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Killigrew of the Royal Navy
Epic action and adventure from the glory days of naval Despite the best efforts of the Royal Navy, transatlantic slavers continue to profit from the illegal trade. Idealistic young naval officer Kit Killigrew wants to stop them.
With the aid of Rear-Admiral Sir Charles Napier, Killigrew hatches a daring plan to infiltrate the slavers and discover the whereabouts of the biggest slave market in West Africa. But Kit will also need find out the identity of a shadowy British figure, one of the slave trade’s major investors.
A veteran of campaigns in Syria and China, Killigrew now sets out on a perilous high-seas adventure that will challenge him to his very limits…
Full of sea-salt, gunpowder and nail-biting naval action, this is the first in the extraordinary Killigrew naval dramas, perfect for fans of C.S. Forester, Patrick O’Brian and Julian Stockwin.
Praise for the Killigrew Novels‘A hero to rival any Horatio Hornblower. Swashbuckling? You bet’ Belfast Telegraph
‘If you revel in the Hornblower and the Sharpe books, grab a copy of Jonathan Lunn’ Bolton Evening News
‘A new naval hero who will delight lovers of seafaring yarns’ Manchester Evening News
Previously published as Killigrew R.N.
With the aid of Rear-Admiral Sir Charles Napier, Killigrew hatches a daring plan to infiltrate the slavers and discover the whereabouts of the biggest slave market in West Africa. But Kit will also need find out the identity of a shadowy British figure, one of the slave trade’s major investors.
A veteran of campaigns in Syria and China, Killigrew now sets out on a perilous high-seas adventure that will challenge him to his very limits…
Full of sea-salt, gunpowder and nail-biting naval action, this is the first in the extraordinary Killigrew naval dramas, perfect for fans of C.S. Forester, Patrick O’Brian and Julian Stockwin.
Praise for the Killigrew Novels‘A hero to rival any Horatio Hornblower. Swashbuckling? You bet’ Belfast Telegraph
‘If you revel in the Hornblower and the Sharpe books, grab a copy of Jonathan Lunn’ Bolton Evening News
‘A new naval hero who will delight lovers of seafaring yarns’ Manchester Evening News
Previously published as Killigrew R.N.
452 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 2, 2017
163 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Lunn
34 books28 followersPseudonym of Daniel Hall
Born in London, Jonathan Lunn started writing at the age of fifteen. He studied history at the University of Leicester, where he became involved in politics. He worked for six years as a spin doctor in local government, but decided to leave politics behind and concentrate on his writing. He is the author of a series of naval adventure stories, described as "the Victorian Hornblower", based around the eponymous hero of the first book, Killigrew R.N. (2000). The series now runs to six books, the most recent of which was Killigrew and the Sea Devil (2005). Entertaining and historically accurate, the series is shortly to be re-launched in Italy. He has also written two books under his real name, Daniel Hall, and currently lives in Bristol.
Born in London, Jonathan Lunn started writing at the age of fifteen. He studied history at the University of Leicester, where he became involved in politics. He worked for six years as a spin doctor in local government, but decided to leave politics behind and concentrate on his writing. He is the author of a series of naval adventure stories, described as "the Victorian Hornblower", based around the eponymous hero of the first book, Killigrew R.N. (2000). The series now runs to six books, the most recent of which was Killigrew and the Sea Devil (2005). Entertaining and historically accurate, the series is shortly to be re-launched in Italy. He has also written two books under his real name, Daniel Hall, and currently lives in Bristol.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 10, 2018
Very Exciting Story
Well-written story with great characters and lots of action. Scene descriptions are excellent and the dialogue was realistic. The author utilized some of the actual scenarios fitting the era.
Well-written story with great characters and lots of action. Scene descriptions are excellent and the dialogue was realistic. The author utilized some of the actual scenarios fitting the era.
June 29, 2018
I finished it.
I finished it. Does not take long to read and a lot of it seems like you are covering the same ground. The only part I enjoyed was the naval period it covered. Beginning of steam power, but not enough to read another of this series.
I finished it. Does not take long to read and a lot of it seems like you are covering the same ground. The only part I enjoyed was the naval period it covered. Beginning of steam power, but not enough to read another of this series.
December 3, 2018
A well-written beginning novel of a series I am sure to read to completion..! Interesting characters, good plot with a couple of sub-plots and a lot of action backed up by prodigious research into the ethnicities, cultures, and history of the period. Very good read!
January 22, 2018
Interesting book about the Royal Navy as it started to switch to steam. The book deals mainly with the still existing and notorious slave trade
September 5, 2018
Swashbuckling Naval yarn
An enjoyable read, even if in some sections journalistic licence was used , still made for a good story.bring on the next book
An enjoyable read, even if in some sections journalistic licence was used , still made for a good story.bring on the next book
December 14, 2018
Easy reading
An easy read almost like the film's from America easy to follow
And simp!e in their construction but entertaining and full of excitement
An easy read almost like the film's from America easy to follow
And simp!e in their construction but entertaining and full of excitement
January 3, 2021
Confession: I only got 50 odd percent into this book so this review should be taken as such.
I was initially really excited to find this series, the early steam period of the Royal Navy is really interesting and I didn't know any author had covered it.
Alas, it doesn't really feel like a naval story, more James Bond c.1847.
I read a lot of Naval fact and fiction and you can tell pretty quickly when an author has a passion and the knowledge for the ships and the sea: Aubrey, Kydd, etc. Unfortunately it was sort of lacking here, I never felt immersed in the story and the naval parts felt flat.
From the berb we learn that Kit has in infiltrate the slavery ring of West Africa. From that and the 50% I read I figured out that this is a spy story, Kit won't be spending much time in the Navy, and the blurb for the sequel sounds pretty much identical.
A lot of artistic licence is taken in the story, like a lot. Nore than would be credible.
After reading that Kit gets a bullet in the shoulder but can still use his arm to climb a rope and overpower about 19 guards, and that he can take about 6 punches to the stomach but not get winded, and one guy gets gut shot but shrugs it off, you're like; "alright, mate, bloody hell. Give it a rest."
I had to put it down, I wanted a Victorian naval story, but it feels like the Royal Navy is more of a vehicle to get the protagonist into fisticuffs and shootouts. Maybe I'll try to finish it at some point.
I was initially really excited to find this series, the early steam period of the Royal Navy is really interesting and I didn't know any author had covered it.
Alas, it doesn't really feel like a naval story, more James Bond c.1847.
I read a lot of Naval fact and fiction and you can tell pretty quickly when an author has a passion and the knowledge for the ships and the sea: Aubrey, Kydd, etc. Unfortunately it was sort of lacking here, I never felt immersed in the story and the naval parts felt flat.
From the berb we learn that Kit has in infiltrate the slavery ring of West Africa. From that and the 50% I read I figured out that this is a spy story, Kit won't be spending much time in the Navy, and the blurb for the sequel sounds pretty much identical.
A lot of artistic licence is taken in the story, like a lot. Nore than would be credible.
After reading that Kit gets a bullet in the shoulder but can still use his arm to climb a rope and overpower about 19 guards, and that he can take about 6 punches to the stomach but not get winded, and one guy gets gut shot but shrugs it off, you're like; "alright, mate, bloody hell. Give it a rest."
I had to put it down, I wanted a Victorian naval story, but it feels like the Royal Navy is more of a vehicle to get the protagonist into fisticuffs and shootouts. Maybe I'll try to finish it at some point.
April 13, 2022
Another book by Jonathan Lunn that I enjoyed reading, but it was never a really an outstanding read. The characters were well drawn and the action sequences were mostly gripping. I guessed the likely ending, which is always a shame, but I look forward to reading more Killigrew adventures in the future.
January 16, 2025
exciting
Great writer. Hated the book to end. Hopefully there will a book 2. Lost lots of sleep. Could not put the book down.
Great writer. Hated the book to end. Hopefully there will a book 2. Lost lots of sleep. Could not put the book down.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews