Christian Rodska

A serious but seriously funny book about measuring things that tells us how our weights and measures came about and how they were formed by the one guiding principle of measurement no one ever mentions.

A beautiful and determined admiral's daughter could be the key to realising all Kydd's career ambitions and dreams of love. However high society, he finds, can be as treacherous as his first mistress - the sea.  Book 8 of series.

For Marcus Didius Falco, Alexandria holds fascination and a hint of fear. Beautiful and historic, the great city wears Roman rule lightly. While his wife, Helena Justina, wants to see the Lighthouse and the Pyramids, Falco has a mission at the Great Library.  Book 19 of series.

Aboard the frigate, HMS Artemis, life can be invigorating, but dangerous. After a hero's welcome for fighting the French, Artemis is soon setting sail for the Far East, where there are new dangers to be encountered.  Book 2 of series.

1811. The Adriatic, the 'French Lake', is now the most valuable territory Napoleon Bonaparte possesses.

Captain Sir Thomas Kydd finds his glorious return to England cut short when the Admiralty summons him to lead a squadron of frigates into these waters to cause havoc and distress to the enemy. Kydd is dubbed 'The Sea Devil' by Bonaparte who personally appoints one of his favourites, Dubourdieu, along with a fleet that greatly outweighs the British, to rid him of this menace. At the same time, Nicholas Renzi is sent to Austria on a secret mission to sound out the devious arch-statesman, Count Metternich.

His meeting reveals a deadly plan by Bonaparte that threatens the whole balance of power in Europe. The only thing that can stop it is a decisive move at sea and for this he must somehow cross the Alps to the Adriatic to contact Kydd directly.  A climactic sea battle where the stakes could not be higher is inevitable. Kydd faces Dubourdieu with impossible odds stacked against him. Can he shatter Bonaparte's dreams of breaking out of Europe and marching to the gates of India and Asia?  Book 23 of series.

It's 1808. Captain Thomas Kydd is called on to join the Northern Expedition to Sweden, now Britain's only ally in the Baltic. In an entirely hostile sea, Tyger ranges from the frozen north to the deadly confines of the Danish Sound - and plays a pivotal role in the situation ensuing after the czar's sudden attack on Finland. This climaxes in the first clash of fleets between Great Britain and Russia in history. To the victor will be the prize of the Baltic!  Book 19 of series.

South America's Spanish colonies are in unrest, but the uprising that promises the end of Spanish rule never arrives. Now Kydd's men must face resistance and the betrayal of their closest allies.  Book 13 of series.

During a school trip to a World War 2 museum, George travels back to London at the time of the Blitz. Struggling to survive with a group of homeless children, George finds that the reality is not at all as he imagined it to be.

A Caribbean posting seems a welcome respite for war hero Thomas Kydd, but when merchantmen begin vanishing from the sea, fear starts to spread. Kydd must embark on a dangerous game of espionage in order to destroy this new danger to the Empire.  Book 14 of series.

Lieutenant Charles Acland comes home from Iraq with serious head injuries and begins to display aggressive tendencies, particularly against women. After moving to London he narrowly avoids killing a man who annoys him in a pub and is forced to confront the real issues behind his problems. X rated, contains offensive language and explicit sex.

Kydd sails in his first command to defend Malta against Barbary pirates. Soon peace is declared and Kydd is out of work. To make ends meet, he captains a convict ship to Australia. There, his seamanship and humanity are tested to the limit.  Book 7 of series.

Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar removes the spectre of invasion and England is now free to seek conquests in the furthest reaches of the world. Captain Kydd joins an expedition to take Dutch-held Cape Town to secure the rich trade-route to India.  Book 12 of series.

In 1537 Thomas Cromwell is obeying King Henry VIII's order that all monasteries be dissolved. Many monks are opposed to this, and when Cromwell's Commissioner is found dead, Matthew Shardlake is sent to uncover the truth. Book 1 of series.

Based in Geneva, Alex Hoffmann has developed a revolutionary system that has the power to manipulate financial markets. Generating billions of dollars, it is a system that thrives on panic - and feeds on fear. He soon finds himself in a waking nightmare of paranoia and violence. Richard & Judy Bookclub

After pirates stormed his merchant's ship, massacring all around them, they found one opponent who wouldn't go down: John Silver. And so with six men dead at his hand, Silver is made an offer he can't refuse: join them or die - and so the legend of Treasure Island begins. X rated, contains offensive language and explicit sex.

Captain Hornblower finds himself a prisoner in the French fortress of Rosas, having had to surrender his ship, but only after seriously disabling three French ships.  Book 8 of series..

A rich portrait of English football from the end of the Second World War to the present.

1808. With the Peninsula in turmoil, Napoleon Bonaparte signs a treaty to dismember Portugal and put his brother, Joseph, on the throne of Spain. Thrust into the crucible of the uprising, Captain Thomas Kydd is dismayed to come up against an old foe from his past - now his superior and commander - who is determined to break him. Kydd will soon face the greatest decision of his professional career.  Book 20 of series.

It is January 1819 and Captain Adam Bolitho ships out from Falmouth bound for Freetown, on the old slave coast of Africa. H.M.S. Onward carries sealed orders in the strongbox below deck. But why all the secrecy and apparent urgency? All is not well, but the crew must band together and risk their lives in the name of the king.  Book 30 of series.

1807: Captain Thomas Kydd’s great friend Nicholas Renzi, now Lord Farndon, is sent on a desperate diplomatic mission to persuade the Danes to give up their fleet to Britain. But the Danes will not yield, opting instead for the inferno of battle.  Book 17 of series.

Rumours are flying of Napoleon’s planned invasion of England and Kydd is sent to Dover to guard a mysterious American inventor. His superiors are angry to lose him and his ship at such a dangerous time but Kydd’s role may turn out to be crucial.  Book 10 of series.

Super-spy Paul Chavasse embarks on a mission to Albania, only to find himself at the centre of a deadly double-cross, fighting for his life. Someone has set a trap for him - someone who holds the keys of hell…

Thomas Payne Kydd, a wig-maker from Guildford, is seized by the press gang to be part of a crew of the 98-gun battle ship Duke William. The ship sails immediately and Kydd has to learn the harsh realities of shipboard life fast.  Book 1 of series.

Kydd, to win the heart of a lady, volunteers to join a mission to Venice to rescue a diplomat fleeing over the Alps in the wake of Buonaparte's victories. When he returns to England he finds himself involved in the Mutiny at the Nore.  Book 4 of series.

In the high summer of 77 AD, Roman informer Marcus Didius Falco is beset by personal problems. When a mutilated corpse turns up near Rome, Falco and his vigiles friend Petronius investigate, even though it means travelling in the dread marshes.  Book 20 of series.

Volume 15 of the Thomas Kydd series. Following Nelson's death Kydd is sent into the Dardanelles to protect the route to India. The French covet this route and when they whip up strong anti-English sentiment, the British ambassador to Constantinople has to flee, and a deadly stand-off ensues…

1807: The Prince of Wales asks Captain Thomas Kydd to take temporary command of the Royal Yacht. Sailing to Yarmouth, Kydd realises they are being stalked by French privateers. The terrible threat sees Kydd call on daring seamanship of the highest order.  Book 18 of series.

Kydd was promoted to acting lieutenant at the bloody Battle of Camperdown in 1797 and now he must sit an exam to confirm his rank. Aboard HMS Tenacious, Kydd comes to doubt he will ever match up to the high-born gentlemen officers.  Book 5 of series.

Paul Rector’s new friend John is daring and enigmatic, just as Paul longs to be. A girl they meet on a night about town mysteriously dies and John disappears. Paul learns shocking facts about himself and the spree of death will continue until Paul confronts the demon in himself head on.

1809. After his heroic actions during the retreat to Corunna, Captain Sir Thomas Kydd falls in with the legendary captain, Lord Thomas Cochrane. So begins a relationship, professional and personal, that will be unlike any that Kydd has known: The fallout from what follows will see Kydd financially ruined, with only his oldest friend, Nicholas Renzi, and the whisper of hidden Spanish treasure promising the sea of gold that he needs to save himself.  Book 21 of series.

Following his recovery after a savage wounding in America, Kydd returns to England to re-assume command of his ship-of-the-line, Thunderer, which is sent to the remote station of Bermuda.

Book 26 in the Thomas Kydd adventure series.

It is two years since Kydd was spirited away in the night to serve his country aboard the 'Duke William'. Now, he and the other members of the ill-fated 'Artemis' are shipwrecked sailors, back in London waiting to be summoned as court martial witnesses.  Book 3 of series.

The ancient Roman detective, Falco, investigates the disappearance of a young couple while visiting the Olympic Games as part of an extended wedding trip.  Book 17 of series.

A wealthy entrepreneur suddenly finds himself at the centre of a political scandal. With his reputation in tatters, and shunned by his so-called friends, he determines to take his revenge on these fickle socialites. X rated, contains graphic violence and explicit sex.

Kydd is in Halifax, enjoying the recognition of his fellow officers, when his ship Tenacious is summoned to join Nelson's taskforce on a reconnaissance mission. Kydd will face his greatest challenge ever amidst bloodstained seas. Defeat will mean humiliation - or death.  Book 6 of series.

1812. Arriving back in England after his successes in the Adriatic, Captain Sir Thomas Kydd is bestowed with honours. In London he's greeted by the Prince Regent who, despite Kydd's protestations that he's happy with his present command, insists he be given a bigger ship - HMS Thunderer, a 74-gun ship of the line. But she's old, and being part of a standing fleet Kydd's chances of further fame and distinction are slim indeed. Winning over his new command is fraught with challenges.

A hostile crew, abysmal levels of gunnery and sail-handling capabilities are intolerable to a fighting captain like Kydd. With the ship short of men and no incentives to attract more, can he ever bring Thunderer to a proper state of fighting preparedness? Kydd is sent to reinforce the Baltic squadron as Bonaparte's vast army invades Russia. News reaches him of French victory at the Battle of Borodino. The road to Moscow is now open. To avert total French victory, Kydd must lead a vital convoy through battle and tempest to the aid of Britain's last ally.  Book 24 of series.