The fifth volume in The Privateersman Mysteries

1795: The discovery of an abandoned Spanish merchant ship off the coast of America plunges the Ludlows into a far-reaching conspiracy fueled by jealousy, ambition, and nationalistic fervor. The Bucephalas lies trapped under the gaping muzzles of the forty-two-pounder Spanish guns of the New Orleans harbor fort. It quickly becomes clear that the corridors of the governor's residence are just as busy with treachery, double-dealing, and murder as the back alleys of the sweltering city outside. Harry Ludlow must win freedom for his ship in a deadly game played out in the dark woods of the American hinterland.

"“High adventure and detection cunningly spliced.”" - Times of London Literary Review

"“Donachie has made Ludlow the most compulsively readable amateur detective since Dick Francis' latest ex-jockey."" - Cambridge Evening News

"“A must for armchair mariners. . . . It's superb stuff.”" - Manchester Evening News

"(Praise for David Donachie's other books) “Pure adventure with excitement and daring all the way . . . historical fiction at its very best.”" - Historical Novels Review Online

"(Praise for David Donachie's other books) “High-speed epic from an ace storyteller.”" - Daily Sport

"(Praise for David Donachie's other books) “Exciting and unpredictable.”" - The Bookbag