Pirates & Privateers: J. D. Davies's Novels

Captain Matthew Quinton would just as soon hang his prisoner, Omar Ibrahim of Oran, for the pirate and traitor that he is. But the Barbary corsair, who was taken from his home in Baltimore, Ireland by Barbary corsairs and joined them rather than become a slave, dangles information about a mountain of gold that Quinton can’t ignore. Against his better judgment, he orders his ship back to England where King Charles II arranges for Quinton, with the help of Ibrahim, to lead an expedition to Gambia to find this treasure. Matthew is certain the tale is nothing but a hoax, but he dares not go against His Majesty’s orders.

While waiting for his new ship, Matthew must deal with a more personal problem. He is next in line to inherit the earldom of Ravensden from his brother, Charles, who’s slated to wed a mysterious woman who has been wed twice before. Matthew’s wife and uncle are certain Lady de Vaux intends to murder Charles, and begin an inquiry into her past in hopes of turning up evidence that she killed her previous husbands. Matthew is also against the marriage, but since it has the king’s blessing, there is little he can do to prevent it.

Before Matthew departs for Gambia, he learns that some members of the government are determined to make certain the treasure remains buried. An attempt is made on his life, then an unexplained fire threatens to destroy his ship. Nor are Matthew and Omar the only ones seeking the gold. Soon after they arrive in Africa, an emissary of Louis XIV of France attempts to kidnap and torture Omar into revealing the gold’s location while thwarting Matthew and his men from achieving their objective. To further complicate matters there’s Omar himself; how can one really trust a pirate and traitor?

Although this is the second in the Matthew Quinton series, The Mountain of Gold works just as well as a stand-alone tale. Davies spins a complex web of intrigue and adventure in which readers soon find themselves aboard a ship of the Royal Navy, or staying in a home that is greatly in need of repair, or trekking across the desert under a broiling sun. The first paragraph grabs your attention and, once ensnared, you won’t resurface until the story ends. By then it is too late – the author has captured your interest to such a degree that you can’t wait for the continuation of Matthew Quinton’s adventures. What is particularly refreshing, at least from my viewpoint, is that Davies opted to set his story in the Cavalier period, rather than the more popular Age of Nelson. He deftly brings to life this bygone era while vividly recreating the experience of sailors in the Royal Navy and the dangers and wonders these intrepid explorers and fighters encountered.

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Destiny’s Tide
By J. D. Davies
Canelo, 2019, e-book ISBN 978-1788632300, US $2.99

Once a vibrant town, Dunwich’s importance dwindles because of Mother Nature and because of its rivalries with other Suffolk towns. Jack and his father, Peter Stannard, are English traders whose ships make them important merchants in Dunwich. Growing up in Peter’s shadow is fraught with peril; Peter is abusive and Jack never measures up to his deceased older brother. His father’s penchant for drink and strange affliction only worsens the abuse that Jack endures.

Jack has high hopes to reclaim his town’s stature by answering King Henry’s summons to first teach the Scots a lesson for reneging on a promise to wed their infant queen Mary to Prince Edward and then attack France. Jack commands the Suffolk contingent of ships, much to the chagrin of Raker of Southwold and Maddox of Walberswick. The rivalry between the three towns is an ancient one, but there is bad blood between Raker and Peter. Jack doesn’t understand why, but he definitely experiences the results. No sooner do they arrive at the gathering spot for the king’s ships than he is arrested. When he finally faces his accusers, he also learns the serious charges they have brought against him.

Once a soldier, Thomas Ryman sets aside his sword to take holy orders. After a decade with the Grey Friars of Dunwich, he and his fellow brothers are turned out of their home upon the king’s dissolution of the Catholic Church and its monasteries. Having last fought the Scots at Flodden Field, he takes up his sword once again and sails with Jack, his former student. Thomas’s familiarity with soldiering and his past contacts provide him with a means of rescuing Jack after his arrest.

This first book in the Jack Stannard of the Navy Royal series occurs between 1537 through 1547, although the principal portion of the story takes place from April 1544 through July 1545. It is a mix of life in England during perilous times and battles at sea in which ingenuity and fortitude play equal roles. Davies’s vivid and poignant portrayal of the capture of the Scottish warship Unicorn, the rescue of a Genoese captain, and the sinking of the Mary Rose keeps readers on the edges of their seats while holding their breaths. Equally compelling are scenes involving the ongoing religious changes that begin with the dissolution and climax with the partial destruction of a Dunwich church. Destiny’s Tide is also a tale of secrets, jealousy, and betrayal. Since most naval stories focus on later historical periods, it is refreshing to be to an earlier era when a temporary navy safeguards the realm and we see it begin to evolve into the royal navy we are familiar with today.

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History behind the novel

Battle’s Flood
By J. D. Davies
Canelo, 2019, e-book ISBN 978-1788632317, US $5.99 / UK £2.99

England in 1555 differs from the one in which Jack Stannard fought the Scots and witnessed the death of his friend aboard the Mary Rose. Henry VIII is dead; his daughter, Mary, sits upon the throne and expects her first child. Her husband is King Philip of Spain, but in spite of the peace between both countries, he has no desire to allow his wife’s people to venture into realms he deems the total domain of Spain, namely the New World and Africa. Not all Englishmen agree with this, chief among them being the Hawkins.

It is also a time when Catholicism once again holds sway, much to the delight of Jack and his daughter, Meg. Love blossoms between her and a young Spaniard whose father is friends with hers. Hope and prosperity give rise to great expectations, but that which is today isn’t necessarily true on the morrow.

The passing of twelve years brings many such changes. The Virgin Queen rules England and has restored the faith of her father to the land, much to Meg’s chagrin. She holds out hope that it is a temporary aberration, one that will change once again when Mary Queen of Scots succeeds her cousin Elizabeth. Jack, on the other hand, and his eldest son, Tom, are involved in the business of smuggling arms to France, where Protestant Huguenots are stockpiling arms for the day when the Catholic monarchy allies with Spain to stamp out the heretics. While Tom has been raised mostly in the Protestant church, his father retains many Catholic tendencies, and it is those that come to the attention of Francis Walsingham, the queen’s spymaster.

John Hawkins’s new expedition to Guinea and possibly the Caribbean is purported to be a trading venture into Spanish domains, but it has an ulterior purpose known only to a few. Walsingham wants Jack to accompany the expedition. Although hostilities with Spain are on the distant horizon, England is unprepared to wage war at this time. Therefore, Jack must do whatever he can to keep Hawkins from breaking the fragile peace between the two countries, and to keep a detailed record of everything that happens. Such unfamiliar waters to Jack and Tom require them to hire a skilled, black Portuguese, who is somewhat abrasive at times. The voyage gets off to a rocky start; foreign ships entering the port fail to salute and a tavern brawl creates animus between Tom and Francis Drake, who one day vows to get revenge. Venturing to strange lands with unfamiliar customs and unknown dangers adds to the perils Jack and Tom face.

Such a journey means a lengthy separation from family and friends, so Jack puts Meg in charge of the family business. She tries to warn him that her stepmother is up to no good, but time prevents him from heeding the warning. Having despised and distrusted her stepmother from the moment they first met, Meg slowly unravels the intrigue and discovers that Jennet is in league with Jack’s most hated enemy. To thwart her stepmother, Meg devises a plan of her own, one that will protect the business, her father, and the secret she guards.

Battle’s Flood is the second title in the Jack Stannard of the Navy Royal trilogy. While the prologue takes place in 1555, the majority of the story takes place between 1567 and 1569. The backdrop for the story is Hawkins’s third voyage to collect slaves in Africa and sell them to Spanish colonists in the New World. That one event did not occur in a void, as Davies shows as he deftly weaves the tumultuous European history into this tale in ways that make it easy to understand the intricacies of trying to survive in a world verging on war. He drops you into the midst of a battle or a storm at sea with just enough description that then compels your imagination to vividly fill-in the details. Peaceful interludes are woven into engrossing and sometimes nail-biting action, rife with mutiny, poisoned arrows, tribal warfare, the slave trade, smuggling, cannibalism, love lost, betrayal, enmity, feuds, scheming, regrets, and much more. Equally compelling is his historical note, not only because he provides the history behind the fiction but also because he addresses inconvenient truths, thorny issues, and his treatment of these in the book. While history books discuss these events and recount the unfortunate circumstances that result in the abandonment of so many, those accounts are often mere words on a page. In Battle’s Flood, Davies brings to life the infamous and the famous, and transports you back to the 16th century in a way that makes you feel as if you are there.

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Armada’s Wake
By J. D. Davies
Canelo, 2020, e-book ISBN 978-1788632324, US $5.99 / UK £3.99

Twenty years have passed since the tragic expedition to the Caribbean that abandoned Jack Stannard and other Englishmen to the whims of the Spanish. Now, all of England fearfully awaits word of the arrival of King Philip’s Armada. Peter Stannard, one of Jack’s grandsons, has the honor of delivering that fateful news during the middle of a theater performance. He has no intention of fighting, but his brothers and father are already on ships of the Navy Royal, determined to stop the invaders.

Disquiet and disappointment swirl within John Stannard, who finds himself aboard Sir Francis Drake’s Revenge. Being in the Navy Royal is where he wants to be, but not serving as the deputy purser. He’s an accomplished sailor and fighter, but the vice admiral bestows this job upon him because he possesses a rare skill: the ability to do math. Nor does it help that one of the gentleman volunteers, a man named Nicholas Fitzranulf, has taken an instant dislike of John. Time and again they butt heads, until John finally discovers the arrogant popinjay engaged in an activity for which the punishment might well mean death and dishonor. While Fitzranulf takes the out John offers him, their mutual dislike only worsens.

Meanwhile his father, Tom, and oldest brother, Adam, are with the Narrow Seas fleet, England’s last hope should the rest of the Navy Royal fail to stop Spain’s Armada. While Tom’s lifeblood is the sea, he hasn’t a clue as to why Adam wished to join his crew. Adam’s religious zeal makes the men uneasy and only worsens when he witnesses a forbidden act. In fact, this knowledge tips the balance of Adam’s sanity and only Tom’s standing within the fleet and the community allow him to rescue Adam. It isn’t until after the admiral asks Tom to make a sacrifice for the good of the fleet that he discovers the price asked is far greater than he initially thinks.

Peter’s determination to remain outside the fight proves futile. Besotted with a scullery maid, he tangles with the bishop’s steward, who has been taking liberties in spite of her protests. In the aftermath, Peter has no other option than to elude pursuit by assuming another identity and enlisting in the militia. His stage experience proves handy not only as a soldier but also in thwarting the law.

With Spanish hysteria and fear rousing the countryside, Meg de Andrade (nee Stannard) is arrested on charges of witchcraft. The face of her prosecutor might be the justice of the peace, but Meg knows her true enemy is her half-sister. Ill blood has existed between them since her father married Mary’s mother, and with brother Tom and her nephews at sea, there is no one to help her escape this predicament. She must keep her wits about her, but fears that Mary’s enlistment of the family’s nemesis may tip the balance and result in Meg being hanged.

Known as “the man who will live forever,” Juan Estandar has longed dreamed of returning to his family, but never thought to see England again. But his homeland lies not far from the Girona, the Spanish ship that is both his home and his prison. He has been a galley slave for longer than he wishes to remember. Although Juan practices the true faith, his past association with Spain’s heretical enemies, the pirates Drake and Hawkins, guarantee that he will burn in the fires of hell according to Fra Gordillo. One day, the malevolent priest goes too far and Juan lashes out. The consequences are dire, but fail to quench his dream.

Have you ever read a book that pulls you deeper and deeper into the story, that makes you want to toss aside all obligations and just read? Armada’s Wake is one such story. It is the last entry in the Jack Stannard of the Navy Royal trilogy and, while it encompasses only a brief span of time in July 1588, it recounts events in the lives of three generations and is, by far, the best of the three books. The depth and breadth of the characters draw readers into the midst of the 16th century, whether it be at sea or in England or Ireland. Davies weaves a web of many threads that are intricately spun together to provide a riveting tale that allows readers to experience a wide gamut of emotions. This is historical adventure at its finest and the portrayal from both sides of the battle makes for a poignant and memorable account that vividly portrays the perils of the Spanish Armada’s invasion of England.

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Sailor of Liberty
by J. D. Davies
Canelo, 2023, e-book ISBN 978-1804360866, US $5.99 / UK £3.99
Also available in print formats

The voyage is to be sedate, a quiet sail into Saint-Malo and Philippe Kermorvant will step ashore with little fanfare. Fate decrees otherwise. The enemy emerges from the fog and unleashes a devastating volley that kills the captain. His matelots persuade Philippe to rescue them from the onslaught. He agrees and uses his experience commanding American and Russian ships to trick the enemy long enough to get away.

It is Year Two of the French Republic, although his many friends know the time as 1793. Some think his dream folly, but it is a pursuit he cannot give up. It gives his life purpose, something he lost when grief consumed him. Surely, the Republicans will grant his request, especially with the many letters of recommendation that he carries. Especially since his father was Verité, a hero, a legend, a forward-thinking Frenchman who espoused freedom long before the citizenry rose up against the monarchy. But nothing is guaranteed, particularly when the Committee of Public Safety dares even to behead Citizen Louis Capet, the former king of France. The same fate may become Philippe’s, a fact he understands since he is the Vicomte de Saint-Victor.

That possibility becomes all too real when someone close to Philippe denounces him as a traitor to the Republic and a mob comes to arrest him. Although given a chance to escape his prison, he prefers to meet Madame Guillotine. This decision, combined with his betrayer being denounced with irrefutable evidence, leads to Philippe’s freedom and the granting of his dream. He will captain Le Zéphyr, a 32-gun frigate manned by several hundred men. An easy task for someone with his experience, n’est-ce pas?

Perhaps not. His second-in-command denounced his predecessor to the Committee and expects to be given command himself. The crew is a mix of able seamen and landsmen, but each believes he has the right to question any order the captain gives. The representative of the Committee neither likes nor trusts Philippe. He must patrol regions of France where loyalists eagerly await a British invasion in support of their cause. Mutiny ripples through French warships, while English warships blockade the coast. It is only a matter of time before one, or more, of these enemies attempt to thwart Philippe.

Philippe may look through rose-colored glasses, but he does understand what’s happening in France. He is a flawed hero in this regard, but this makes him real and results in the truths he witnesses being all the more horrific. Many stories that depict the French Revolution and Napoleonic Era unfold from a British perspective, which makes this new series fresh and unique because readers experience events from the French point of view. The villains are dastardly and deserve our loathing, but Davies portrays them as products of their time and illustrates how tenuous a path Philippe must weave to navigate such treacherous waters. As always, Davies’s knowledge of history and the maritime world are seamlessly woven into the story, and he vividly and realistically portrays the brutality of war and revolution. This first entry in The Philippe Kermorvant Thrillers is a bewitching tale in and of itself, but the unexpected twist at the end promises many more provocative tales to come.

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Tyranny’s Bloody Standard
by J. D. Davies
Canelo, 2023, ISBN 9781804360903, US $5.99 / UK £3.99
Also available in other formats

In February 1794, Philippe Kermorvant and some of his men escape from the English prison hulk where they are imprisoned with the help of an American. Once back on French soil, Philippe is given command of Le Torrington, whose slowness earns the thirty-eight-gun ship the nickname of English Tortoise. It takes luck and ingenuity to elude a British warship hunting them, and while they succeed, they and the rest of the French fleet end up blockaded within the port of Île Sainte-Marguerite.

Orders arrive summoning Philippe away from his ship to a rendezvous at an inland tavern. There, he meets with a general who advises him that he is to accompany an emissary to Corsica. The purpose is to gain permission for the French navy to use the island as their base of operation in the Mediterranean, and the man Philippe is to meet, General Leandre, has personally requested him. Equally surprising is the emissary, a young woman who seems an odd choice to carry out this mission. What perplexes Philippe is why he has been tasked with this assignment and why would anyone want the bones of Christopher Columbus?

Meanwhile, back in England, spymaster Lord Wilden is perturbed that his French-American cousin, Philippe Kermorvant refused his overture to spy for the British. A mob rioting for fair wages attacks Wilden’s coach and kills his driver. He blames the French for the attack because their Jacobin ideas are infecting Englishmen. He vows to make the enemy pay, and to that end, he sets in motion a collision between his cousin and the man who slew Philippe’s wife and son.

Thibauld de la Porte is a young aspirant aboard Philippe’s ship. He comes from a family whose men have long fought in the army, but he chooses to follow a different path and enlisted in the navy. He pens letters to convince his father that he has made the right decision. Initially, he is pleased to be aboard Le Torrington, but little incidents make him think that perhaps his enigmatic captain may be the British mole within the Marine Nationale. When an incident involving the Knights of Saint John on Malta embarrasses the young midshipman, he also blames the captain for his disgrace and wants vengeance.

Tyranny’s Bloody Standard focuses on a little-known period of history when King George III of Britain also ruled Corsica. Some readers may find there’s a bit too much rehashing of past events in this second book in the Philippe Kermorvant Thrillers, but Davies spins a tale of intrigue, superstition, murder, and vendettas that introduces readers to a young Horatio Nelson and Napoleon Bonaparte. (Neither man is mentioned by name, but their descriptions leave little doubt as to each man’s identity.) A fair portion of this tale takes place on land rather than at sea, which is inevitable since it unfolds principally from a French perspective and the French fleet spends much of the war with England penned up in port because of the Royal Navy’s blockade. A riveting duel at sea does take place between Le Torrington and an Italian warship during a gale that keeps readers guessing and on the edge of their seats. Equally compelling are witnessing the psychological effect cowardly behavior has on someone and the inability to come to the aid of a merchant vessel attacked by Algerine corsairs because France and Algiers are at peace.

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The Cursed Shore
by J. D. Davies
Canelo, 2024, ISBN 9781804366110, US $ 6.49 / UK £4.99
Also available in other formats

The summer of 1795 finds English soldiers disembarking at Quiberon Bay in Brittany. The expedition – a joint venture with French royalists – is an attempt to regain control of France and place the imprisoned boy king Louis XVII on the throne. Accompanying the expeditionary force is Lord Edward “Ned” Wilden, who is also a lord of the Admiralty and less widely known, a spymaster for the prime minister. Neither believes this venture will be successful. There is too much infighting between the royalist factions. The emigrés look upon the Chouans and Vendéeans with disdain, even though these men of varying social ranks have remained in France to fight the republicans, while the former fled their homeland. Ned’s job is to keep peace among these factions, a thankless job that he would far rather be someone else’s.

Leonore Kermorvant, the widow of a royalist martyr whom she betrayed to the republicans, questions where she stands with her brother-in-law. There is an attraction between the two, but there also is an unbridgeable gulf that neither seems willing to cross. Perhaps this is one reason she dares to violate all that she believes in to provide succor to a wounded royalist colonel.

Philippe Kermorvant, Vicomte de Saint-Victor, is livid when he discovers the intruder in his home, but the colonel’s contingency plans find Philippe the prisoner instead of the royalist. It is only Leonore who can save him, but her actions have opened a wider chasm and once free, he immediately goes to sea. Since his requests for a new ship fall on deaf ears within the Marine Nationale, he grudgingly accepts a privateer’s commission from a Swiss merchant and his son. Philippe has misgivings but needs the funds to repair his chateau. With a comrade from his old crew joining in this voyage, he sets aside that niggling worry. Only to have it roar back to life when secret orders are revealed after they set sail.

Davies has a knack for taking disparate threads and twining them together to create a riveting tale that is adroitly brought together in unexpected ways that eventually make perfect sense. At the same time, the characters and the situations they face elicit emotions that readers readily understand and identify with. Normally, Lord Wilden is portrayed more as the villain in the Philippe Kermorvant Thrillers, but in this third title in the series he is a likeable character who comes across in ways that make him very human. It is the introduction of a new, young character that deftly makes this humanizing poignant and real, while at the same time bringing the realities of war front and center. Of the three books so far, The Cursed Shore is the best and Davies does a laudable job in making a highly complex event easy to comprehend.

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