1794. Fresh from battle in the Gulf of Ambracia with the villainous Turk Mehmet Pasha, Lieutenant John Pearce and his trusty Pelicans arrive in the Italian port of Brindisi, with captures in tow and his wounded superior, Henry Digby, in a convalescent state. Their landing in the harbour is met by crowds and local dignitaries who insist Digby is attended to by their best physician. Free from authority, Pearce travels to Naples to track down his lover, Emily Barclay.
But upon finding her, Emily reveals astonishing news that will send her back to her brutish husband and Pearce’s longstanding enemy, Captain Ralph Barclay, to avoid further scandal. As Pearce sets out for Leghorn to challenge Barclay and persuade him to desist in his pursuit, Barclay hatches his own scheme to thwart the headstrong lieutenant.
Faced with bloody sea battles, conspiracies to defeat him and utter chicanery, John Pearce must confront his most dangerous feud yet as his enemies will stop at nothing to see his blood on their swords.
