Pearl of the Orient

Pearl of the Orient #1

by Christopher Nicole

During the early 19th century, Europe lies in tatters at the feet of Napoleon’s conquering army… Yet the Dutch and British continue to clash for supremacy in the Far East, where princes and traders vie for influence and riches among the people. Teng Lee, an opportunity seeking merchant, dreams of leaving China and settling down in paradise. He currently works as a roving diplomat between the struggling countries and colonies of Southeast Asia, but he longs to be free. It’s not long before he senses a chance to set himself up forever after crossing paths with Stamford Raffles, a visionary young colonial official who dreams of conquests to expand Britain’s growing empire. After the beautiful Elizabeth Blaine is kidnaped by pirates, Lee sees a chance to play one country against another in an international chess game, where he is sure to emerge as the winner. But he doesn’t count on affairs of the heart getting in the way in The Pearl of the Orient. Christopher Nicole weaves a superb tapestry of romance and intrigue around the glowing dawn of the great city of Singapore. Born in 1930, Christopher Nicole spent his early years in British Guyana and the West Indies — years that would later strongly influence much of his writing. He has written under a number of pseudonyms and many of his fifty novels are historical with a West Indian background

398 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 6, 1988

About the author

Christopher Robin Nicole was born on 7 December 1930 in Georgetown, British Guiana (now Guyana), where he was raised. He is the son of Jean Dorothy (Logan) and Jack Nicole, a police officer, both Scottish. He studied at Queen's College in Guyana and at Harrison College in Barbados. He was a fellow at the Canadian Bankers Association and a clerk for the Royal Bank of Canada in Georgetown and Nassau from 1947 to 1956. In 1957, he moved to Guernsey, Channel Islands, United Kingdom, where he currently lives, but he also has a domicile in Spain.

On 31 March 1951, he married his first wife, Jean Regina Amelia Barnett, with whom he had two sons, Bruce and Jack, and two daughters, Julie and Ursula, they divorced. On 8 May 1982 he married for the second time with fellow writer Diana Bachmann.

As a romantic and passionate of history, Nicole has been published since 1957, when he published a book about West Indian Cricket. He published his first novel in 1959 with his first stories set in his native Caribbean. Later he wrote many historical novels set mostly in tumultuous periods like World War I, World War II and the Cold War, and depict places in Europe, Asia and Africa. He also wrote classic romance novels. He specialized in Series and Sagas, and continues to write into the 21st century with no intention of retiring.

He signs his books as Christopher Nicole and uses several pseudonyms, some of them female. Pseudonyms used include: Peter Grange, Andrew York, Robin Cade, Mark Logan, Christina Nicholson, Alison York, Leslie Arlen, Robin Nicholson, C. R. Nicholson, Daniel Adams, Simon McKay, Caroline Gray and Alan Savage. He wrote disaster thrillers in collaboration with his wife, Diana Bachmann, under the penname Max Marlow. Under his different pseudonyms he has worked with many publishing houses: Jarrolds, Hutchinson, Simon & Schuster, Coward-McCann & Geoghegan, Jove, Michael Joseph, Mills & Boon, and Severn House.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christop... and
http://openlibrary.org/authors/OL1009...

Reviews

[Mike Sobyra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Haven't read a Christopher Nicole novel for many years. Reading this one has provre n to me that I should have done so earlier. I don't know how close this is to the actual events of Raffles life, but it is a great read. The characters are believable, and their motivations seem to be realistic with maybe the exception of Elisabeth Blaine. However, even there you can see how she is driven to act as she does. As I remember my previous encounters with the author's work, These are well written, fast moving and hold your interest to the point of having some late nights just to se what happens next. Well done again.

[Soozee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an unusual book, with a setting I didn't really know much about. It expands the knowledge of the east and the rise of Singapore, whilst still keeping my interest with a good plot. It became a little predictable towards the end, and I suspect we could guess how the next volume will progress, but overall a very entertaining novel.

[Nigel Copeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The pearl may be tainted

Another great story by this author hence the 5 stars. The story continues but who is bad and who is good some are not sure who will come good

[Marina · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I have read in years. I could not put it down. Looking forward to the next 2 in the trilogy

[MR J B TAYLOR · Rating 5 out of 5]

Derring do at its brst

A beautifully written sailing novel that also fits into the gaps in your know
Edge of history. It brings a dimension out of the ordinary nepolionic adventure

[Lyn Stapleton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book about the founding of Singapore by Stamford Raffles. A bit like a soap opera in places but an easy and fun read.