Richard Bolitho

19 primary works • 31 total works

Stand Into Danger

by Alexander Kent

Published 31 March 1980

The year is 1774 and Bolitho is now a newly appointed third lieutenant joining the 28-gun frigate Destiny at Plymouth. It is a far step from midshipman's berth to wardroom - and at a time when most of the fleet is laid up Bolitho is considered fortunate. Bolitho's promotion is tinged by personal sadness, but his new captain soon points out that Bolitho's loyalty is to him, the ship and His Britannic Majesty - in that order. Despatched on a secret mission far south to Rio and then to the Caribbean, Destiny and her company face the hazards of conspiracy, treason and piracy - and, as the little ship sails on, Bolitho has to learn amid broadside battles at sea and the clash of swords in hand-to-hand actions how to accept his new responsibilities as a King's officer

In Gallant Company

by Alexander Kent

Published 1 January 1977

In another thrilling Richard Bolitho adventure, the navy prepares for action at sea against a growing fleet of American and French privateers, as the American Revolution rages on the mainland.

Sloop of War

by Alexander Kent

Published 1 October 1979

For the young Richard Bolitho the spring of 1778 marked a complete transformation for himself and his future. It was the year in which the American War of Independence changed to an all-out struggle for freedom from British rule - and the year when Bolitho took command of the Sparrow, a small, fast and well-armed sloop of war. As the pace of war increased, the Sparrow was called from one crisis to another - and whe the great fleets of Britain and France convered on the Chesapeake, Bolitho had to throw aside the early dreams of his first command to find maturity in a sea battle that might decide the fate of a whole continent.

To Glory We Steer

by Alexander Kent

Published April 1968

JANUARY 1782, PORTSMOUTH His Britannic Majesty's frigate Phalarope is ordered to the assistance of the hard-pressed squadrons in the Carribean. Aboard is her new commander - Richard Bolitho. To all appearances the Phalarope is everything a young captain could wish for. But beneath the surface she is a deeply unhappy ship - her wardroom torn by petty greed and ambition, her deckhands driven to near-mutiny by senseless ill-treatment...

Command a King's Ship

by Alexander Kent

Published 17 September 1973

His Majesty's frigate Undine sets sail for India and the seas beyond. Europe may be at peace, but in colonial waters the promises of statesmen count for little and the bloody struggle for supremacy goes on.

Passage To Mutiny

by Alexander Kent

Published 28 June 1976

Readers of Patrick O'Brian and C. S. Forester will love this sensational swashbuckling naval adventure from multi-million copy seller Alexander Kent.

'One of our foremost writers of naval fiction' - Sunday Times
'Shipwreck, survival...a spirited battle, a splendid yarn' - The Times
'A fantastic book - did not want to put it down' -- ***** Reader review
'Well written, nautically and historically excellent' -- ***** Reader review
'A fast moving, captivating, page turner - not recommended if you want to go to sleep right away' -- ***** Reader review
'A rollicking maritime yarn' -- ***** Reader review
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1789: NEW SOUTH WALES. Into Sydney, capital of Britain's infant colony, sails the frigate Tempest. She is one of His Majesty's ships employed in policing the new southern trade routes. Her captain is Richard Bolitho, who hopes to be ordered home to England.

Instead he is despatched on a mission to the islands of the Great South Sea, where he must face hazards of fickle winds, pirates and native islanders.

But he is menaced by deeper fears: the men of the Bounty have mutinied in these same waters and from distant Europe comes news of a revolution in France...

Bolitho's adventures continue in With All Despatch.

With All Despatch

by Alexander Kent

Published 25 July 1988

A troubled peace with France means that in the harbours and estuaries around England, the royal fleet has been left to rot. Even a frigate captain as famous as Richard Bolitho is forced to swallow his pride and visit the Admiralty daily to plead for a ship. As the clouds of war begin to rise once more over the Channel, he has no choice but to accept an appointment to the Nore. With his small flotilla of three topsail cutters Bolitho sets out to search the coast for seamen who have fled the harsh discipline of His Majesty's Navy for the more tempting rewards of smuggling. But the 'Brotherhood' he comes up against are brutal and dangerous with a secret, sinister trade in human misery. Treason is never far distant and murder commonplace. So when a King's ransom is in peril and Bolitho is ordered to proceed 'with all despatch' to recover it he will need all the loyalty and courage of his three gallant cutters if he is to fulfil his mission.

Form Line of Battle!

by Alexander Kent

Published March 1969

The scene is Gibraltar, 1793. The gathering might of revolutionary France prepares to engulf Europe in another bloody war. As in the past, Britain will stand or fall by the fighting power of her fleet. For Richard Bolitho, the renewal of hostilities means a fresh command and the chance of action.

Enemy In Sight

by Alexander Kent

Published 9 February 1970

Fans of Patrick O'Brian and C. S. Forester will love this engrossing and enthralling naval adventure from multi-million copy seller Alexander Kent. You'll be gripped from page one!

'One of our foremost writers of naval fiction' -- Sunday Times
'As a former naval officer, Alexander Kent knows what it is like to be at sea' -- The Times
'Impossible to put down!' -- ***** Reader review
'Plenty of action and intrigue to keep you wanting to read just one more chapter' -- ***** Reader review
'As ever, the author keeps you totally involved. A true page turner.' -- ***** Reader review
'A jolly good read and difficult to put down' -- ***** Reader review
'Outstanding' -- ***** Reader review
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1794: as the year draws to a close Richard Bolitho, commanding the old Hyperion, leaves Plymouth to join a squadron blockading the rising power of Revolutionary France. After six months of repairs his ship is ready to fight again, but her company is mostly raw and untrained.

Unfortunately, Bolitho finds himself under a commodore who is no match for the French admiral, Lequiller, whose powerful squadron uses guile and ruthless determination to elude him and vanish into the Atlantic. Hyperion gives chase, the desperate voyage taking them from the Bay of Biscay's squall to the heat of the Caribbean - and for each mile sailed and every battle fought, Bolitho finds himself being forced into the ever more demanding role of strategist and squadron commander.

Is he up to the challenge?

Bolitho's adventures continue in The Flag Captain.

The Flag Captain

by Alexander Kent

Published 26 July 1971

In the spring of 1797 Richard Bolitho brings the 100-gun Euryalus home to Falmouth to be flagship of the hastily formed squadron which has been chosen to make the first British re-entry to the Mediterranean for nearly a year. As flag captain, Bolitho is made to contend with the unyielding attitudes of his new admiral, as well as the devious requirements of the squadron's civilian advisor. England is still stunned by the naval mutiny at Spithead, in which Bolitho's admiral was personally involved, and as the squadron sets sail the air is already alive with rumour of an even greater uprising in the ships at the Nore. Only when the squadron is drawn to a bloody embrace with the enemy does the admiral see the strength in Bolitho's trust and care for his men - but by then it is almost too late for any of them.

A Tradition of Victory

by Alexander Kent

Published 21 September 1981

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 Bolitho 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 -

Colours Aloft!

by Alexander Kent

Published 24 March 1986

The grim reality of war at close quarters confronts Bolitho and he will be called upon to anticipate the strategies of the French fleet. But the conflict has also taken on a personal note - the vendetta between Bolitho and the French Admiral, Jobert, who once commanded the Argonaute.

Success to the Brave

by Alexander Kent

Published 5 September 1983

Fans of Patrick O'Brian and C. S. Forester will love this gripping, all-guns-blazing naval adventure from multi-million copy seller Alexander Kent - full of passion and compassion, you'll won't be able to put this one down...!

'One of our foremost writers of naval fiction' -- Sunday Times
'Shipwreck, survival ... a spirited battle ... a splendid yarn'' -- The Times
'Another cracking yarn' -- ***** Reader review
'Leaves you breathless' -- ***** Reader review
'Yet another awesome tale from the master storyteller'-- ***** Reader review
'Draws you in and keeps you engaged the whole way'-- ***** Reader review
'Excellent book, you feel you are there in the middle of the fighting' -- ***** Reader review
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1802: Richard Bolitho is summoned to the Admiralty in London and given his orders for a difficult and, to him, distasteful task. Even an advanced promotion to vice-admiral does not compensate for his sudden and thankless mission. Bolitho and his wife are expecting their first child, and for once he is loath to quit the land for the demands of duty.

The Peace of Amiens, signed a few weeks earlier, is already showing signs of strain as the old enemies wrangle over the return of colonial possessions won and lost during the war. In the little sixty-four-gun AchatesBolitho sails West for Boston, and thence to the Caribbean where he must hand over the island of San Felipe to the French.

Bolitho discovers that to be a man of diplomacy is not enough, and as threat and counter-threat weave a web of intrigue around his lonely command, he balances success against the danger to the men who must follow him even to the cannon's mouth.

Honour This Day

by Alexander Kent

Published 13 July 1987

It is September of 1804; England stands alone against France and the fleets of Spain, anticipating invasion. Vice-admiral Richard Bolitho has his own troubles to settle at home too. But his time on land is broken by an urgent summons from the King. Once more Bolitho hoists his flag above the veteran seventy-four-gun ship Hyperion and sets sail. This time with a new squadron headed for the Caribbean. Ordered to plan and effect a daring raid on the Spanish Main, Bolitho spares himself nothing. From here to Antigua, where he rediscovers a passion which defies every convention and threatens his reputation. And the future of the Hyperion is at risk too. Set to clear the path to victory there is a constant fear that this may be her final battle.

Beyond the Reef

by Alexander Kent

Published 9 March 1992

In March 1808, as Napoleon holds Portugal and threatens his old ally Spain, Vice-Admiral Sir Richard Bolitho is dispatched once more to the Cape of Good Hope to establish a permanent naval force there. Setting aside his bitter memories and the anguish of a friendship betrayed, Bolitho takes passage in the ill-fated Golden Plover. With him sail others commanded by duty and lured by danger - and those who wish only to escape. But when shipwreck and disaster overtake the Golden Plover off the desolate coast of Africa, neither the innocent nor the damned are spared. Beyond the tortured hell of the reef, Bolitho's battle begins - to summon the survivors' last reserves of courage and of hope.

For My Country's Freedom

by Alexander Kent

Published 12 June 1995

It is March 1811, and Richard Bolitho is recalled to duty after only two and a half months of precious peace in Cornwall with his beloved mistress Catherine. Promoted Admiral, his choice of flagship and flag captain shock the Admiralty, but Bolitho, poignantly aware of his own vulnerabilitiy, surrounds himself only with those men he can trust completely: the faithful Allday, the withdrawn and intelligent Avery, and James Tyacke, who must confront the sternest test of his loyalty with great personal courage. When diplomacy fails the cannon must speak, and Bolitho, patrolling the troubled waters from Antigua north to Halifax, knows that when war with America comes he must fight an enemy not foreign but familiar, for the freedom to leave the sea forever.

The Darkening Sea

by Alexander Kent

Published 25 October 1993

Returning safely to England after the dramatic capture of Martinique Vice-Admiral Sir Richard Bolitho finds an all too brief respite from war and politics in the arms of his mistress, Lady Catherine Somervill. But the shadow of a new conflict already darkens the horizon. The old enemy, France, forges an uneasy alliance with America -threatening the safety of British trade routes. Although ordered immediately to the Indian Ocean, for the first time Bolitho's thoughts are not of glory but his own- and the Navy's -past. Both Nelson and Collingwood died in their counry's service. For the Navy's newest Admiral, is there life beyond the sea itself?

Cross Of St George

by Alexander Kent

Published 14 October 1996

February 1813

With convoys from Canada and the Caribbean falling victim to American privateers, Sir Richard Bolitho returns to Halifax to pursue a war he knows will not be won, but which neither Britain nor the United States can afford to lose.

England's youngest admiral desires only peace. But peace will not be found in the icy Canadian waters, where a young, angry nation asserts its identity and men who share a common heritage die in close and bloody action. Nor will there be a peace for those who follow the Cross of St George: for the embittered Adam, mourning his lover and his ship, nor for Rear-Admiral Valentine Keen, who must confront both grief and responsibility. Nor will there be peace from those enemies who use this struggle between nations as an instrument of personal revenge.

In the King's Name

by Alexander Kent

Published 1 January 2011

Filled with high-seas intrigue and sharp tensions, this nautical novel takes an intense voyage into the heart of Napoleonic-era Africa. The year is 1819 and Captain Adam Bolitho has been sent on an urgent but risky mission to make a fast passage from Plymouth to Freetown, West Africa, with secret orders for the senior officer stationed there. Due to the slave trade being declared illegal, ships in every harbor are waiting to be scrapped and officers have been cut loose without hope of future commands, thus Adam soon finds himself the object of envy and jealousy. In Africa he discovers unexpected allies and faces an enemy far more powerful and ruthless than any he has known before.

Heart Of Oak

by Alexander Kent

Published 4 January 2007

It is February 1818, and Adam Bolitho longs for marriage and a safe personal harbour. But with so much of Britain's fleet redundant, he knows he is fortunate to be offered H.M.S. Onward, a new 38-gun frigate whose first mission is not war but diplomacy, as consort to the French frigate Nautilus.

Under the burning sun of North Africa, Bolitho is keenly aware of the envy and ambition among his officers, the troubled, restless spirits of his midshipmen, and the old enemy's proximity. It is only when Nautilus becomes a sacrificial offering on the altar of empire that every man discovers the brotherhood of the sea is more powerful than the bitter memories of an ocean of blood and decades of war.