and his loyal Pelicans.
Unbeknown to John Pearce, the private letter he is delivering on behalf of the prime minister carries the dismissal of the very man he is sailing to see. Politics intervene in matters of the sea and the need for a government majority to pursue the war with France means John Pearce must step down as Britain's best sailor, regretfully relinquishing the position to the incompetent Admiral Hotham.
Hotham is equally less than pleased about John Pearce, as he is the one person who knows the truth about his dishonest and wicked naval career. Pearce knows Hotham will try and destroy him any way he can to keep from being exposed, so he must navigate the dangerous waters whilst trying to return to Emily Barclay, the woman he loves.
Hotham is equally less than pleased about John Pearce, as he is the one person who knows the truth about his dishonest and wicked naval career. Pearce knows Hotham will try and destroy him any way he can to keep from being exposed, so he must navigate the dangerous waters whilst trying to return to Emily Barclay, the woman he loves.
1794. In the wake of the Glorious 1st of June, an equivocal success for the British naval fleet against Revolutionary France, John Pearce has pressing matters to which he must attend. He has an urgent commission from Lord Hood, he must track down Midshipman Toby Burns and placate Emily who, estranged from her husband, Pearce's enemy Captain Ralph Barclay, is now under his protection.
Meanwhile, Pearce finds himself aboard HMS Agamemnon, and in series of actions and shore raids, impresses Horatio Nelson with his bold and brave manoeuvres.
Meanwhile, Pearce finds himself aboard HMS Agamemnon, and in series of actions and shore raids, impresses Horatio Nelson with his bold and brave manoeuvres.
Since being illegally press-ganged into joining King George's Navy, John Pearce has overcome numerous adversaries, which have secured him a position of command on board HMS Faron. Having successfully overcome the French at the Siege of Toulon, Pearce and his comrades, the Pelicans, now face the on-going, bloody battle to defend the port. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Pearce's continuing conflict with Captain Ralph Barclay, the man responsible for press-ganging Pearce and his companions into the Navy, intensifies as Barclay faces a court martial for his actions. But with Barclay's superiors, Admiral Lord Hood and Admiral Hotham, in dispute over how to deal with Barclay's misgivings and with his wife, Emily, struggling to cope with his barbarous nature, Barclay's future looks uncertain.Pearce's hope for retribution may occur sooner than he anticipated, but would it be to his advantage? As Pearce confronts assaults from both the French and his superiors, it becomes clear that Pearce and his comrades are part of a large and potentially fatal plan, where war becomes a calculated game to be won.
Pressed into King George's Navy for the second time in a month, John Pearce and his Pelicans find themselves working aboard the HMS Brazen, sailing the Channel from Plymouth to Dover in search of the numerous French privateers that prey on English merchant shipping: her task to stop them and, if possible, to capture or destroy them The Brazen is a slow and overcrowded ship, having a hard time capturing her prey and so the promised bounty fails to materialize. And Pearce has greater things on his mind--he must rescue his ailing father from the dangers of revolutionary Paris and to do that he must somehow leave the ship. He tries mutiny, the crew being readied by failure, but Captain Benjamin Colbourne is quick and smartly promotes Pearce to Midshipman. Pearce is thereby freed to leave the ship immediately--which appears to the remaining Pelicans as though their leader has deserted them. Travelling to France, Pearce discovers that he is late to save his father, who died too weak to survive the rigors of prison. What else is Pearce to do but return to the Brazen and put right the appearance of betrayal with which he left, and to learn his seagoing trade in order to exact revenge . . . Entwining historical facts with fictitious characters, David Donachie has once again created a masterpiece of nautical adventure fiction.
London: 1793. Young firebrand John Pearce, on the run from the authorities, is illegally press-ganged from the Pelican tavern into brutal life aboard HMS Brilliant, a frigate on its way to war. In the first few days Pearce discovers the Navy is a world in which he can prosper. But he is not alone; he is drawn to a group of men who eventually form an exclusive gun crew, the Pelicans, with Pearce their elected leader.
Shipboard life is hard, brutal and dangerous. That anyone chooses it suggest that life ashore is worse. The Pelicans find solidarity in facing together the cruelty of their hard-nosed captain, Barclay, and the daily threat of bullying, flogging - even murder. The one light on the horizon is the captain's young, curvaceous wife, Emily.
During an action-packed two weeks, as HMS Brilliant chases a French privateer across the English Channel, this disparate group of men form friendships that will last a lifetime.
Shipboard life is hard, brutal and dangerous. That anyone chooses it suggest that life ashore is worse. The Pelicans find solidarity in facing together the cruelty of their hard-nosed captain, Barclay, and the daily threat of bullying, flogging - even murder. The one light on the horizon is the captain's young, curvaceous wife, Emily.
During an action-packed two weeks, as HMS Brilliant chases a French privateer across the English Channel, this disparate group of men form friendships that will last a lifetime.
John Pearce, having negotiated the highly questionable sale of the two French prizes taken in The Devil to Pay, has left HMS Flirt, as well as the crew and the wounded Henry Digby in Brindisi and is headed for Naples to see his lover. In an uncomfortable journey he seeks to work out a way to best both Admiral Sir William Hotham and Captain Ralph Barclay, men who are his sworn enemies. All his calculations are thrown into turmoil when he discovers that Emily is pregnant which, while it is a cause for joy, is also a reason to worry; she is still married to Ralph Barclay and by the laws of the time he can claim the child as his own.
1796. Pearce and his wife Emily are in living in Bath, when Minister of War Henry Dundas turns up and suggests a second mission to the Vendee, this time as a liaison between the French emigres intending to land in Brittany and the British naval and military commanders who will accompany them. The proposed expedition looks promising and Pearce takes the bait. Once at sea, however, Pearce and his crew encounter a French fleet and an indecisive battle ensues off the Ile de Groix. Pearce, accompanied by his faithful Pelicans, must go ashore into dangerous territory to check the lay of the land, find the allies and seek to co-ordinate actions in a situation where the forces of the Republic are gathering to crush the rebels .
John Pearce is going home. But he has to avoid capture by an Algerine warship, having his Pelicans pressed into a British frigate and that's before they are at risk of being hanged for desertion once home. Then there is the problem of Emily Barclay and their son Adam. By cunning and bluff he protects his friends, but not his troubled love life. In a whirlwind of action, there are forged wills, devious trades, contrived murders and dangerous spy missions, with so much deceit that Pearce does not know who to trust. All he can hope to do is survive.
John Pearce is hiding in Gravelines with his mysterious companion, known to him as Oliphant. Although they find a crew willing to take them back to England, they learn on the journey that Pearce's old enemies, the Tolland brothers, are still active on the route, and may have been responsible for the murder of Catherine Carruthers.
Back in England their problems continue: Pearce must seek to mend fences with Emily Barclay, in a relationship in which nothing is simple. And just as things may be looking up, it seems Henry Dundas has another role for him and Oliphant: a mission to North East Spain.
Back in England their problems continue: Pearce must seek to mend fences with Emily Barclay, in a relationship in which nothing is simple. And just as things may be looking up, it seems Henry Dundas has another role for him and Oliphant: a mission to North East Spain.
Faced with a ship in need of repair, enemy attacks and the threat of wily Admiral Hotham, John Pearce is sailing into danger.
Meanwhile Ralph Barclay is on his way to the Mediterranean. Thinking his wife still with Pearce and that he can repair his marriage by rescuing her, he sails in pursuit, Hotham half-hoping he suffers the same fate as the admiral has in store for Pearce.
Can John Pearce fight to first save himself and his charges from captivity and then to be free from the enemy? It is a battle that will require all of his wits.
Meanwhile Ralph Barclay is on his way to the Mediterranean. Thinking his wife still with Pearce and that he can repair his marriage by rescuing her, he sails in pursuit, Hotham half-hoping he suffers the same fate as the admiral has in store for Pearce.
Can John Pearce fight to first save himself and his charges from captivity and then to be free from the enemy? It is a battle that will require all of his wits.
