This Bloody Shore

It is 1811. After the disastrous Walcheren campaign, Britain's hopes of defeating the French on land rest with Wellington's army in Portugal. Over to the east, Bonaparte's attention turns to Catalonia where he has ordered General Suchet to capture the coastal town of Tarragona from the Spanish, and promised him his Marshal's baton if he succeeds. Captain Hugh Kelly RN and First Lieutenant Alfred Durrell of HMS Iris are sent to join a squadron under Commodore Codrington which is providing naval support to the beleaguered Spanish garrison. Tarragona has withstood French assaults before, but this time Suchet's hunger for promotion combined with rivalry among the Spanish commanders have left the town in a precarious position. Captain Gabriel Bonnet of the 30th légère, a scarred veteran of Bonaparte's wars, has long since abandoned his youthful ideals and just wants to survive and do his job. However, mistakes made by his battalion commander force Bonnet to shoulder more responsibility while chance encounters with a Spanish woman trying to survive alone and an arrogant young Spanish officer remind him that there is more to honour than winning a battle. As the French bombardment of the town reaches its savage climax, it becomes clear that neither garrison nor civilians can expect mercy from Suchet's invading army. Hugh Kelly and the rest of the Royal Navy squadron face the prospect of managing a daring and dangerous evacuation from the bloody shore of Tarragona. This Bloody Shore is Book 3 of the Manxman series.