Sword of India Books

India, 1778. Richard Bryant arrives in India as a humble clerk with the John Company. But he is driven by an ambition and military enthusiasm that sees him rise beyond his status. He has barely been in Bombay a year when a disastrous love affair with Barbara Smythe forces him to flee the city. He enters the Indian jungle. It is the start of a new life as an outlaw, relying on his wits and his pistols to survive. In the escapades and dangers which lie ahead, Richard becomes an adventurer on a grand scale. He commands French regiments at the court of the feared Begum Sombre, making enemies of every nationality and, in time, carving his own kingdom out of the jungle. Feared by princes, marauders and fellow mercenaries alike, Richard finds a place for himself in the world. But there are terrible scores to be settled, even at the risk of throwing all of his glory away...

Bombay, 1825. On a journey from Madras to Bombay, Harrison Dean falls victim to the ghastly rites of the Goddess Kali. But his death sets in motion a train of events which will take the East India Company to the height of its territorial glory. For the thugs were commanded by Prince Batraj, cousin and rival of Rajah Sitraj of Sittapore - and Rajah Sitraj was in love with Harrison Dean's niece. Laura Dean was the toast of Bombay, but also considered by many to be a woman of dubious virtue. Her marriage to the Rajah of Sittapore elevated her to wealth and power, but also created jealousy and anger, and her prosperity depended upon the health of her husband. When Sitraj breaks his neck on the polo field, Laura finds herself the plaything of Indian politics. She is hurried from state to state by the restless, ruthless, amorous Batraj, seeking always an alliance to drive the British out of India. She is forced to commit acts which will turn the entire European community against her. All but one... Only Captain Guy Bartlett retains his love for her. The story of their epic wanderings from the heat of Bombay to the snows of Kabul to the burning deserts of Baluchistan is an unforgettable one. In their pursuit, the East India Company carved out the greatest of empires.