Matthew Hervey Series

Book 1

In the tradition of Patrick O'Brian's beloved historical military adventures comes the first in a dashing new series featuring Cornet Matthew Hervey, a young cavalry officer in Wellington's army of 1815. A Close Run Thing

For two decades, since the French Revolution, England and her allies have fought a seemingly endless war to loosen Bonaparte's stranglehold on Europe. Matthew Hervey, a twenty-three-year-old parson's son, has risen through the ranks of His Majesty's cavalry to a junior command in the 6th Light Dragoons.

Torn by ambition and ensnared in the intrigues of Wellington's army, Matthew struggles to shape his destiny, but his efforts are about to be cast to the winds of fate. For amid the clash of armies, he will find himself a catalyst in the battle of the century...near the small Belgian village of Waterloo.

Book 3

A Regimental Affair

by Allan Mallinson

Published 5 March 2001

- Captain Matthew Hervey has faced many tests both on and off the battlefield, but when he returns to his beloved Sixth Light Dragoons he must address a new challenge from a totally unexpected quarter. It is the spring of 1817, and Matthew Hervey is home from India to rejoin his regiment, and to marry, at last, Henrietta. England is not the place he knew, however. The clamour for parliamentary and economic reform is bringing the country close to revolution. Every day the newspapers report conspiracies, violent assemblies, machine-breaking, arson and murder. There is no professional constabulary, and the onerous task of policing falls increasingly to the army - especially the cavalry. In the Sixth Light Dragoons, too, things are not as they were. There is a new commanding officer - rich, vain, arrogant, cruel; and with a dark secret. His dislike of Hervey is immediate and intense. Yet Matthew Hervey must somehow earn this man's recommendation for promotion, or else he will have to retire on half-pay. Hervey faces a year of trials - in his marriage, his loyalty to his men, his professional skill. The mistakes begin to tell, and when the regiment is sent urgently to Canada where,

Book 12

Words of Command

by Allan Mallinson

Published 12 March 2015

January 1830, and one of the hardest winters in memory ...And the prime minister, the Iron Duke, is resisting growing calls for parliamentary reform, provoking scenes of violent unrest in the countryside. But there are no police outside London and most of the yeomanry regiments, to whom the authorities had always turned when disorder threatened, have been disbanded as an economy measure. Against this inflammable backdrop Lieutenant-Colonel Matthew Hervey, recently returned from an assignment in the Balkans, takes command of his regiment, the 6th Light Dragoons. His fears that things might be a little dull are quickly dispelled by the everyday business of vexatious officers, difficult choices over which NCOs to promote not to mention the incendiarists on the doorstep of the King himself. But it's when the Sixth are sent to Brussels for the fifteenth anniversary celebrations of the battle of Waterloo and find themselves caught up in the Belgian uprising against Dutch rule that the excitement really starts.
Will Hervey be able to keep out of the fighting - a war that would lead, nearly a century later, to Britain's involvement in an altogether different war - while safeguarding his country's interests? Not likely!

Man Of War

by Allan Mallinson

Published 1 March 2007

Captain Sir Laughton Peto, recently engaged to Matthew Hervey's sister, Elizabeth, has just taken command of HMS Prince Rupert, the only three-deck line-of-battle ship in commission. He is the proud master of a wooden fortress whose formidable firepower is the equal of Bonaparte's grand battery at Waterloo. But his passage to the Ionian - where Admiral Codrington is assembling an Anglo-Russian-French fleet to evict the Turks from Greek waters - will not be smooth sailing. First he must exercise his crew, most of whom have not seen action before. He has also been entrusted with the safe passage to Malta of the Admiral's youngest daughter. Six months on, and Matthew Hervey is in London recovering from another bout of malaria and the wound from his battle with the Zulu. All is set fair for his marriage to the eminently suitable Lady Lankester, and his subsequent return to active duty at the Cape. But trouble lies ahead as familial commitments clash with affairs of the heart, and Hervey finds himself embroiled in a military enquiry that can, at best, spell personal embarrassment, and that could result in public humiliation.
As the cataclysmic battle of Navarino Bay looms ever closer for Peto and his crew, the full outcome of which is not known in London even six months later, Hervey faces a crisis that could change both his life and his military career...

A Call To Arms

by Allan Mallinson

Published 4 March 2002

This title is set in India 1819. Matthew Hervey is charged with raising a new troop, and organising transport for India - for he, his men and their horses are to set sail with immediate effect. What Hervey and his greenhorn soldiers cannot know is that in India they will face a trial for which they are ill prepared. A large number of Burmese war-boats are assembled near Chittagong, and the only way to thwart their advance involves a hazardous march through the jungle. Soon, Hervey and his troop are in the midst of hot and bloody action once again.

Company Of Spears

by Allan Mallinson

Published 1 March 2006

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR Allan Mallinson brings us another adrenalin-fuelled, absorbing adventure featuring Matthew Hervey. If you like Patrick O'Brian, Bernard Cornwell and CS Forester, you will love this!

"Captain Matthew Hervey is as splendid a hero as ever sprang from an author's pen" -- THE TIMES
"A damn fine, rip-roaring read" -- LITERARY REVIEW
"The heir to Patrick O'Brian and C. S. Forester" -- OBSERVER
"Outstanding storytelling!" -- ***** Reader review
"Fab read" -- ***** Reader review

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1827: Matthew Hervey is on the look-out for a new posting.

He soon finds one in the Cape Colonies, where there is need of a man to re-organise the local forces, and in particular to form a new company of horse.

Accompanied by a captain from the disbanded Royal African Corps, Hervey heads out into the great South African plains and towards the territory of the Zulu and their legendary leader, King Shaka. But it is not till he nears the Umtata River that his fiercest battle really begins.

For the Zulus fight like no army he has encountered before. As Hervey and his troops are plunged into battle, death is only a heartbeat away...

Company of Spears is the eighth book in Allan Mallinson's Matthew Hervey series. His adventures continue in Man of War. Have you read his previous adventures A Close Run Thing, The Nizam's Daughters, A Regimental Affair, A Call to Arms, The Sabre's Edge, Rumours of War and An Act of Courage?

Rumours Of War

by Allan Mallinson

Published 1 March 2004

Perfect for fans of Patrick O'Brian, Bernard Cornwell and CS Forester, another engrossing Matthew Hervey adventure from the pen of THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR Allan Mallinson.

"Captain Matthew Hervey is as splendid a hero as ever sprang from an author's pen." -- THE TIMES

"I enjoyed the adventure immensely...As compelling, vivid and plausible as any war novel I've ever read" -- DAILY TELEGRAPH

"With this intelligent but pacy book, Brigadier Mallinson stays well on course to be regarded as the landlubbers' Patrick O'Brian" - SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

"Highly enjoyable novel. Great story. Thoroughly recommend for lovers of adventure novels." -- ***** Reader review

"An amazing author with an extraordinary knowledge and ability to recreate the famous wars of the late 18 and 19th centuries. A really worthwhile read, as indeed is the whole series" -- ***** Reader review

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Portugal 1826: Newly returned from India, Matthew Hervey joins a party of officers sent to lend support to the Portuguese regent.

But the Peninsula is a place redolent with memories. For it was here as a seventeen-year-old cornet that Hervey had his first taste of military action: the French had forced the British army into humiliating retreat until, under the leadership of Sir John Moore, they made a defiant stand at Corunna.

As he prepares for battle once more, Hervey finds himself confronting ghosts from his past...

Rumours of War is the six book in Allan Mallinson's Matthew Hervey series. His adventures continue in An Act of Courage. Have you read his previous adventures A Close Run Thing, The Nizam's Daughters, A Regimental Affair, A Call to Arms and The Sabre's Edge?

The Sabre's Edge

by Allan Mallinson

Published 1 January 1999

The Sunday Times bestselling author Allan Mallinson, brings us another enthralling Matthew Hervey adventure. If you like Patrick O'Brian, Bernard Cornwell and CS Forester, you will love this!

"What a hero! What an author! What a book! A joy for the lover of adventure and military buff alike" -- LYN MACDONALD, THE TIMES
"Splendid...the tale is as historically stimulating as it is stirringly exciting" -- ANDREW ROBERTS, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
"Impeccably researched and rooted in both time and place" -- ***** Reader review
"A thrilling tale" -- ***** Reader review
"Allan Malinson tells an absorbing tale and gives a wonderful insight into life at that time." -- ***** Reader review

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India, 1824: Matthew Hervey and the 6th Light Dragoons are stationed in India, where conflagration looks set to flair.

The usurper prince, Durjan Sal, has taken refuge in the infamous fortress of Bhurtpore. A deep ditch, which can be flooded at a moment's notice, runs round it - and as its notorious Tower of Victory - built with the skulls of defeated men - bears witness, it has withstood all attacks made on it.

Until now. Hot and dangerous work lies ahead for Matthew Hervey and his courageous troop who know their fortunes will be decided by the sabre's edge.

A Sabre's Edge is the fifth book in Allan Mallinson's Matthew Hervey series. His adventures continue in Rumours of War. Have you read his previous adventures A Close Run Thing, The Nizam's Daughters, A Regimental Affair and A Call to Arms?

An Act Of Courage

by Allan Mallinson

Published 1 March 2005

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR Allan Mallinson brings us another compelling and deeply atmospheric adventure featuring Matthew Hervey. If you like Patrick O'Brian, Bernard Cornwell and CS Forester, you will love this!

"Most impressive...Mallinson reinforces his position as a master of narrative military history" -- THE TIMES

"As good on the details of the workings of a cavalry regiment in 1820 as ever Patrick O'Brian was on the workings of an 1820 warship" -- SPECTATOR

"What a pleasure...concentrating on the battle of Talavera and the investment of Badajoz, both sparklingly described, he plays to his undoubted strengths" - OBSERVER

"The atmosphere and authenticity continues to work its spell all the way through." -- ***** Reader review

"Highly enjoyable novel. Great story. Thoroughly recommend for lovers of adventure novels." -- ***** Reader review

"A truly outstanding read" -- ***** Reader review

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Badajoz: Christmas 1826

Matthew Hervey of the 6th Light Dragoons is a prisoner of the Spanish, incarcerated in the infamous fortress of Badajoz.

As he plans his escape, his thoughts return to the year 1812 when he was a cornet in Wellington's Peninsular Army. He and the Sixth had survived Corunna to endure three more years of brutal fighting that would culminate in one of the most vital and vicious confrontations of the campaign - the siege of Badajoz.

While Hervey paces his prison cell, and re-lives the bloodshed of battles past, friends from unexpected quarters rush to his aid...

An Act of Courage is the seventh book in Allan Mallinson's Matthew Hervey series. His adventures continue in Company of Spears. Have you read his previous adventures A Close Run Thing, The Nizam's Daughters, A Regimental Affair, A Call to Arms, The Sabre's Edge and Rumours of War?

The Passage to India

by Allan Mallinson

Published 3 May 2018

It is 1831, riots and rebellions are widespread . . .

In England, the new government is facing protests against the attempts of the Tory-dominated House of Lords to thwart the passing of the Reform Bill. In India, relations are strained between the presidency of Madras and some of the neighbouring princely states.

Having taken command of the action in Bristol to restore order after one of the bloodiest and most destructive riots in the nation's history, Lieutenant-Colonel Matthew Hervey is out of favour with the new government. But then his old friend, Sir Eyre Somervile, offers him a lifeline. Somervile has persuaded the Court of Directors of the East India Company to approve an increase in the Madras military establishment. Hervey and the 6th Light Dragoons are sent to the princely state of Coorg. The Rajah is in revolt against the East India Company's terms and Hervey's regiment is called upon to crush the rebellion. With the stakes raised by an unexpected visitation from his past, for Hervey the question is whether he and his men will get out of this brutal war unscathed?

On His Majestys Service

by Allan Mallinson

Published 9 June 2011

January 1829: George IV is on the throne, Wellington is England's prime-minister, and snow is falling thickly on the London streets as Lieutenant-Colonel Matthew Hervey is summoned to the Horse Guards in the expectation of command of his regiment, the 6th Light Dragoons. But the benefits of long-term peace at home mean cuts in the army, and Hervey is told that the Sixth are to be reduced to a single squadron. With his long-term plans in disarray, he undertakes instead a six-month assignment as an observer with the Russian army, an undertaking at the personal request of the commander-in-chief, Lord Hill. Soon Hervey, his friend Edward Fairbrother and his faithful groom, Private Johnson, are sailing north to St Petersburg, and from there on to the Eastern Balkans, seat of the ferocious war between Russia and the Ottoman Empire. Hervey is meant to be an impartial spectator in the campaign, but soon the circumstances - and his own nature - propel him into a more active role. In the climactic Battle of Kulewtscha, in which more troops were engaged than in any battle since Waterloo, Hervey and Fairbrother find themselves in the thick of the action.
For Hervey, the stakes have never been higher - or more personal.

Warrior

by Allan Mallinson

Published 2 June 2008

Matthew Hervey of the 6th Light Dragoons is urgently summoned to the Cape Colony when he learns that the Zulu warrior King Shaka is about to wage war. Soon Hervey, his old friend Eyre Somervile and their escort of dragoons and mounted rifles are riding north. When they arrive at Shaka's kraal it is a horrifying place. The sentinels at the gates are corpses, and it quickly becomes apparent that he has slaughtered thousands of his subjects - warriors and women alike. When Shaka is killed by his own people, and the region plunged into civil war, Hervey and his men find themselves in the midst of terrible danger. Yet worse is to come. Separated from his troop, Hervey must lead Shaka's queen across a hostile land where sanctuary has never seemed further away ...

The Nizam's Daughters (The Matthew Hervey Adventures: 2)

by Allan Mallinson

Published 1 March 2001

Another riveting Matthew Hervey adventure from the Sunday Times bestselling author Allan Mallinson, combining hero, history and drama to perfection. If you like Patrick O'Brian and Sharpe, you'll love this!

"A marvellous read, paced like a well-balanced symphony ... This is more than a ripping yarn..." - The Times
"This is an engaging work...The attention to detail is admirable" -- Daily Express
"I strongly recommend this book (and the series) to any lover of this genre. FIVE STARS" - ***** Reader review.

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1816: Fresh from the field at Waterloo, and leaving behind his fiancée Lady Henrietta Lindsey, Matthew Hervey is dispatched to India on a secret mission.

The state of Chintal is threatened by both intrigue from within and military might from without. Hervey finds he is once more destined for the battlefield.

In a land at once alien, exotic and beguiling, Matthew Hervey's mettle will be tested to the limit...

Have you read A Close Run Thing - the first Matthew Hervey adventure? The Nizam's Daughters is the second book in Allan Mallinson's Matthew Hervey series. His adventures continue in A Regimental Affair.

A Close Run Thing (The Matthew Hervey Adventures: 1)

by Allan Mallinson

Published 1 March 2000

From the Sunday Times bestselling author Allan Mallinson, a riveting read with the perfect combination of hero, history and adventure - perfect for fans of Patrick O'Brian and Bernard Cornwell.

"Convincingly drawn, perfectly paced and expertly written...A Joy to read" - Antony Beevor.
"I can't wait to read the next in the series..." - ***** Reader review.
"A captivating read..."- ***** Reader review.
"Allan Mallinson is a truly gifted storyteller..."- ***** Reader review.

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Waterloo 1815. The war against Napoleon Bonaparte is raging to its bloody end at Waterloo.

A young officer - Cornet Matthew Hervey - going about his duty suddenly finds himself at the crux of events.
The decisions he has to make - both military and romantic - will change the course of his life, and possible have far reaching political consequences...

A Close Run Thing is the first book in Allan Mallinson's Matthew Hervey series. His adventures continue in The Nizam's Daughters.