Publisher's Synopsis
It is 1797 and Kydd is now master's mate on Achilles, diverted to Gibraltar to be part of the defences of the fabled Rock. There, he is reunited with his enigmatic friend Nicholas Renzi, and volunteers to join a dangerous voyage to rescue a diplomat fleeing over the Alps. In Venice, against the backdrop of Bonaparte's imminent conquest, their chances look slim.
Kydd finally sets sail for England and finds himself at the centre of the Mutiny at the Nore. Ten thousand men, one thousand guns and scores of ships hold the country to ransom.
But the Dutch Fleet at Texel threatens the very survival of England; should they prevail the country will be lost to the French. In the bloody Battle of Camperdown that ensues, the sailors experience the horror of a fleet in action.
