Historic Naval Fiction Series
The Merriman Chronicles
The Threat in the West Indies
Book 2
Updated 2024 Edition
​The year is 1793 and Captain James Abel Merriman has been sent to the West Indies as Captain of His Majesty’s sloop Aphrodite. Once again seconded to Mr. Grahame of the Revenue Service and under orders of Lord Stevenage of the Treasury Service, they are to discover French and Spanish activities across the islands which will decide their future actions.
England's oldest enemy France - now under the control of Napoleon Bonaparte - is in the throes of the revolution and also is at war with Austria and the Netherlands. At this point in history - February 1793 - France declares war on England.
In the West Indies, many of the islands had been fought over by the British, the French and the Spanish. The principal islands of St. Lucia, Martinique and Guadeloupe are still in French hands although this may be about to change.​​
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Reviews of The Threat In The West Indies
A great naval story
Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2023
"I found the book very entertaining. There is just enough intrigue to hold the reader's interest. Although there are a few battles, one does not feel that one is simply in a long recitation of each encounter, which in other books are all about the same"
Wooden Walls of England
Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2015
"It took a while for the reason for the title to emerge, but when it did, it was apt and amusing. Another racy, adventurous sea yarn frrom the Napoleonic period with its class distinctions and indifference to the rights and conditions of the lower classes"
Loved it!
"If you are a age of sail fan, you will love this series!"
West Indies and the French disruption
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 18, 2021
"More mayhem espionage and general attempts at making war. Visiting islands not all of them British, so that eventually all ended well"
Great naval fiction. Picks up where book 1 left off and doesn't miss a beat.
I was hooked on book 1... the whole true story element behind it was intriguing, and I love historical naval fiction. The Merriman Chronicles slots nicely in alongside Forester, O'Brien, and Lamdin.
Solid Caribbean Yarn!
​Nice Caribbean adventure in the age of sail. Five stars!
Easy reading
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 24, 2022
"I liked the easy ,natural way that life was depicted with just a hint of how hard it really was for the normal sailor,it was so hard for the crew to be away for years on end and even getting back to England were denied shockwaves in case they deserted .I really enjoyed reading about Merriman"
A grand second book
in the series
"This little book is just as entertaining as the first in the series. More French mischief as the war against the Directorate begins. Suddenly four years have passed"