The Blast That Tears The Skies

1665. The land is at war and plague stalks London.

Conspiracies against King Charles II are rife.

Captain Matthew Quinton finds himself thrust unexpectedly into the midst of the deadliest of these conspiracies when he is given command of a vast and ancient man-of-war.

Forced to contend with scheming ministers of state, a raw, rebellious crew and an alleged curse on his ship, Quinton sails against the might of the Dutch fleet.

The shattering climax sees captain and crew fight for their lives at the heart of the Battle of Lowestoft, one of the greatest sea-fights in the entire age of sail.

And can Matthew face the disturbing truth about his own and his family’s past?

Praise for J D Davies

‘Utterly impossible to put down ... finely shaded characters, excellent plotting, gut-clenching action and immaculate attention to period detail ... Superb.’ ANGUS DONALD, author of The Outlaw Chronicles

‘J.D. Davies’s depiction of Restoration England and the British Navy is impeccable, his characters truly live and breathe, and the plot kept me in suspense ... I could not recommend it more.’ EDWARD CHUPACK, author of Silver

‘Swashbuckling suspense, royal intrigue, and high seas naval action ... an excellent series’ Publishers Weekly

Born in Wales in 1957, J D Davies was educated at Llanelli Grammar School and Jesus College, Oxford, where he completed a doctorate in 17th century naval history. He taught History for thirty years, chiefly at Bedford Modern School, where he also served as a Deputy Headmaster. He won the Samuel Pepys prize in 2009 for his book, Pepys's Navy: Ships, Men and Warfare 1649-89, and is also a previous winner of the Julian Corbett prize for naval history. His acclaimed series of naval historical fiction, The Journals of Matthew Quinton, has been published in the UK, North America and Germany. David is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, and a former Chairman of the Naval Dockyards Society and Vice-President of the Society for Nautical Research.