It's here! Browse the 2024 Penguin Christmas gift guide
Beyond the Reef

Beyond the Reef

(The Richard Bolitho adventures: 21): an unputdownable naval page-turner from the master storyteller of the sea

Summary

Let the master storyteller of the sea, multi-million copy seller Alexander Kent, transport you to the heart of the action in this no-holds-barred naval adventure. You'll feel like you're on the deck with Bolitho!

'One of our foremost writers of naval fiction' -- Sunday Times
'Shipwreck, survival ... a spirited battle ... a splendid yarn'' -- The Times
'A great read from beginning to the end' -- ***** Reader review
'Keeps you hooked - I was not able to stop reading until the dramatic finale!!!' -- ***** Reader review
'Edge of your seat reading, most enjoyable' -- ***** Reader review
'Difficult to put down. Superb' -- ***** Reader review
'Another masterpiece from Alexander Kent' -- ***** Reader review
*****
1808: As Napoleon holds Portugal and threatens his old ally Spain, Vice-Admiral Sir Richard Bolitho is dispatched once more to the Cape of Good Hope to establish a permanent naval force there.

Setting aside his bitter memories and the anguish of a friendship betrayed, Bolitho takes passage in the ill-fated Golden Plover. With him sail others commanded by duty and lured by danger - and those who wish only to escape.

But when shipwreck and disaster overtake the Golden Plover off the desolate coast of Africa, neither the innocent nor the damned are spared. Beyond the tortured hell of the reef, Bolitho's battle begins - to summon the survivors' last reserves of courage and of hope.

About the author

Alexander Kent

Alexander Kent's great interest in the ships and men of the eighteenth century navy was aroused when he was still at school. Although he attended fleet reviews and explored modern warships and dockyards with his father, he found that the great days of square riggers and battles at close quarters captured his imagination. H.M.S. Victory, Nelson's flagship at Trafalgar, was always high on his list of regular visits.

He served in the Royal Navy as a young man, and saw action in the Battle of the Atlantic and other major theatres of war, but his first love of the great days of sail remained unshaken.

Now firmly established as a leading writer of authentic sea stories, he was the author of twenty-eight acclaimed books featuring Richard Bolitho. Under his own name, Douglas Reeman, and in the course of a career spanning forty-five years, he wrote over thirty novels and two non-fiction books. He died in January 2017.
Learn More

Sign up to the Penguin Newsletter

For the latest books, recommendations, author interviews and more