Lewrie’s ship has been recalled to England; life in London beckons... Lewrie loses his command when he receives news that Vigilance must return to England to be decommissioned and turned over to the dockyards for a complete refit. Lewrie is grounded, put on half-pay, and his crew disperses to look for new positions. It's late Autumn, and being ashore is heavenly, after a time. Lewrie spends time with his wife Jessica, helps his son Hugh find a new ship, and happily marries off Charlotte. Life onshore is quiet until Lewrie finds himself once again in the headlines of the city papers after discovering a dognapping gang and uncovering stolen Bisquits and Rembrants. The headlines should be positive, but soon the tides turn against Lewrie once again. There's never a dull moment for Lewrie! Number twenty-five in the Alan Lewrie Naval Adventures, Much Ado About Lewrie is perfect for fans of Patrick O'Brian, Julian Stockwin and C.S. Forester. Praise for Dewey Lambdin ‘Great naval action and deep historical detail in the vein of O’Brian and Forester’ Kirkus Reviews (starred review) ‘You could get addicted to this series. Easily.’ New York Times Book Review
"Lambdin is closing on Patrick O'Brian as the most prolific historical novelist to celebrate a Royal Navy mariner." —Washington Times Dewey Lambdin presents a new short story, "Lewrie and the Hogsheads," starring the most colorful captain of the Royal Navy, Alan Lewrie. Capt. Lewrie of the HMS Reliant has been stuck in Nassau Harbor, biding his time after ferreting out pirates on the coast of Spanish Florida. Until, that is, one of his brig sloops comes into harbor with an unexpected cargo of survivors from an American brig. Their ship, the Santee out of Charleston, South Carolina, has been taken by a Spanish privateer far down in the Bahamas near the Crooked Island passage. With this news of more pirates at large, Lewrie has a chance to get out of dodge, have some fun, and maybe even capture a prize. But he's about to learn that there's another, much boozier side to the Americans' story.[Word Count: 10,470, Approximate Pages: 45] "Lewrie's a worthy shipmate for Aubrey and Hornblower." —Kirkus Reviews "Lewrie is an endearing character-hero, philanderer, smuggler, spy: a courageous naval officer unencumbered by high morals or indecision." —Publishers Weekly "You could get addicted to this series. Easily." —The New York Times Book Review "The best naval adventure series since C. S. Forester." —Library Journal "Stunning naval adventure, reeking of powder and mayhem. I wish I had written this series." —Bernard Cornwell "Lambdin is closing on Patrick O'Brian as the most prolific historical novelist to celebrate a Royal Navy mariner." —Washington Times Dewey Lambdin presents a new short story starring the most colorful captain of the Royal Navy, Alan Lewrie. Capt. Lewrie of the HMS Reliant has been stuck in Nassau Harbor, biding his time after ferreting out pirates on the coast of Spanish Florida. Until, that is, one of his brig sloops comes into harbor with an unexpected cargo of survivors from an American brig. Their ship, the Santee out of Charleston, South Carolina, has been taken by a Spanish privateer far down in the Bahamas near the Crooked Island passage. With this news of more pirates at large, Lewrie has a chance to get out of dodge, have some fun, and maybe even capture a prize. But he's about to learn that there's another, much boozier side to the Americans' story. "Lewrie's a worthy shipmate for Aubrey and Hornblower." —Kirkus Reviews "Lewrie is an endearing character-hero, philanderer, smuggler, spy: a courageous naval officer unencumbered by high morals or indecision." —Publishers Weekly "You could get addicted to this series. Easily." —The New York Times Book Review "The best naval adventure series since C. S. Forester." —Library Journal "Stunning naval adventure, reeking of powder and mayhem. I wish I had written this series." —Bernard Cornwell[Word Count: 10,470, Approximate Pages: 45]
Dewey Lambdin, the reigning master of maritime fiction, continues the adventures of Alan Lewrie, Royal Navy, from his days as a midshipman to captain of his own ship and, though on somewhat dubious grounds, a baronetcy in the 23rd book in the Alan Lewrie series, A Fine Retribution. Captain Alan Lewrie and his small squadron defeat four French frigates off northern Spain, winning honor, glory, and renown. So, why is such a successful captain suddenly without a ship, or another active commission? Why do rumors swirl that jealous foes’ powerful patrons are blighting his career? Months on end ashore, even in entertaining London setting up a household for himself and his retinue, getting his portrait painted, put him in serious sulks. Well, the artist is the sister of one of his midshipmen, a delightful and talented young lady of a modern outlook, but not modern enough to become Lewrie’s lover. Dare he risk a second marriage? Then, just when things are the rosiest, at last, Admiralty calls upon him to develop and command a plan to raid French-held coasts, not with sailors and Marines from his own ship, but with a battalion of Army troops carried in a squadron of transports. It’s intriguing, novel, and a way back to sea, but...can he part from the desirable Jessica Chenery? And if Lewrie does, will his foes allow him to succeed? Be certain that Alan Lewrie will prevail, scruples be damned!
"Three mismatched troop transports, lots of 29-foot barges, and an under-strength regiment of foot-- a waste of Royal Navy money, a doomed experiment, or a new way to bedevil Napoleon's army in Italy? Either way, it's Capt. Sir Alan Lewrie's idea, and it seems to be working, with successful raids all along the coast of Calabria. But it depends on timely information, and Lewrie must trust Don Julio Caesare, a lord of a Sicilian criminal underworld, and his minions, or the amateur efforts of a disorganized network of Calabrian partisans always in need of British arms and King George III's money. When at last the fourth transport arrives with reinforcement troops, what seems to be a blessing could turn out to be the ruin of the whole thing. Lewrie has been too successful in his career at sea and he's made bitter, jealous enemies with powerful patrons out to crush him and his novel squadron, no matter if it's succeeding. And there are doings back in England that Lewrie would prefer to deal with but can't"--
“You could get addicted to this series. Easily.”---The New York Times Book Review The year 1809 starts out badly for Captain Alan Lewrie, Royal Navy, and his ship, HMS Sapphire. They’ve extracted the sick, cold survivors of Sir John Moore’s army from disaster at Corunna, got hit by lightning while escorting the army to England, and suffered a shattered mainmast which may end Lewrie’s active commission if a replacement can’t be found or fashioned soon. Admiralty needs troopships, not slow, old Fourth Rate two-deckers, so Lewrie must beg, borrow, steal, and gild the facts most glibly if he wishes to keep her and her skilled crew together. Just when he imagines he’s succeeded, new orders come appointing him a Commodore over a wee squadron assigned to prey upon French seaborne supply convoys off the treacherous north coast of Spain, better known as the Costa da Morte, the Coast of Death, where the sea may be more dangerous to him and his ships than the French Navy! Basing out of newly won Lisbon, where Lewrie hopes his mistress from Gibraltar, Maddalena Covilhá, might move, he’s sure of one thing: It's going to be a rocky year that, hopefully, doesn’t involve wrecking on the rugged shores of Spain!
Participating in the 1805 Battle of Cape Town after the death of Admiral Nelson, Captain Lewrie voyages to South America to assist Britain's campaigns on the Spanish colonies only to confront a formidable adversary.
In Kings and Emperors, the twenty-first book in Dewey Lambdin's beloved Alan Lewrie series, Captain Alan Lewrie, Royal Navy, is still in Gibraltar, his schemes for raids along the coast of southern Spain shot to a halt. He is reduced to commanding a clutch of harbor defense gunboats in the bay while his ship, HMS Sapphire, slowly grounds herself on a reef of beef bones! Until Napoleon Bonaparte's invasion of peaceful Portugal and his so-called collaborative march into Spain change everything, freeing Sapphire to roam against the King's enemies once more! As kings are overthrown and popular uprisings break out all across Spain, Lewrie's right back in the action, ferrying weapons to arm Spanish patriots, scouting within close gun range of the impregnable fort of Ceuta, escorting the advance units of British expeditionary armies to aid the Spanish, and even going ashore to witness the first battles between Sir Arthur Wellesley, later the Duke of Wellington, and Napoleon's best Marshals, as the long Peninsular War that broke Imperial France begins to unfold. From Cáadiz to La Coruñna, Lewrie and Sapphire will be there as history explodes!
January 1801, and Captain Alan Lewrie, RN, known as "St. Alan the Liberator" for freeing (stealing!) a dozen black slaves on Jamaica to man his frigate years before, is at last being brought to trial for it, with his life on the line. At the same time, Russia, Sweden, Denmark, and Prussia are forming a League of Armed Neutrality, to Napoleon Bonaparte's delight, to deny Great Britain their vital exports, even if it means war. England will need all her experienced sea dogs, but ... even Alan Lewrie? Ultimately Lewis is acquitted, but he's also ignored by the Navy, so it's half-pay on "civvy street" for him, and with idle time on his mischievous hands, Lewrie is sure to get himself in trouble---again!---especially if there are young women and his wastrel public school friends involved...and they are! A brawl in a Panton Saint brothel, a drunk, infatuated young Russian count, precede Lewrie's summons to Admiralty and the command of the Thermopylae frigate to replace an ill captain as the fleet gathers to face down the League of the North, and its instigator, the mad Tsar Paul. Lewrie must take the Thermopylae into the Baltic in the dead of winter, alone and with no support, to scout the enemy fleets and iced-in harbours, deal with a fellow officer who is less of a friend than he thought, and be saddled with a pair of Russian noblemen as a last-minute peace delegation, but if the wily Foreign Office spy-master, Zachariah Twigg, sent them, what else might their mission be? All that and the Battle of Copenhagen, too, and it's broadsides at close quarters, and treachery for Lewrie, forcing him to use all his wiles to survive!
His exploits echo with the bustle of crowded ports and the crash of naval warfare... It is 1780 and seventeen-year-old Alan Lewrie is a brash young libertine with a head full of dreams. When he is found in bed with the wrong woman, he is forced to leave his profligacy behind for a new life at sea. Though sickness and hard labour await him aboard the tall-masted Ariadne, Lewrie finds himself gradually adapting to the world of a midshipman. But as he heads for the war-torn Americas into a hail of cannonballs, will he ever catch wind of the plot brewing against him back at home? The first Alan Lewrie novel, this action-packed naval adventure is perfect for fans of Patrick O’Brian, Julian Stockwin and C.S. Forester Praise for The King's Coat ‘You could get addicted to this series. Easily.’ New York Times Book Review ‘The best naval series since C. S. Forester . . . Recommended.’ Library Journal ‘Fast-moving. . . A hugely likeable hero, a huge cast of sharply drawn supporting characters: there's nothing missing. Wonderful stuff.’ Kirkus Reviews
A rogue officer turns privateer in this thrilling historical adventure. 1783: Officer Alan Lewrie becomes His Majesty’s secret agent. Fresh from war in the Americas, Lewrie finds London a pure pleasure. Then, at Plymouth, he boards the trading ship Telesto to find out why merchantmen are disappearing in the East Indies. Between the pungent shores of Calcutta and teaming Canton, Lewrie discovers a young French captain, backed by an armada of pirates, on a plundering rampage. While treaties tie the navy's hands, a King's privateer is free to plunge into the fire and blood of a dirty war in the South China Sea. The King’s Privateer is perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell and Patrick O’Brian.
