The Sea Officer Bentley: Sea Officer William Bentley Thrillers Box Set by Jan Needle (#1-4)
Requirements: .ePUB Reader, 1.4 MB
Overview: Over a quartet of enthralling novels that cross the continents and oceans, William Bentley grows from a young, rebellious boy to a position of command as Sea Officer. He faces harsh captains and harsher weathers on the seas, forms lifelong bonds with his fellow sailors, and follows his destiny in a time as tumultuous as the seas he sails. Jan Needle’s attention to historical detail and care for characterization make these compelling and rich reads, perfect for fans of Patrick O’Brian and C. S. Forester.
Genre: Fiction > Mystery/Thriller
1. A Fine Boy For Killing
The evil reputation of Captain Daniel Swift, coupled with the wretched conditions of naval life, mean that only the most desperate of men will join him on the frigate Welfare – at least of their own free will.
To make up the numbers, he must resort to press gangs.
It is as a result of missions ashore led by Swift’s young nephew William Bentley that farmer’s boy Thomas Fox and smuggler Jesse Broad find themselves on board a ship run by Swift with utmost cruelty, policed by rattan cane and cat.
As the men grow weak from disease and relentless punishments on the long voyage, the talk below deck, inevitably, turns to mutiny.
Swift, Bentley, Fox and Broad become slowly locked into a complex web of fear, love, hatred, and horrifying tragedy. Will Swift and Bentley be able to control their men or will rebellion break out upon the Welfare?
2. The Wicked Trade
A survivor of the bloody mutiny on the Welfare, the young Bentley resumes his naval career with some reluctance, for he finds himself posted as an officer to the press tender, Biter. The Impress Service is the most reviled part of the Navy, continuing the process of legally kidnapping seamen in order to fill His Majesty’s war-strapped ships.
Though his earlier experiences have stripped away the last traces of innocence, Bentley’s new service in the London River – surrounded by corruption and greed – soon teaches him new lessons about the darker side of city life. When the Biter is reassigned as part of the effort to combat The Wicked Trade, smuggling, Bentley becomes entangled in the investigation of the murder of two customs officers.
With bribery rife and danger lurking in every shadow, will Bentley be able to navigate the seedy underworld the smugglers operate in and stay alive?
3. The Spithead Nymph
Pompous, blustering, newly appointed Captain Kaye has been assigned on a mission to the West Indies on his new ship Biter…
Brutal conditions and forced labour are causing the slaves on the sugar plantations to rebel against their white masters, and support from the English Navy is desperately needed.
Lieutenant Peter Coppiner is given the task of finding men to accompany Captain Kaye on his voyage. But life on board ship in the 18th Century were harsh – conditions were dangerous, labour was tough and punishments severe… And that was if you managed to avoid the scurvy…
Coppiner’s bitterness about his own failure to rise from the rank of Lieutenant means that he is far from scrupulous when it comes to ‘persuading’ men to join his crew…
The treatment on board is almost too awful to bear…
Most of the men Coppiner ‘recruits’ are dead before the ship has even left the Thames. The only survivors left for Kaye’s voyage are three murderous Scotsmen and a mad Irish man. The rest of the crew are either keen to see the white sands of the Caribbean (and drink the free rum) or have been press ganged into joining up…
Will Bentley miraculously finds himself serving on board Biter as acting Lieutenant, narrowly escaping jail and the gallows… His new Captain and crew don’t really fill him with confidence…
As the ship prepares to set sail, his thoughts turn to his best friend Sam and his beloved Deborah… Are they still alive? And what are the chances of Will ever seeing them again?
4. Undertaker’s Wind
Will Sea Officer Bentley survive his greatest challenge yet? With the ‘Biter’ sunk beneath the Caribbean waves, along with Captain ‘Slack Dickie’ Kaye’s corrupted dream of riches, Will Bentley is forced deeper into the brutal and rapacious world of Jamaican politics.
Although he brilliantly cuts out a mysterious French brig from a secret bay, his hopes of recovering his lost honour with a triumphant return to Port Royal are blighted by the news that Deb Tomelty, his beloved ‘Spithead Nymph’, has been held responsible for the death of a leading planter. William must help to hunt the ship and save the honour of the vessel.
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