Peter Wickham

Rome, 65 AD. Someone - or something - is killing prominent citizens in a brutal and violent way. Investigating the murders on behalf of the elite Eighth Cohort of Police, Quintus Julius Marcellus finds himself in a mesh of palace intrigue, and having to placate the paranoid Nero, protecting his Christian friends against the suspicion that focuses on them.

1794. Lieutenant John Pearce is caught between a feuding trio of admirals. One puts him in a position of danger while another asks him to undertake a hazardous commission in order to protect his friends, the Pelicans. Book 5 of series.

On a chill December night in 1942, a Nazi parachutist landed in a Cambridgeshire field. His mission: to sabotage the British war effort. His German masters called him Fritz, or Fritzchen. The British police knew him as Eddie Chapman. Within weeks Chapman was in the hands of MI5 and operating as Agent Zigzag.

John Pearce's recent promotion means that he is finally free to follow his own wishes. But while he is indulging himself in London, his trio of closest friends are shipped off to the Mediterranean. Riddled with guilt, Pearce vows to liberate them from the brutal tyrant they are serving under. Book 3 of series.

Charles Marrick has been murdered, his body drained of blood. Described by those who knew him as 'evil', it seems there won't be a shortage of suspects. But when a popular local vet is murdered in an identical fashion, DI Wesley Peterson wonders what the two men could possibly have in common.. Book 12 of series.

London: 1793. Young firebrand John Pearce, is illegally press-ganged into brutal life aboard HMS Brilliant, a frigate on her way to war. He is drawn to a group of men who form an exclusive gun crew, the Pelicans. As they chase a French privateer across the English Channel, these disparate men form friendships that will last a lifetime. Book 1 of series.

John Pearce is hiding in Gravelines with his mysterious companion, known to him as Oliphant. Although they find a crew willing to take them back to England, they learn on the journey that Pearce’s old enemies, the Tolland brothers, are still active on the route and may have been responsible for the murder of Catherine Carruthers.Back in England their problems continue: Pearce must seek to mend fences with Emily Barclay, in a relationship in which nothing is simple. And just as things may be looking up, it seems Henry Dundas has another role for him and Oliphant: a mission to northeast Spain....  Book 15 of series.

Queen Elizabeth I is dying, and the King of England’s oldest and bitterest enemy, Scotland, is poised to take the throne. With all her old allies and advisors dead, Elizabeth turns to the only man she can trust to tell her the truth, Henry Gresham. A reluctant recruit, Gresham finds himself unwillingly dragged into the vicious political manoeuvring that will decide who is England’s next ruler.

The Descent of Man applies evolutionary theory to human evolution, and details Darwin's theory of sexual selection, a form of biological adaptation distinct from, yet interconnected with, natural selection.This book presents a full explanation of Darwin's ideas, including his belief that many important characteristics of human beings and animals have emerged in response to competition for mates.

It's 1794. Stuck in Palermo harbour, Lieutenant John Pearce and his trusty Pelicans must repair the battle-damaged HMS Larcher. Then sailing into danger, they encounter enemies and Pearce has no option but to abandon his ship. He must face a court-martial for his actions, but his troubles are only just beginning. Book 11 of series.

During the Napoleonic Wars, Harry and James Ludlow are aboard the Magnanime, a gunship under the command of Oliver Carter. Oliver and Harry are old rivals and when James is found near the dead body of the First Lieutenant, Carter assumes James is the murderer. Harry has to prove otherwise. Book 1 of series.

1794. The Mediterranean is proving dangerous waters for John Pearce and his Pelicans. When he unknowingly delivers a letter promoting the shady and incompetent Admiral Hotham, Pearce finds himself entangled in a political plot that soon puts those closest to him at peril. Book 10 of series.

May 1940 and Britain rose to the challenge of evacuating Dunkirk, but afterwards life had to go on. Can Toby and Giselle's love affair survive the war? And will Harold, Spots and Boos ever get to repel German invaders - with catapults?

Privateersman Harry Ludlow and his younger brother, James, arrive in the seething port of Genoa. After the discovery of a hanged British sea captain, Harry is drawn into the midst of the lurid murder investigation, only to find himself embroiled in intrigue and danger - and the deadly charms of a beautiful woman. Book 2 of series.

It is 1795. As war spreads across the globe, Harry Ludlow joins the struggle for the richest trade in the world. When half his crew is illegally pressed into the Royal Navy by the vicious Captain Toner, Harry sets off in pursuit, but soon sails into a maelstrom of piracy, corruption, and murder, stirred up by a French privateer. Book 4 of series.

Firebrand John Pearce has been promoted to lieutenant and is in a position of command on board HMS Faron. He is entrusted with the task of escorting 5,000 radical French sailors to a port on the Atlantic coast, but when the assignment goes awry, it is up to Pearce and his trio of friends, the Pelicans, to prevent judicial murder... Book 4 of series.

When Dr James Dalcott is shot dead in his cottage it looks very much like an execution. And as DI Wesley Peterson begins piecing together the victim's life, he finds that the well-liked country doctor has been harbouring strange and dramatic family secrets... Book 14 of series.

Following an encounter with a mystery vessel, the red flags fluttering from the top masts of the 'Bucephalas' signal that His Majesty's Navy has reached a state of mutiny. However, Harry Ludlow soon finds himself back at sea and staking everything he owns in a bid to alter the course of history. Book 6 of series.

1939, Cambridge. The opening weeks of the Second World War, and the first blackout envelops the city. Detective Inspector Eden Brooke, a wounded hero of the Great War, takes his nightly dip in the cool waters of the Cam. But daylight reveals a corpse on the riverside, the body torn apart by some unspeakable force. Brooke investigates, and within hours there is another victim, slaughtered under cover of The Great Darkness. But what links these crimes of the night?

It is 1794... Returning to England, Harry and James Ludlow become embroiled in a vicious struggle between rival smugglers in the English Channel. Witnesses to a bloody confrontation, they flee to Deal - only to find that, behind its picturesque facade, the town is a haven for traders in contraband, seething with corruption and violence. Book 3 of series.

England may have survived the Armada threat of 1588, but when Spanish galleys land troops in Cornwall on a lightning raid seven years later, is it a dry-run for a new invasion? As John Shakespeare tries to get a grip on events, England's secret defences begin to unravel as one by one his network of spies is horribly murdered.

In London a conspiracy is brewing to assassinate Elizabeth, free Mary Queen of Scots - and open England to Spanish invasion. But the conspirators have been infiltrated by Sir Francis Walsingham's top intelligencer, John Shakespeare. In a desperate race against time he must save the realm from treachery close to the seat of power . . .

It is 1793. John Pearce and his Pelicans are going home - to gain their freedom and put the treacherous Captain Ralph Barclay in the dock. Emily Barclay discovers Pearce has papers that would ruin her husband's career and her future security. And then comes that dread thing, a fire aboard a wooden ship of war! Book 6 of series.

When Alan left school at fifteen little was expected of him, but in the ancient greenhouses of the local nursery Mrs T's lad found his spiritual home. In this book Alan Titchmarsh shows us just why he has become not only our favourite gardener, but a popular writer and broadcaster too.

Kirsten Harbourn is found strangled and naked on her wedding day. On the same day a terrified girl is married in a local register office, but days later her husband is dead. What have these deaths to do with the work of an Elizabethan playwright? As DI Wesley Peterson investigates he suspects that his death and his bride's subsequent disappearance might be linked to Kirsten's murder. Book 10 of series.

Tensions in Elizabeth I's government are at breaking point. At the eye of the storm is John Shakespeare, chief intelligencer in the secret service of Sir Francis Walsingham. When a plot to assassinate England's 'sea dragon', Francis Drake is revealed, Shakespeare is ordered to protect him. If he dies, England will be open to invasion.

Published in 1789, The Natural History of Selborne was written by Gilbert White, an English naturalist and clergyman. It comprises White's letters to fellow naturalists and friends, documenting the flora and fauna of his home town in Hampshire.The book is considered one of the earliest and most influential works of natural history in the English language. In both its parts, White meticulously observes and describes the various species of birds, animals and plants that he encounters in the countryside, recording their behaviour and habits and providing valuable insights into the wonders of nature. The Natural History of Selborne continues to be studied and admired for its detailed and vivid portrayal of the natural world.

1796. Lieutenant John Pearce is heading home aboard a hospital ship, yet the journey is far from plain sailing. Evading capture by an Algerine warship, Pearce attempts to save his disparate band of friends, the Pelicans, from being pressed into service on a British frigate – only for the group to risk being hanged for desertion once home. Pearce does not know who to trust. All he can hope to do is survive... Book 14 of series.

Perhaps the most influential science book ever written, the controversial theory that populations evolve and adapt through a process known as natural selection led to heated scientific, philosophical and religious debate, revolutionising every discipline in its wake.

When billionaire philanthropist Sir Hugo Fletcher is discovered murdered in his London home, tied naked to a bed, the scandal is only a shadow of the darkness lurking off-camera. As Chief Inspector Tom Douglas investigates, he uncovers a secret that could bring the guilty to justice – or destroy an innocent life forever.

Twelve golden tablets sit in museums around the world, buried in ancient times and each providing the dead with the route to the afterlife. Archaeologist Lily Barnes, working on a dig in southern Italy, has just found another. But this tablet names the location to the mouth of hell itself. And then Lily vanishes. Has she walked out on her job, her marriage, and her life - or has something more sinister happened?

When a woman is burned to death in a field in Devon, it seems like a case of mistaken identity. Until DI Wesley Peterson starts to investigate the possibility of a link between a story of twisted love and obsession from many centuries ago - a truth that someone wants to keep hidden, whatever the cost... Book 13 of series.

1794. Fresh from battle in the Gulf of Ambracia, Lieutenant John Pearce and his trusty Pelicans arrive in the Italian port of Brindisi. Free from authority, Pearce travels to Naples to track down his lover, Emily Barclay. But upon finding her, Emily reveals astonishing news that will send her back to her brutish husband and Pearce’s longstanding enemy, Captain Ralph Barclay, to avoid further scandal. Book 12 of series.

The early twelfth century is a time for ambitious men to prosper - and royal servant John FitzGilbert is one of them. But when the old king dies and his successor is appointed, John's position at court is weakened and he is forced to make a terrible sacrifice. Sometimes keeping your honour means breaking your word...

Spring 1593. Elizabeth's Golden Age is truly tarnished. While investigating a wave of horrific bombing attacks on the Dutch immigrant community John Shakespeare uncovers intricate layers of mystery and deception that threaten the heart not only of the realm, but of all that he holds dear.

It is 1582, and the conflict between Protestant and Catholic threatens to tear the country in two. On his first major mission for Sir Francis Walsingham, the young John Shakespeare is ordered to discover a conspiracy to free the Stuart queen, Mary, from Sheffield Castle.