The Dangerous Years (42 page)

He turned, cut off at last from the land as if by a surgical operation, his problems cast aside, a deep-sea sailor in his own element again, his eyes far ahead and concerned only with the King’s business and the affairs of the Navy. Occupied for the thousandth time with the mundane but always exciting procedure of taking his ship to sea, he felt whole once more, his own man, caught as he never failed to be by the mystique and mystery of the ocean. New ships, he thought, new cap tallies. It was all part of the picture.

‘Know who
Actaeon
was, Number One?’ he said.

‘No, sir. Who?’

‘Bit of a huntsman. Bit of a voyeur, too, as I remember. Came on Artemis bathing with her nymphs and rather liked what he saw.’

‘Made rather a cock of it, I’m told, sir,’ the officer of the watch said. ‘Changed himself into a stag to get a better view and got eaten by his own hounds.’

Kelly laughed. ‘Hope we don’t, he said.
‘Adroit’
s a bit close on our stern. Signal her to watch her station.’

It was going to be all right, he told himself. The Mediterranean command had changed hands since he’d been there. There were men there now who saw the Navy not in terms of privilege or social events, and the hard facts of the European political situation were being faced, because they knew that Mussolini, the Italian dictator, with his bombastic claims that the Med was an Italian lake, was going to be the first to start the dance.

There was going to be work, he thought, plenty of it, and it would keep him from thinking. Yes, he felt, it was going to be all right.

(in order of first publication)

These titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels

(in order of first publication)

These titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels

(in order of first publication)

These titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels

Published by House of Stratus

Back to Battle The third title in the exciting naval trilogy featuring the courageous Kelly Maguire. Commander Kelly Maguire, leader of men in the British Navy, finds himself plunged into blistering attacks at the battle of Dunkirk. From bitter fighting in the Mediterranean, to the landings at Normandy, this action-packed saga takes Maguire through trial to triumph. Against a background of personal tragedy, this is a compelling story of love and adventure.

The Blunted Lance The second novel in the Goff family trilogy. The Goffs, a family devoted to The Regiment - the Nineteenth Lancers - find themselves charting a history of the world from the Sudan to South Africa, Flanders to Palestine. Charging and retreating on the wide plains of a failing British Empire, Coby Goff rises to the rank of Field Marshal and Dabney is honoured as a hero. But they witness the decline of the beloved cavalry, defeated in the face of pounding artillery, the tank and machine gun.

The Bright Blue Sky The first in Hennessy’s breathtaking RAF trilogy. The reckless days of early aviation are brought to life in a tale of daring, dashing young pilots waging war, and of the raging struggle between the hearts of two brave men for the heart of a beautiful woman. This is the first story in the trilogy involving Corporal Quinney, an air ace in the RAF; a hero blazing through the skies to dogfight high above the Italian front, confronting deadly foes and challenging a treacherous rival in love and war.

The Challenging Heights The second in Hennessy’s breathtaking RAF trilogy. Dicken Quinney, a brilliant, heroic character, comes to life in this turbulent action novel. Quinney finds himself flying in the Baltic in a fight against the Bolsheviks. But tragedy mixes with adventure as Quinney loses his lover, Zoe.

The Dangerous Years The second title in the exciting naval trilogy featuring the courageous Kelly Maguire. There is talk of peace across Europe as the First World War draws to its bloody conclusion and the German naval fleet limps into Scapa Flow for a humiliating surrender. But for Lieutenant Kelly Maguire, new conflicts arise in Russia, the Mediterranean and the Far East. Maguire faces brutal choices and violent action. Rising through the ranks of the Royal Navy he is sent on a mission to the killing-ground of China. For Maguire, dangerous years are ahead.

The Iron Stallions The third novel in the Goff family trilogy. The Goff family have lived and died for the Nineteenth Lancers for generations but when Josh Goff runs away from school to enlist in the ranks of the cavalry under a false name, he winds up on the beaches of France. It is D-Day and heavy artillery pummels the landscape around him. As he fights, Goff learns that the cavalry is still expected to save the day, or die bravely in the attempt.

The Lion at Sea The first title in the exciting naval trilogy featuring the courageous Kelly Maguire. Midshipman Kelly Maguire has always had a love affair with the sea. And when war clouds gather over Europe, Maguire is put to the test along with the marine might of the Royal Navy. From the Hellish battles of Gallipoli to the barbarous action at Antwerp, Maguire begins to learn the lessons a sailor must face. Glory and danger abound in this sizzling saga of adventure, blood and guts.

Once More the Hawks Last in the RAF trilogy, this story charts the exploits of world-class fighter pilot Dicken Quinney. It is the summer of 1939 and when war breaks out, Quinney finds himself flying through the skies of France, shot down over a cemetery and forced to make a breath-taking escape across Nazi Europe, into the hands of his nemesis, General Lee Tse Liu.