An enemy frigate is outward bound to play havoc with the vital British whaling trade, and must be stopped at all costs.

Racing against time, Captain Jack Aubrey and his crew must chase the USS Norfolk as she rounds Cape Horn, pursuing her into the Great South Sea and beyond. Following the equator, ahead of them lies not only the natural wonders of the Galapagos but also a succession of disasters - men overboard, castaways, typhoons, shipwrecks, to say nothing of murder and criminal insanity.

In a deadly game of cat and mouse with their American foes, will Jack Aubrey and his crew triumph, despite the odds?

'If O'Brian's novels have become a cult, this is because they are truly addictive. . . They are, quite magnificently, adventure yarns whose superb authenticity never distracts from the sheer thrill of the action.'

CAROLINE MOORE, Sunday Telegraph

'I love these books . . . They will sweep you away and return you delighted, increased and stunned'

NICOLA GRIFFITH, NPR