Book picks similar to
Windrush by Malcolm Archibald


historical-fiction
historical
war
asia

A Talent for Revenge


John Cutter - 1984
    It was a mission. Sullivan is a mercenary with a talent for revenge. He is no kill-crazy psychopath – he works for a cause, and for what he believes in. Left a broken man after his marriage was cut short by his wife’s violent death, Sullivan turns his back on his violent lifestyle. That is, until he meets Julia Penn. Beautiful and vulnerable, Julia’s plight brings Sullivan out of retirement. Julia had been tortured by Magg Ottowa – an African dictator. And she needs Sullivan to hunt him down. Motivated by a fortune in cold cash, and the attention of an attractive woman, Sullivan finds himself unable to resist… A Talent for Revenge is the first thrilling installment in The Specialist series. John Cutter is a pseudonym for John Shirley, a science fiction write best known for The Crow. He is an American writer, primarily of fantasy and science fiction and songs. He has also written one historical novel, a western, about Wyatt Earp, Wyatt in Wichita, and one non-fiction book, Gurdjieff: An Introduction to His Life and Ideas. He has written novels, short stories, TV scripts and screenplays, and has published over 40 books and 8 short-story collections.

Conquests: Hearts Rule Kingdoms


Emily Murdoch - 2013
    The nation is still recovering from the Norman invasion three years earlier - and adjusting to life under its sometimes brutal new rulers. A young girl trembles in the shadows of what was once her home. Avis is homeless and penniless, and with no family left alive she is forced to become a ward of Richard, the Norman lord who has taken her home. But when King William decrees that Norman lords must marry Anglo-Saxon women Avis must make a terrible choice. Either marry the repulsive Richard or else take a chance on another Norman, Melville, a man she has never met. Soon she realizes that survival in a time of turmoil and war depends on putting aside the prejudices of the past. Conquests is a brilliantly researched and involving historical drama that is perfect for fans of Alison Weir and Philippa Gregory.

The Sam Reilly Collection


Christopher Cartwright - 2016
    The Last Airship In 1939 a secret airship departed Nazi Germany in the dark of night filled with some of the most influential people of its time. Its cargo: a complement of rich Jewish families carrying their most valuable possessions. One such item amongst them was as dangerous as it was priceless. The airship never reached its destination. In 2015 Sam Reilly, a marine biologist and wealthy son of shipping mogul James Reilly discovers a missing clue about the lost airship and what follows is a violent treasure hunt, kept secret by the most powerful men in the world today, driven by their greed and need for that which all are motivated: the opportunity for unlimited power. 2. The Mahogany Ship An ancient shipwreck. A two hundred year old mystery. A plague that’s destroying all marine life. A pyramid half a mile below the sea. And a puzzle that must be solved before it destroys the human race. On the 18th of February, 1812, the Emily Rose became shipwrecked on the southern coast of Australia. The survivors are forced to walk nearly a thousand miles through the unexplored land to reach the only settlement, Sydney Cove. Nearly two hundred miles inland, they come across the remains of a monstrous ship, far bigger than anything the British Navy had ever constructed. Through basic communication achieved with the natives, they learned that the ship had been there for a very long time… Maybe a thousand years? Despite the details of the mysterious ship in the journals from the survivors of the Emily Rose, no evidence that the Mahogany Ship ever existed was found – until now. Present day: A mining exploration in Australia takes a core sample 500 feet below the surface of a deserted mountain. The sample returns no evidence of gold deposits, but something much more valuable – a single Spanish Gold coin, dated 1518. Could the origins of this coin finally reveal the existence of the fabled Mahogany Ship? At the same time, Sam Reilly and his team of ocean investigators are exploring the cause of a widespread death of sea life within the Gulf of Mexico. In a race against time to stop the irrevocable destruction of the world’s marine life, the two mysteries may just be entangled, and failure to solve them both will result in the greatest threat to ever face the human race. 3. Atlantis Stolen A civilization stolen from the history books. A billionaire’s obsession to unlock its secrets. A brotherhood determined to hide the truth. And time is running out. Only a handful of people know what destroyed the ancient Atlanteans, whose very existence is a secret that they will kill to protect. Unfortunately, the very same catastrophe that destroyed that once proud civilization is drawing near once more. The question is, can marine biologist Sam Reilly discover the truth in time to prevent it?

Impossible Dream


Gemma Jackson - 2018
    They are placed in the home of Captain Charles Whitmore but soon discover that the household is in turmoil. Charles, hoping to amass a fortune, is preparing to set off on a long sea voyage, deliberately leaving his wife Georgina almost penniless to fend for herself and the servants. Georgina, who has been desperate to break free from a life of violent marital abuse, is relieved that he will be gone for some years, but nevertheless the future is frightening. Then help comes from an unexpected quarter. An organisation that helps women escape lives of abuse or genteel poverty makes Georgina an offer. They propose that her house should become a school designed to train such women to seek employment in the American West. The very idea is at once shocking and appealing. Can Georgina step into the unknown and lead the women under her care into the future? The orphan maids listen and wonder. Can they too dare to dream of a better life for themselves?

Lie Catchers


Rolynn Anderson - 2012
    Treasury agent Parker Browne is working undercover in Petersburg, Alaska to investigate a money scam and a murder. His prime suspect, Liv Hanson, is a freelance writer struggling to save her family’s business. Free spirited, full of life, and with a talent for catching liars, she fascinates Parker. Trying to prove she’s a legitimate writer who cares about Petersburg’s issues, Liv pens a series of newspaper articles about an old, unsolved murder. When her cold case ties in with Parker’s investigation, bullets start to fly. Parker understands money trails, and Liv knows the town residents. But he gave up on love two years ago, and she trusts no one, especially with her carefully guarded secret. If they mesh their skills to find the killers, will they survive the fallout?

Restless Hearts


Mona Ingram - 2014
    Denied her dream of attending medical school, Sarah Howard is desperate to leave Boston far behind. Determined to prove that she can make it on her own, she poses as a married woman and boards a schooner bound for San Francisco. Stuck working in his family’s merchant bank, Jamie Thompson eagerly accepts the challenge of setting up a branch in San Francisco. He’s been restless for some time now, and barely escaped the clutches of the woman determined to marry him. The attraction between Sarah and Jamie is instant and powerful, yet each has something to prove, if only to themselves. Will their single-minded determination derail a blossoming romance?

The Last Alchemist


Erik Hamre - 2015
    Would you share it?David Dypsvik, a broke and depressed MBA student, is given a secret assignment by his university professor. Forty years earlier, in the 1970s, one of the world’s richest men vanished from the face of the Earth. The billionaire had just completed a lecture series called The Principles of Wealth at Oxford University. The question is: Did he share something he shouldn’t have shared in that last lecture? And what really happened the day he disappeared?The last Alchemist will take you on a journey through the history of wealth-creation and ancient mysteries. We follow a reluctant hero, a wanna-get-rich-quick MBA student, in his relentless pursuit of the missing billionaire and the secret to riches.But nothing could have prepared David Dypsvik for what he is about to face. Nobody is who they claim to be, and the stakes can be high when the prize is an abundance of riches.Or perhaps something else entirely…..

New York Bound


Rachel Wesson - 2017
    Nora Doherty has spent years hearing tales of Doc Erin’s skill and kindness, but she anticipates her arrival with mixed feelings. She can’t wait to meet the amazing woman her gran worked for, but isn’t at all thrilled with her mother’s insistence that she return with Doc Erin to Clover Springs—as a mail order bride. Robbie Fenton has been tasked with protecting Doc Erin and her party, but who will protect him when he sets eyes on the beautiful Nora Doherty? With New York City buried under over twenty inches of snow and millions of people stranded in a complete white-out, Erin, Nora and Robbie’s mettle is tested as they frantically struggle to help. Will Erin, Nora, Robbie survive to see futures of their own?

The Runaway Girl


Emily Organ - 2016
     Now available as a three book box set, the Runaway Girl Series contains 900 pages of fast-paced historical thrills. Book 1: Runaway Girl A missing girl. The treacherous streets of Medieval London. Only one woman is brave enough to try and bring her home. After the death of her family, grieving Alice has chosen a quiet life of seclusion in a monastery. But she is hit by a personal tragedy which forces her to confront the dangers of medieval London. When her 14 year old friend, Constance, vanishes, Alice’s life is turned upside down. Is Constance’s disappearance linked to a dead girl pulled from the Thames? Another girl is on the run - but who is she running from? Alice’s desperate search stirs up something sinister and soon her own life is in danger. Powerful forces want to ensure the truth will never be uncovered, can Alice find Constance before her time runs out? Book 2: Forgotten Child Her husband took a fatal secret to the grave. Two friends are murdered. She has only one chance to stop the killing. Alice Wescott thought she knew her husband, Thomas. But after his death, two strangers reveal something he kept hidden from her. When two of her friends are murdered, Alice has to confront her husband’s past. Was he really the man she thought he was? An eight year old boy holds the answer, but he forces her to make a perilous journey north to the wilds of Northumbria. Stranded on Holy Island, Alice’s mission to remedy her husband’s mistake leads her into a deadly trap. Can she right her husband’s wrongs or will his secret claim another victim? Book 3: Sins of the Father An enemy returns. And this time he has her fooled. If he gets his own way then a little girl will never be seen again. Alice de Grey is settling into married life in medieval London, but her world is shattered when her two year old niece, Mary, is kidnapped. As the city searches for the little girl, Alice realises that it was her own mistake which put Mary in danger. Alice’s adversary, Sir Walter, is back. He has duped her and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Even murder. Alice is forced to fix her mistake but Mary isn’t the only one to suffer. Sir Walter is one step ahead, and time is running out for Alice and her family.Alternate cover edition.

The Vengeance Man


John MacRae - 2012
    After risking his life for his country, he is condemned to spend the rest of his days in a dead-end civilian job. But one man decides he isn't ready to be put out to pasture. The Vengeance Man. As the 'operations manager' for a specialist insurance firm, he can still work undercover for clients that include the Government. And working behind the scenes, and beyond the law, he can still take up arms on behalf of the weak and the helpless. A personal crusade is born. And while the public may applaud as 'The Vengeance Man' brings justice to the guilty, very soon the Government has no choice but to bring their most lethal maverick operative under control. The hunt begins....and it will end in death. This enthralling, thought-provoking action-packed thriller, written by an insider from the front-line of intelligence work, is certain to appeal to readers of Lee Child, Frederick Forsyth, Robert Ludlum and Andy McNab."The Vengeance Man is the best new action thriller this year" - Matt Lynn, author of the best-selling Death Force series. "A heart-pumping ride, with more twists than a roller-coaster." - Tom Kasey, author of the best-selling Trade Off.John MacRae is the cover name of a former senior Intelligence Officer with a Special Forces background. He has written extensively on intelligence and military history, and has worked for BBC television and other TV companies as an advisor on military and intelligence subjects. He saw active service in the Falkland Islands, Cyprus, Arabia, and Northern Ireland. Endeavour Press is the UK's largest independent publisher of digital books.

Her Fateful Debut


G.G. Vandagriff - 2016
    And if she must marry, she is determined to marry for love.In a brief respite from the social whirl of the season, she retreats from the restrictions of the ton to sketch in the park and stumbles over a French spy. When Penelope finds her life in danger, Viscount Beau Wellingham steps up to protect her; however, he has secrets of his own. Wellingham leads a clandestine life as an agent for the Foreign Office trapping spies. In defending her life, he unwittingly puts her reputation at risk. In order to save Penelope from society's scorn, Beau presses for a betrothal. Though she resists, he insists. Soon Beau is unable to deny the attraction he feels towards her. Before he can act on his feelings, danger rises again. This time, his life is on the line. With a desperate spy closing in, Penelope must choose the safety of what she has always known or a chance for love. But will she be too late?

God's Hammer


Eric Schumacher - 2004
    and the North is in turmoil. King Harald Fairhair has died, leaving the High Seat of the realm to his murderous son, Erik Bloodaxe. To solidify his claim, Erik ruthlessly disposes of all claimants to his throne, save one: his youngest brother Hakon.Erik's surviving enemies send a ship to Wessex, where the Christian court of King Athelstan is raising Hakon. Unable to avoid his fate, he returns to the Viking North to face his brother and claim his birthright, only to discover that victory will demand sacrifices beyond his wildest nightmares.I was swept up in the action and enthralled by the descriptions of Hakon’s struggle. -Roundtable Reviews-I highly recommend this historical fiction novel, both for its entertaining story and historical information. -Historical Fiction Review-

At the Going Down of the Sun


Elizabeth Darrell - 1985
    The Sheridan brothers pursue the pastimes of the rich and talented in the idyllic village of Tarrant Royal, unaware of the coming war that will test their courage and family loyalty to the limit. Roland, an aspiring surgeon, believes his duty lies in remaining as squire of his Dorset village. But charges of cowardice force him into a conflict his conscience cannot condone. Rex, a womanizer and daredevil aviator, dons the RFC uniform. As time passes and he becomes an ace over the skies of France he knows that one day soon his luck must run out. Chris, a brilliant scholar about to enter university, is driven to enlist by a scandal which shatters his golden future. Hopelessly unfitted for battle, he faces the carnage of Gallipoli not caring whether he lives or dies. In Elizabeth Darrell's richly detailed, mesmeric novel the Sheridans live, love and fight for survival like the sons of all families caught up in a savage war which changed the old ways forever. ‘Moving romance’ - Yorkshire Evening Post ‘A wonderful story, compellingly told…the authenticity - both historical and emotional - really shines through’ - Sarah Harrison Elizabeth Darrell served as an officer in the WRAC. She is the author of seven acclaimed novels, including ‘Concerto’, ‘And in the Morning’ and ‘We Will Remember’. Under the pen-name Emma Drummond she has written eleven historical novels. Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent publisher of digital books.

Altdorf


J.K. Swift - 2011
    A Duke of the Holy Roman Empire, his cunning overshadowed only by his ambition. A young Priestess of the Old Religion, together with a charismatic outlaw, sparking a rebellion from deep within the forests... and an ex-Hospitaller caught between them all.At the end of the thirteenth century, five hundred orphans and second sons are rounded up from villages in the Alpine countryside and sold to the Hospitaller Knights of St John. Trained to serve as Soldiers of Christ, they fight in eastern lands they know nothing about, for a cause they do not understand.Thomas Schwyzer, released from his vows by the Grandmaster of the Hospitallers, returns to the land of his birth a stranger. Once a leader of men, and captain of the Order's most famous war galley, he now settles into the simple life of a ferryman. He believes this new role to be God's reward for years of faithful service fighting the Infidel in Outremer.Seraina, considered a witch by most, a healer by some, is a young woman with a purpose. A Priestess of the Old Religion, and the last Druid disciple of the Helvetii Celts, she has been gifted by the Great Weave to see what others cannot. Her people need her guidance and protection now more than ever. For Duke Leopold of Habsburg, in his efforts to control the St. Gotthard Pass, builds a great Austrian fortress in Altdorf. Once finished, the Habsburg occupation will be complete, but the atrocities visited upon her people will have just begun.

Credible Dagger


Gregory M. Acuña - 2013
    Four Belgrade University students are enjoying the time of their lives. Fresh with a wad full of foreign currency and few worries, their innocence is suddenly shaken when Field Marshal Göring’s Luftwaffe bombers strike the city at daybreak in “Operation Punishment.” The four students, Josef Kostinic, Celeste Bowman, Dick Vojovoda, and Penelope Mitchell take refuge and flee the city, only to have their rescue hopes dashed as Axis aircraft strafe the Adriatic coastline, sealing off their exit and forcing them in different directions. Two years later, with the United States formally entered into the war, the four students are unknowingly reunited once again. This time, British and U.S. intelligence services combine forces and infiltrate a team into Yugoslavia to determine the true credibility of Chetnick resistance leader Draza Mihailovich, code named Credible Dagger. The young companions must not only survive the harsh conditions in the field, but also Partisan guerrilla attacks, Communist double agents, and the ruthless tactics of SS counter-intelligence chief Hans Flosberg, who is constantly on their trail. Despite all these challenges, the operatives uncover information so crucial that the Allies keep it a secret for almost sixty years. About the Author: Gregory M. Acuña was a former U.S. Air Force pilot. He grew up in San Diego and now lives in Northern California. This is his second novel and he is currently writing the sequel to The Balkan Network.