Second to None

The dramatic new novel from the bestselling author of For Valour.The mine is an impartial killer, and a lethal challenge to any volunteer in the Special Countermeasures of the Royal Navy. They are brave, lonely men with something to prove or nothing left to lose. Lieutenant-Commander David Masters, haunted by a split second glimpse of the mine that destroyed his first and only command, H. M. Submarine Tornado, now defuses 'the beast' on land and teaches the same deadly science to others who too often die in the attempt. Lieutenant Chris Foley, minelaying off an enemy coast in ML366, rolls on an uneasy sea with a release bracket sheared and a lie mine jammed, and hears the menacing growl of approaching E-boats. And Sub-Lieutenant Michael Lincoln, hailed as a hero, dreads exposure as a coward even more than the unexpected booby-trap, or the gentle whirr of the activated fuse marking the last twelve seconds of his life. The Battlecruiser - in their time this class of ships was considered one of the great triumphs of the Royal Navy, as swift as a destroyer but packing a deadly firepower equal to any ship afloat. But the ships had one fatal flaw: their armour could be pierced by a single enemy shell. The Battle of Jutland exposed this Achilles' heel, then further disasters followed in the next world war with the tragic sinkings of the Hood and Repulse. 1943 - Of all her class, HMS Reliant and one other have survived. Reliant has the reputation of a lucky ship byt when Captain Guy Sherbrooke joins her he knows he could be her last captain. As Britain prepares to invade occupied Europe, Reliant will be thrown headfirst into the conflagration. All those who sail in her know that there can be no half measures: only death or glory awaits HMS Reliant. Commander Graham Martineau was awarded the Victoria Cross for pressing home an attack against impossible odds. Few survived, and crimson ribbon remains a haunting symbol of the sacrifice of ship and men.Now, as captain of the crack Tribal Class destroyer H.M.S. Hakka, Martineau must once again call from ordinary seamen the ultimate in courage, and prepare to defend to the death vital convoys to Russia. There is no hiding place in these bitter Arctic seas, where a pitiless enemy awaits a fatal rendezvous. All are heroes, and no man and no ship "Small, quick-moving torpedo boats played a vital role in protecting the Allied convoys in the English Channel and the North Sea during World War II, and Sub-Lieutenant Clive Royce is newly assigned to MTB 1991, joining a crew already seasoned by death and fear. Now it is up to him to take the place of their dead first lieutenant and earn the respect of his captain and crewmates."--Publisher description

Small, quick-moving torpedo boats played a vital role in protecting the Allied convoys in the English Channel and the North Sea during World War II, and Sub-Lieutenant Clive Royce is newly assigned to MTB 1991, joining a crew already seasoned by death and fear. Now it is up to him to take the place of their dead first lieutenant and earn the respect of his captain and crewmates.

Kiel Harbour, 1945—the war in Europe is at an end. But for Lieutenant Vere Marriott and the men of MGB 801, moored amid a nightmare of devastation, it is an uneasy, unsettled peace. New assignments ashore and afloat mean fresh tensions and conflicting emotions. For some, glory now takes second place to profit. For others, revenge at last seems within their grasp.

It's Spring 1945 and the war has ended in Europe, but the hate and devastation linger on. Lieutenant Vere Marriott of the Royal Navy, and the men of Motor Gunboat 801 are moored in Kiel harbor, witness to the disintegration of the mighty German navy. Where once they fought just to stay alive, Marriott and his men must now learn how to accept peace. It's 1943, and the seas are haunted by Hitler's deadly U-boats and cruisers. After the mysterious death of the Reliant's last captain, Guy Sherbrooke is given command of the legendary battlecruiser. A symbol of everything the Royal Navy stands for, the battlecruiser boasts the speed of a destroyer and the firepower of a battleship. The mine is an impartial killer, and defusing it requires steady nerves, steady hands, and an intrepid flirtation with death. Haunted by the mine that destroyed his first command, H.M. Submarine Tornado, Lieutenant-Commander David Masters now defuses mines on land and teaches the same deadly science to others. The mine is an impartial killer and a lethal challenge to any volunteer in the Special Countermeasures of the Royal Navy. They are brave, lonely men with something to prove - or nothing left to lose - as the gentle whirr of the activated fuse marks possibly the last twelve seconds of their lives In 1945, with the war over, Lieutenant Vere Marriott of the Royal Navy finds an opportunity to use his military skills to make a profit and seek revenge using the men of Motor Gunboat 801 as his instruments for both. Original Commander Graham Martineau of the HMS Hakka prepares his men to defend convoys in the Arctic Sea, facing both the relentless sea and the enemy who lurks underneath the gray waves