AN ELEMENT OF CHANCE

By David Donachie

Synopsis

It is 1795. As war spreads across the globe, Harry Ludlow joins the struggle for the richest trade in the world. When half his crew is illegally pressed into the Royal Navy by the vicious Captain Toner, Harry sets off in pursuit, but soon sails into a maelstrom of piracy, corruption, and murder, stirred up by a French privateer. Book 4 of the series.

Sample Player

Narrator	Peter Wickham
Length	17hrs 30mins
Catalogue No.	11507
Publisher	Soundings Audio; 2009

Other audiobooks by David Donachie

THE ADMIRALS' GAME

1794. Lieutenant John Pearce is caught between a feuding trio of admirals. One puts him in a position of danger while another asks him to undertake a hazardous commission in order to protect his friends, the Pelicans. Book 5 of the series.

AN AWKWARD COMMISSION

John Pearce's recent promotion means that he is finally free to follow his own wishes. But while he is indulging himself in London, his trio of closest friends are shipped off to the Mediterranean. Riddled with guilt, Pearce vows to liberate them from the brutal tyrant they are serving under. Book 3 of the series.

BLOWN OFF COURSE

Lieutenant John Pearce's companions arrive in London just in time to join him in fetching a ship laden with contraband back from France - an illegal act but very profitable. Are Pearce and his Pelicans sailing into prosperity or danger? Book 7 of the series.

BREAKING THE LINE

Having evacuated the King and Queen of Naples ahead of Napoleon's advancing army, Nelson must now await developments in Sicily. Finally he is given the chance he's been waiting for, off a little-known Spanish cape called Trafalgar. He will soon show the world what he is made of!

BY THE MAST DIVIDED

London: 1793. Young firebrand John Pearce, is illegally press-ganged into brutal life aboard HMS Brilliant, a frigate on her way to war. He is drawn to a group of men who form an exclusive gun crew, the Pelicans. As they chase a French privateer across the English Channel, these disparate men form friendships that will last a lifetime. First book of the series.

A CLOSE RUN THING

John Pearce is hiding in Gravelines with his mysterious companion, known to him as Oliphant. Although they find a crew willing to take them back to England, they learn on the journey that Pearce’s old enemies, the Tolland brothers, are still active on the route and may have been responsible for the murder of Catherine Carruthers.Back in England their problems continue: Pearce must seek to mend fences with Emily Barclay, in a relationship in which nothing is simple. And just as things may be looking up, it seems Henry Dundas has another role for him and Oliphant: a mission to northeast Spain....

THE CONTRABAND SHORE

1787. Captain Edward Brazier is on a mission: recently paid off from his frigate and comfortably off with prize money, he is headed to Deal to propose marriage to the young and lovely widow Betsey Langridge. He must navigate the bustle of the town's narrow streets that are busy with legal, illicit and depraved business flowing from and around the ships at dock. But all does not go well; between Betsey's brother and guardian, Henry Tulkington, prohibiting the match and Brazier marked out for trouble by a local smuggling gang, his plans are in disarray. And when it slowly emerges that there may have been a decades-old injustice closer to home, Brazier is caught up in more than he'd bargained for.

THE DEVIL TO PAY

It's 1794. Stuck in Palermo harbour, Lieutenant John Pearce and his trusty Pelicans must repair the battle-damaged HMS Larcher. Then sailing into danger, they encounter enemies and Pearce has no option but to abandon his ship. He must face a court-martial for his actions, but his troubles are only just beginning. Book 11 of the series.

THE DEVIL'S OWN LUCK

During the Napoleonic Wars, Harry and James Ludlow are aboard the Magnanime, a gunship under the command of Oliver Carter. Oliver and Harry are old rivals and when James is found near the dead body of the First Lieutenant, Carter assumes James is the murderer. Harry has to prove otherwise. First book of the series.

A DIVIDED COMMAND

1794. The Mediterranean is proving dangerous waters for John Pearce and his Pelicans. When he unknowingly delivers a letter promoting the shady and incompetent Admiral Hotham, Pearce finds himself entangled in a political plot that soon puts those closest to him at peril. Book 10 of the series.

THE DYING TRADE

Privateersman Harry Ludlow and his younger brother, James, arrive in the seething port of Genoa. After the discovery of a hanged British sea captain, Harry is drawn into the midst of the lurid murder investigation, only to find himself embroiled in intrigue and danger - and the deadly charms of a beautiful woman. Book 2 of the series.

ENEMIES AT EVERY TURN

1794. Free from jail, John Pearce is not free from the smugglers whose boat he stole. While lying low, Pearce soon has other pressing concerns on his mind. Granted a commission by William Pitt, John Pearce evades his pursuers by undertaking a dangerous mission in France. Book 8 of the series.

A FLAG OF TRUCE

Firebrand John Pearce has been promoted to lieutenant and is in a position of command on board HMS Faron. He is entrusted with the task of escorting 5,000 radical French sailors to a port on the Atlantic coast, but when the assignment goes awry, it is up to Pearce and his trio of friends, the Pelicans, to prevent judicial murder... Book 4 of the series.

A GAME OF BONES

Following an encounter with a mystery vessel, the red flags fluttering from the top masts of the 'Bucephalas' signal that His Majesty's Navy has reached a state of mutiny. However, Harry Ludlow soon finds himself back at sea and staking everything he owns in a bid to alter the course of history. Book 6 of the series.

A HANGING MATTER

It is 1794... Returning to England, Harry and James Ludlow become embroiled in a vicious struggle between rival smugglers in the English Channel. Witnesses to a bloody confrontation, they flee to Deal - only to find that, behind its picturesque facade, the town is a haven for traders in contraband, seething with corruption and violence. Book 3 of the series.

HMS HAZARD

1796. John Pearce is stuck with a difficult mission, a crew of Quota Men forced to enlist in the Royal Navy, four new midshipmen as well as Samuel Oliphant, companion-cum-spy, whom he finds a constant irritant. In his favour he commands HMS Hazard, a speedy warship, a pair of competent officers and, of course, his trusty friends the Pelicans. Their mission is to head for the Mediterranean Fleet and warn Admiral Sir John Jervis of impending danger he will face, fighting a combined French/Spanish fleet. But there is a serious distraction, the imminent arrival of a Spanish vessel from South America carrying silver, for which the Spaniards are waiting before declaring war. Can John Pearce resist the lure of such a valuable capture and risk his ship in a dangerous battle to gain it, or will his duty come first?

AN ILL WIND

It is 1793. John Pearce and his Pelicans are going home - to gain their freedom and put the treacherous Captain Ralph Barclay in the dock. Emily Barclay discovers Pearce has papers that would ruin her husband's career and her future security. And then comes that dread thing, a fire aboard a wooden ship of war! Book 6 of the series.

ON A MAKING TIDE

A fascinating insight into the early years of Horatio Nelson and Emma Lyon, starting with Nelson's arrival at Chatham aged 12 to join his first ship the Raisonable, and with Emma rejecting life as a domestic servant to live in a bawdy house.

ON A PARTICULAR SERVICE

1796. Lieutenant John Pearce is heading home aboard a hospital ship, yet the journey is far from plain sailing. Evading capture by an Algerine warship, Pearce attempts to save his disparate band of friends, the Pelicans, from being pressed into service on a British frigate – only for the group to risk being hanged for desertion once home. Pearce does not know who to trust. All he can hope to do is survive... Book 14 of the series.

THE PERILS OF COMMAND

1794. Fresh from battle in the Gulf of Ambracia, Lieutenant John Pearce and his trusty Pelicans arrive in the Italian port of Brindisi. 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. Book 12 of the series.

THE SCENT OF BETRAYAL

New Orleans, 1795. The discovery of an abandoned Spanish merchant ship off the coast of America plunges the Ludlows into a far-reaching conspiracy fuelled by jealousy, ambition and nationalistic fervour. Harry Ludlow must win freedom for his ship in a deadly game played out in the dark woods of the American hinterland. Book 5 of the series.

A SEA OF TROUBLES

1794. In the wake of an equivocal success for the British naval fleet against Revolutionary France, Lieutenant John Pearce must undertake an urgent commission from Lord Hood. Meanwhile smugglers whose ship Pearce inadvertently stole, are on his tail. And it is not only John Pearce who has his fair share of trouble. Book 9 of the series.

A SHOT ROLLING SHIP

Pressed into King George's Navy, John Pearce and his Pelicans find themselves working aboard HMS Griffin, in search of the French privateers that prey on English merchant shipping and, if possible, to capture or destroy them. But Pearce has greater things on his mind: he must rescue his ailing father from the dangers of revolutionary Paris.. Book 2 of the series.

TESTED BY FATE

It's 1784, and Nelson is sent to the Caribbean to enforce the hated Navigation Acts. Ordered next to the Mediterranean, he engages in a string of spectacular naval battles. The ravages of war take their physical toll on Nelson, even as he gains the fame and honour he craves.

A TREACHEROUS COAST

Winter 1795. Lieutenant John Pearce, reckoning to have finally ditched his old enemy, Admiral Hotham, has found a new one in Henry Digby, previously a friend. Meanwhile, Pearce's pregnant and recently widowed lover is adamant they cannot be seen together for the sake of their unborn child as she seeks respectability in society. Aboard HMS Flirt as part of the squadron led by Horatio Nelson, Pearce and his Pelicans soon join them on a reconnaissance which results in the destruction of a key French battery - though the success is short-lived. In raids ashore, split loyalties and bloody sea fights, Pearce must show bravery and resource to ensure his survival and return to Emily. But the headstrong lieutenant is faced with immense danger, not only from the enemy but his own captain. Only luck and Pearce's fierce appetite for battle can save them from the perils ahead. Book 13 of the series.

A TROUBLED COURSE

John Pearce discovers that Madrid plans to desert the British-led coalition and join the enemy. In company with Lord Langholm, he has taken a Spanish treasure ship but is forced into a deep bay overlooked by Spaniards who have a cannon aimed at the entrance. Pearce must take the lead and find a way to get Langholm's frigate and the damaged Santa Leocadia through the bottleneck. His orders take him via Gibraltar, then to Admiral Jervis to warn of Spanish duplicity. Jervis sends him to Bastia in Corsica, where the Viceroy is seeking to hold the island for Britannia in the face of Napoleon's successes in Italy. At night he must fight the Francophile Corsicans, who are arming themselves for an insurrection. Will he succeed, or will John Pearce, HMS Hazard, and the Pelicans pay the ultimate price of failure?