David Donachie (1944- ) was born in Edinburgh and has had a variety of jobs, including selling everything from business machines to soap. He has always had an abiding interest in the naval history of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuriesand now lives in Deal, Kent. He has written three historical naval fiction series (he has also writen a Royal Marine series under the pen name Tom Connery).
The first series, The Privateersman Mysteries, is about Harry Ludlow. It starts in 1792 and features the adventures of a former navy Captain turned privateer and his brother.
The second is about John Pearce. It starts in 1793 and follows the son of a radical taken by a press gang who is soon made an officer but shows no deference to his superiors
The third, The Nelson and Emma Trilogy, is, as the name indicates, about the lives of Horatio Nelson and Emma Hamilton.
| Series: John Pearce | ||
| Year | Book | Comment |
| 1793 | By the Mast Divided | John Pearce is taken by the press gang and serves aboard HMS Brilliant |
| 1793 | A Shot Rolling Ship | Impressed again and now aboard HMS Griifin Pearce is soon promoted to Midshipman and then Lieutenant |
| 1793 | An Awkward Commission | Pearce is sent to Admiral Hood with dispatches and is sent ashore in Toulon to see if they will join the British |
| 1793 | A Flag of Truce | As first Lieutenant of HMS Faron Pearce escorts French ships back to the Atlantic |
| 1793 | The Admirals’ Game | Pearce continues his fight to get his former captain before a court martial |
| 1793 | An Ill Wind | Pearce must assist with the evacuation of Toulon |
| Blown off Course | Pearce is in London seeking protection for his friends, the Pelicans, from a reluctant Admiralty. | |
| Enemies at Every Turn | Pearce is not free from the smugglers whose boat he stole, they want bloody revenge | |
| 1794 | A Sea of Troubles | Pearce finds himself aboard HMS Agamemnon, and impresses Horatio Nelson |
| 1794 | A Divided Command | Pearce must save Emily from a superior force of Barbary Corsairs |
| The Devil to Pay | Pearce faces a ship in need of repair, enemy attacks and Admiral Hotham | |
| The Perils of Command | Pearce discovers two facts that should change his life | |
| 1795 | A Treacherous Coast | Pearce is faced with immense danger, not only from the enemy but his own captain |
| On a Particular Service | Pearce has to avoid capture by an Algerine warship | |
| Series: The Nelson and Emma Trilogy** | ||
| Year | Book | Comment |
| On a Making Tide | Part One of a trilogy that chronicles the private lives and dangerous times of Nelson and his legendary mistress. | |
| 1784 | Tested by Fate | Part Two of a trilogy that chronicles the private lives and dangerous times of Nelson and his legendary mistress. |
| 1799 | Breaking the Line | Part Three of a trilogy that chronicles the private lives and dangerous times of Nelson and his legendary mistress. |
** Important Note: In the UK this series was published in 2 volumes 'On a Making Tide' and 'Breaking the Line'. As titles are the same in both series you should take care not to mix them.
AOS Privateer Fiction |
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| Series: The Privateersman Mysteries (Harry Ludlow) | ||
| Year | Book | Comment |
| 1792 | The Devils own Luck | Investigates a murder |
| 1794 | The Dying Trade | A captain commits suicide in Genoa, or did he? |
| 1794 | A Hanging Matter | Smugglers become a problem |
| An Element of Chance | Ludlow joins the struggle for the richest trade in the world | |
| 1795 | The Scent of Betrayal | An adventure in New Orleans |
| 1796 | A Game of Bones | Harry becomes involved with a mutiny |
Written as Tom Connery
| Series: Markham of the Marines | ||
| Year | Book | Comment |
| 1793 | A Shred of Honour | As an Irishman, a Catholic, and a reputed Coward, Lt. George Markham is a Marine with something to prove |
| 1794 | Honour Redeemed | George Markham leads his embattled Royal Marines against the French in Corsica. |
| 1794 | Honour be Damned | Markham must go ashore to escort a group of French Royalists on a secret mission |
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