Captain Rawson Books
IT IS 1704 AND EUROPE IS AT WAR With Lord Churchill’s rousing words ringing in his ears, the courageous young Captain Daniel Rawson embarks on a dangerous mission to lead his men into battle against the French enemy. He must succeed at all costs- the future of England is at stake. But Rawson is the target of the murderous General Salignac who will stop at nothing to see his adversary dead. As Rawson and his men march across the continent, he must keep one step ahead of Salignac’s brigands and live to fight heroically at the Battle of Blenheim. The author of the bestselling Railway detective series triumphs with this stunning first book in the Captain Rawson series.
We come across our hero, Captain Rawson, deep inside the war-ravaged borders of Europe, as he fights alongside the brave and resolute Earl of Marlborough in defeating the, self-proclaimed, ‘invincible’ French army. Yet victory is short lived, blunted by the dissenting voices of the Dutch, who secretly seek to wrestle the power and life from Rawson’s compatriot, Marlborough. In these hostile and insecure times, Captain Rawson is called on to succeed in his biggest, most daring mission to date: the rescue of a celebrated tapestry-maker turned spy from inside the fortified Bastille – the pride of a despotic France. Now alone behind enemy-lines, the undaunted Rawson must apply all his guile and wit in his rescuing of the renowned prisoner and his beautiful daughter, Amalia – a delicate girl to whom Rawson’s friendship soon blossoms into something more. However, unbeknownst to Rawson the French and Dutch have already combined to plot both the assassination of Marlborough and the reclaiming of his power. This time Europe is beginning to close in on him, and it will take all of his self-sacrifice, skill and sincerity to once again rescue the war and the army’s pride from out of the clutches of the betrayers.
Returning to camp from a dangerous solo mission behind enemy lines, career soldier Daniel Rawson finds himself stranded on foot with French soldiers in fierce pursuit. With help from a local farmer and the loan of a horse, Daniel manages to escape by the skin of his teeth. But when Daniel returns to thank the man he finds the farmhouse and barn have been set ablaze and the farmer is approaching death, apparently at the hands of English soldiers. Back at home in England there is political unrest. Queen Anne’s favour has shifted causing the Duke of Marlborough to resign as Commander-In-Chief. After several similar raids on other farms, Daniel enlists the help of his old friend, Henry Welbeck to help investigate. All the while the treacherous and scheming French Commander, the Duc de Vendome, is becoming hell bent on the capture of Daniel, by any means at his disposal.
In the wake of the resounding victory at the Battle of Oudenarde, Captain Daniel Rawson must take a leading role in the Allies' new strategy - to strike deeper into Lille, the 'pearl of fortresses'. While the dashing Eugene, Prince of Savoy, is put in command of the siege, Daniel is sent to steal vital plans from inside the Lille. Only partially successful, he has to return to the city to rescue his accomplice. As the weather worsens and Lille's famed defences appear to be holding, Daniel has to fight against one of his own allies, dwindling supplies and weakening morale.
It is 1709, and Europe is in the midst of the coldest winter for a century. France is suffering profoundly: with her people starving and her army rattled by mutiny and desertions, King Louis XIV is at The Hague, searching for peace with the English on almost any terms. To assist these negotiations, the Duke of Marlborough sends Captain Daniel Rawson on a dangerous mission to Paris to seek out a package of vital information that could secure an advantageous peace deal for England. Yet when the peace talks collapse, Daniel is again embroiled in a dangerous adventure behind enemy lines And as the French army regains its strength and a bloody encounter looms at Malplaquet, Daniel faces his most murdering battle yet.