Keane's Company

by Iain Gale

Published 25 April 2013

'Wonderfully imaginative' Bernard Cornwell, author of The Last Kingdom. Perfect for fans of Simon Scarrow and Bernard Cornwell.

Meet James Keane of the 27th Foot: an ill-disciplined card sharp and ladies' man - and one of the finest soldiers of Wellington's army. Keane's task, assigned directly by Wellington, is the creation of an intelligence unit operating behind the French lines. He and his company are trusted with the secrets of the generals - and viewed with hostile suspicion by regular troops.

In a bid to recruit men with uncommon skills, Keane springs soldiers from military jails and liberates them from their regiments. It's up to him to form this band of blackguards into an elite unit. Deep in enemy territory, they must negotiate with dangerous guerilla groups and forge new routes for their army if they are to succeed - and survive. Based on the true activities of the first British military intelligence unit, Keane's Company presents an unusual and fascinating picture of the Peninsular War: a nineteenth-century Dirty Dozen and a worthy companion to Sharpe.


Conspiracy

by Iain Gale

Published 5 May 2016

'Wonderfully imaginative' Bernard Cornwell, author of The Last Kingdom. British Intelligence maverick James Keane goes undercover in Napoleon's Paris for his most daring espionage mission yet. Perfect for fans of Simon Scarrow and Bernard Cornwell.

It's 1812, and one man is on the top of the world. Napoleon Bonaparte has enjoyed victories all over Europe and is rebuilding the glorious city of Paris. Meanwhile, his enemies struggle to keep alive the embers of rebellion that still burn at the city's heart. To aid this noble cause, a few British intelligence officers have been smuggled in, and James Keane is one of them.
Keane finds himself at once adrift in a world of gambling houses and derelict cemeteries - of ex-Jacobites, disaffected French royalists, Irishmen and Americans, all of them voicing dissension. If Keane is to succeed, a means must be discovered by which to persuade these miscreants to rise against Napoleon's rule, without alerting the endless spies and informers that surround them. Forging alliances between unlikely collaborators proves especially difficult for Keane, whose honourable nature objects so strongly to this double-dealing. But he must persevere, or else lose the golden opportunity to aid in the defeat of the tyrannical French Emperor once and for all.


Keane's Charge

by Iain Gale

Published 7 May 2015

'Wonderfully imaginative' Bernard Cornwell, author of The Last Kingdom. The third exciting adventure of maverick spy Captain James Keane. Perfect for fans of Simon Scarrow and Bernard Cornwell.

The intrepid band of warriors, led by Captain James Keane, have been given their toughest job yet. The Portuguese university city of Coimbra is in ruins. Infiltrating the streets are untrustworthy Spanish guerrilla fighters, local Portuguese out for revenge and rival spies determined to find the famous book of ciphers, hidden in the city and guarded by a dissident Jesuit group. James Keane and his men must prevent the book falling into enemy hands but also to discover which of the guerrilla groups can be trusted. But this means sometimes following their own instincts over Wellington's orders . . . can Keane capture the book without sacrificing his honour, position and reputation?


Keane's Challenge

by Iain Gale

Published 1 May 2014

'Wonderfully imaginative' Bernard Cornwell, author of The Last Kingdom. James Keane strikes again with this thrilling second instalment in the series. Perfect for fans of Simon Scarrow and Bernard Cornwell.

French troops led by one of Napoleon's best generals are massing on the border. Wellington's outnumbered force needs to pick off the smaller French units if they are to stand their ground. For that they need information, which is where Captain James Keane and his company of reformed scouting officers come in. But it soon becomes apparent that someone high up in Wellington's headquarters is a spy for the French...and Keane's enemies within the army are quick to point the finger. Keane must defend his crew against their accusers - or root out the traitor himself.

Keane's Challenge draws a fascinating picture of a disparate group of men brought together in a Peninsular War adventure that sees maverick hero Keane ride again.