A Divided Command

John Pearce #10

by David Donachie

In his latest adventure, trouble follows John Pearce to the Mediterranean. He has to fight admirals, a duel and even Emily Barclay, the woman he loves, while back in London his mortal enemy and her husband, Captain Ralph Barclay, is seeking a way to confound him.All he has to rely on are his Pelicans, as well as the crew of his ship, HMS Larcher and this is tested to the limit when he has to take on a superior force of Barbary Corsairs to both save Emily and the ship on which she is a passenger, in a fierce battle he thinks he cannot win.This is book ten in the highly acclaimed John Pearce series set in eighteenth-century Europe.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical

320 pages, Hardcover

First published November 25, 2013

About the author

aka Tom Connery, Johnny 'Two Combs' Howard, Jack Ludlow.

David Donachie was born in Edinburgh in 1944. He 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 centuries, which he drew upon for the many novels he has set in that period. The author of a number of bestselling books, he now lives in Deal with his wife, fellow A&B author Sarah Grazebrook.

Reviews

[Jean · Rating 2 out of 5]

At the end of the last book Pearce left Emily in the Tuscan port of Leghorn and sailed on to fleet command Mediterranean headquarters to deliver a letter from the Admiralty to Admiral Hotham. Unfortunately it was a letter of promotion for the Admiral. Pearce gets tangled in a political plot that puts him and his friends in danger. Pearce fights a duel against a British Army officer which makes Emily upset.

Emily sees no future with Pearce and leaves when he is conveying letters from Horatio Nelson to the British Ambassador. Pearce set off in pursuit and takes on a superior force of Barbary Corsairs who have targeted the merchant ship Emily is on. The book provides sea battles and lots of swashbuckling action and suspense.

Donachie has spent half the book rehashing the prior installments. The series has been dragged out about as far as it can. Let’s end the series. Donachie, it is time to start a new series. I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. Peter Wickham narrated the story.

[CJ Payne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another good book in this series.
If you want all naval action, like Hornblower, then "bear away". However, please "lay along side"

This series brings to life characters from many walks of life in the early Napoleonic era, and gives great insight from people before the mast, to politicians at the highest order.
The story is all told through a range of believable characters of the time, without resorting to inane stereotypes.

There is enough action to please those thirsting for that (like John Pearce), however you can add romance (also John Pearce), politics (a reluctant John Peace), and history (as seen by a contemporary)

What is not to enjoy?

[David Flett · Rating 2 out of 5]

man delivers letter. skirmish at sea. a poor sea faring novel. only the last 10 pages give an impression of being at sea and even then.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly recommend

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

good