Synopses & Reviews
1662: Restoration England. Cromwell is dead, and King Charles II has reclaimed the throne after years of civil war. It is a time of divided allegiances, intrigue, and outright treachery. With rebellion stirring in the Scottish Isles, the hard-pressed sovereign needs men he can trust to sail north and defuse this new threat.
Matthew Quinton is such a man—the second son of a noble royalist family, he is loyal, if inexperienced. Having sunk the first man-of-war under his command within weeks, Matthew is determined to complete his second mission without loss of life or honor. Upon taking command of His Majesty's Ship the Jupiter, the young “gentleman captain” is faced with a resentful crew and has but few on whom he can rely: Kit Farrell, an illiterate commoner with vast seafaring experience, and Phineas Musk, a roguish but steadfast family retainer. As they approach the wild coast of Scotland, Matthew begins to learn the ropes and win the respect of his fellow officers and sailors.
But he has other difficulties on the voyage north: a suspicion that the previous captain of the Jupiter was murdered, a feeling that many among his crew have something to hide, and the growing conviction that betrayal lies closer to home than he had thought.
With cannon fire by sea and swordplay by land, Gentleman Captain is a rousing high-seas adventure in the finest nautical tradition.
Review
"The author does a creditable job of dramatizing life in Samuel Pepys's navy, and by the explosive climax, Quinton has developed into a hero worth rooting for and meeting again in further exploits."
--Publishers Weekly
"Davies, steeped in the language of the era, proceeds to depict the drama with confidence and verve, and he fashions a convincing crew of personalities and types... Along the way, Davies takes every opportunity to feed the reader some British dynastic history, but the writing is natural and well worth the instruction. A delightful tale."
--Kirkus Reviews
"Gentleman Captain is a beautifully written and masterfully told story full of wicked intrigue, gripping suspense, stirring action, deft plot twists, and incredibly rich and compelling characters. It so effortlessly transports the reader to another place and time, you won’t want to put it down until you have reached its thrilling conclusion. J. D. Davies promises this is just the first volume in the journals of Matthew Quinton. It is a brilliant beginning to what is destined to be a classic series of nautical adventure."
--Eric Jay Dolin, author of Leviathan: The History of Whaling in America
"J.D. Davies's depiction of Restoration England and the British navy is impeccable, his characters truly live and breathe, and the plot kept me in suspense. Gentleman Captain is one of the rare books that I have read with a smile on my face from cover to cover. I could not recommend it more."
--Edward Chupack, author of Silver: My Own Tale as Written by Me with a Goodly Amount of Murder
"A splendid addition to nautical adventure, and a grand story, to boot!"
—Dewey Lambdin, author of The Baltic Gambit
Synopsis
In this thrilling Restoration-era sequel to Gentleman Captain, Captain Quinton--beset by pirates, Knights of Malta, and saboteurs--sails to Africa in search of a fabled mountain of gold.
Synopsis
Set sail for Africa in this thrilling sequel to "Gentleman Captain."
Synopsis
Set sail for Africa in this thrilling sequel to
Gentleman Captain.
When a captured Barbary pirate tells a tale of a mountain of gold deep in Africa, gentleman Captain Matthew Quinton has his doubts. But King Charles II can’t resist the chance to outstrip the Dutch with a limitless source of wealth. With the devious corsair aboard, Quinton embarks on a voyage past the edge of the map and into the African unknown. As he gets closer, and as sabotage attempts pile up, he begins to wonder if there is truth in the legend after all . . .
Back in England, the king has arranged a marriage between Quinton’s elder brother and a mysterious lady rumored to have murdered her previous husbands. Will Quinton be able to find the fabled mountain of gold and return home in time to protect his family?
"J. D. Davies writes with surging lyricism and surprisingly witty insight about a subject that he clearly knows through and through… These are superb books and I look forward eagerly to reading more of them."—Angus Donald, author of The Outlaw Chronicles
“Swashbuckling suspense, royal intrigue, and high seas naval action… [an] excellent series.”—Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
The first in a brilliant new series of nautical adventure novels featuring Matthew Quinton, a Restoration-era 'gentleman captain' fighting for King Charles II.
Synopsis
Beset by pirates, Knights of Malta, and saboteurs, Matthew Quinton sails to Africa in this buoyant sequel to
Gentleman Captain.
When a captured Barbary pirate saves his neck with the story of a fabled mountain of gold, Captain Matthew Quinton has his doubts. But King Charles II cant resist the chance to outstrip the Dutch with a limitless source of wealth. With the devious corsair aboard, Quinton embarks on a voyage beyond the maps edge, still convinced that the mountain is mere legend. But as attempts to sabotage his mission draw closer to the mark, he begins to wonder …
Back in England, the king has arranged a wedding between Matthews elder brother, the Earl of Ravensden, and a mysterious lady rumored to have murdered her previous two husbands. Resolved not to fail his meddlesome sovereign, and to return home in time to protect his family and his home, Captain Quinton approaches the coast of Africa with a troubled mind.
About the Author
J. D. DAVIES was born in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire. Educated at Jesus College, Oxford, he is one of the foremost authorities on the seventeenth-century British navy and has written widely on the subject, most recently in Pepyss Navy: Ships, Men and Warfare, 1649-1689, winner of the Samuel Pepys Award.