Admiral: Thomas Kydd 27

April 1814. Napoleon is deposed and exiled after defeat by a resurgent allied collation. Saddled with huge war debts, the British government has no choice but to place many of its naval ships in reserve.

Captain Sir Thomas Kydd is one of the lucky officers not to be put on half pay. Instead, in the realisation of his life's ambition, he is offered an admiral's flag, but the station is West Africa and with it comes anti-slavery operations set in fever-ridden swamps. Despite the obvious dangers and hardships, Kydd readies for sea with his beloved Thunderer as his flagship.

But before he can set sail comes the electrifying news - the tyrant has escaped from Elba and is marching on Paris, the citizens flocking to join him.

Napoleon's invasion fleet is still in being and if the French navy declares for him they can sail from the ports now free of blockade and make the invasion of England a reality. What's more, the entire Channel Fleet has been stood down, its ships in various stages of repair.

There's one man in active service who happens to be on the spot - Admiral Sir Thomas Kydd. With frantic haste he's appointed temporary commander-in-chief to sail with all the men-o'-war that can be scraped together to stand athwart the French.

Waterloo is coming but before then Kydd must use all his legendary subterfuge and daring to save England from her peril.

Admiral is the twenty seventh and last of the adventures of Captain Sir Thomas Kydd whose story began in the year 1793 and tells for the first time in fiction how a pressed man through his bravery and ingenuity progresses to the quarterdeck of his own ship, and here, in the final book of the series, the command of a fleet with an admiral's pennant.

PRAISE FOR THE KYDD SERIES -
A very readable and enjoyable story . . . I can only recommend that you go out, beg, borrow or buy, and enjoy Bernard Cornwell
In Stockwin's hands the sea story will continue to entrance readers across the world Guardian
This heady adventure blends fact and fiction in rich, authoritative detail Nautical Magazine
The characterization is first-class, and the reader quickly becomes involved with all that happens Historical Novels Review
There is no disputing Stockwin's ability to tell a good yarn backed by meticulous research. Stockwin's eye for authentic detail is faultless Pennant
Paints a vivid picture of life aboard the mighty ship-of-the-line Daily Express
Over two decades, Julian Stockwin, a master in naval fiction, has set new high water marks as Thomas Kydd rises from landsman to post captain. Sea of Treason, ambitious in scope, with colorful, captivating characters, is yet another tour de force in the canon George Jepson, Quarterdeck
For me, there is nothing like the British nautical battles of Horatio Nelson in the early 19th century. He led them to enormous sea victories like the battles of the Nile, Copenhagen and most famously, Trafalgar. Stockwin really knows early British navy lore, with masts, spars, rigging, sails, cannons, frigates, and ships of the line. In Thomas Kydd, the author has a created a wonderful daring-do British commander. Kydd knows his job as captain standing proudly on the deck of his ship of the line. He's never out-thought or outmaneuvered. Exciting stuff! Mel Brooks

Julian Stockwin was sent at the age of fourteen to Indefatigable, a tough sea-training school. He joined the Royal Navy at fifteen before transferring to the Royal Australian Navy, where he served for eight years in the Far East, Antarctic waters and the South Seas. In Vietnam he saw active service in a carrier task force.

After leaving the Navy (rated Petty Officer), Julian practised as an educational psychologist. He lived for some time in Hong Kong, where he was commissioned into the Royal Naval Reserve. He was awarded the MBE and retired with the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He now lives in Devon with his wife Kathy. More information can be found on his website at

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