Paladin's War

LOSING HIS FATHER MADE HIM AN ORPHAN ON THE STREET. NAPOLEON'S WAR MADE HIM A HERO ON THE SEA."Greene has provided another page-turner here, filling the seas with gunfire and knife fights, and London with a network of spies and traitors" - Kirkus Reviews "This book was such fun to read. Greene paints not only the scenes in London but those on the Mediterranean, the Adriatic, and even the Black Sea with vivid color and action" - Chanticleer Book Reviews 5 starsPaladin's War (book three of the Adventures of Jonathan Moore series): 1802. Fourteen year-old Midshipman Jonathan Moore, Marine Private Sean Flagon and adventurer Delain Dowdeswell enjoy the company of family and friends during a delicate peace between France and England. However, mysterious spy networks now freely roam Europe's great cities, and the ships and armies of all nations remain on the edge of war. An elaborate scheme involves manipulating Jonathan, now aboard the eighteen-gun HMS Paladin, the Royal Navy's fastest ship. Commanded by his friend and mentor, Lieutenant Thomas Harrison, their mission is to deliver an important treaty to a clandestine location. Remaining in London, and bored with endless tea parties and tedious school lessons, Delain encounters a shadowy black rider sneaking about the mansions of London's elite. Suspecting foul play, she investigates and enters a web of secret meetings, spies, coded messages and kidnapping. At first merely interesting, Delain's investigation soon turns deadly as she finds that all clues lead to the Paladin's mission, and to her friends, now thousands of miles away-and in grave danger. Once at sea, the boys have a mystery of their own to solve: their sister ship, HMS Echo, avoids all contact. A sabotaged gun, a mistrusted crew, and a vicious assault on their ship by a well-armed band of assailants has the men and officers of the Paladin anxious. Even Jonathan is uneasy, forced by agents of the king to withhold vital information from his officers. Led to waters far from home, the boys now fight for their ship and their lives against a rogue naval commodore with a war plan of his own. The answers to these mysteries could eventually be discovered by Jonathan Moore, if he can defeat his powerful enemies in the Black Sea - and survive the final conflict of the Paladin's War.From the author: I've always loved the classic sea stories in Stevenson's Treasure Island, Forester's Horatio Hornblower and O'Brian's Jack Aubrey series. The excitement of tall ships during the age of sail, traveling to unknown shores, racing across stormy seas and hearing the roar of rippling broadsides always thrilled me. But I couldn't help thinking that for most of us, unless one had supporting texts and companion guides to get through all the jargon and technicalities, one could easily become lost-and maybe surrender to something easier to read. That would be too bad.So I did something about it. I kept the characters and the action historically accurate for a Nelson-era navy, but took it easy on the terminology and more unsavory aspects of life at sea. And the things you do really need to know, well, wouldn't it be best to learn that along with the characters? The ones that started out as land-lubbers just like you and your kids? I also avoided all magic, superpowers and paranormal material. That's all fun - but none of us will ever discover we have wizards or Olympians for parents or a mystical ability. For this series, I wanted to point out that real heroes do exist, and they have throughout history. The Adventures of Jonathan Moore books are about one would-be hero and his friends who try to succeed using only their courage, their wits and industry alone - no magic necessary. I hope you enjoy these adventures, and read more about this exciting period. Though I can never fill the shoes of Stevenson, Forester or O'Brian, I can follow in their footsteps.