The Mountain of Gold

The Journals of Matthew Quinton #2

by J.D. Davies

Corsairs, gold and sabotage off the coast of Africa… Naval adventure perfect for fans of Julian Stockwin and John Captain Matthew Quinton is thrilled to capture a corsair from under the nose of menacing Maltese Knight Montnoir. But his triumph is short lived. The ‘pirate’ is in fact the infamous Irish adventurer O’Dwyer, who comes with talk of a vast West African gold mine...

Ordered by the avaricious King Charles to accompany O’Dwyer to Africa and unearth the gold, Quinton sets sail for the Gambia.

Dogged by misfortune, with sabotage and murder darkening the mission, Quinton discovers Montnoir is on his trail. The race for gold will put everything at risk… Can Quinton emerge in one piece?

The second swashbuckling novel in the thrilling Matthew Quinton naval adventures, The Mountain of Gold, is perfect for fans of Conn Iggulden, Paul Fraser Collard and Bernard Cornwell

‘Utterly impossible to put down… finely shaded characters, excellent plotting, gut-clenching action and immaculate attention to period detail … superb.’ ANGUS DONALD, author of The Outlaw Chronicles

‘Swashbuckling suspense, royal intrigue, and high seas naval action … an excellent series’ Publishers Weekly

‘J.D. Davies’s depiction of Restoration England and the British Navy is impeccable, his characters truly live and breathe, and the plot kept me in suspense … I could not recommend it more.’ Edward Chupak, author of Silver

The Matthew Quinton Journals1. Gentleman Captain2. The Mountain of Gold3. The Blast that Tears the Skies4. The Lion of Midnight5. The Battle of the Ages6. The Rage of Fortune7. Death's Bright Angel8. The Devil Upon the Wave

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Adventure, Nautical, 17th Century, Africa, Historical

373 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2011

About the author

Author of 'The Journals of Matthew Quinton', a series of naval historical fiction set in the Restoration period, and of non-fiction books including 'Pepys's Navy' and 'Blood of Kings'. Currently living in Bedfordshire, UK, but originally from Llanelli in West Wales.

Reviews

[Christopher Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second in a series, this takes young and still largely ignorant of sailing ships captain Quinton to Africa. After a cruise in the Mediterranean, Quinton takes a slick talking Irishman who has become a Muslim Galley captain to London. Why? The Irishman claims to have seen a "mountain of gold" in Africa and just in case there's something to it, he takes the man to authorities.

Soon, King Charles II decides that the story is true, or at least he loses little if its not, and commissions a squadron to check this out.

Matthew Quinton knows more about the sea at this point, although still little about how to sail a ship, and is becoming more confident and competent in his command. Davies does a good job with ship actions that don't require an exhaustive knowledge of every rope, sail, and tackle on that ship, which is easier for most readers.

Also, he does a superlative job of pulling you into the time period and depicting the life of nobility and politics without becoming dull or soap opera. Characters come alive, although many of the men are too similar in personality and few stand out well.

Overall an interesting and well-told book. The only quibbles I have are the apparent delight in having men die in various lurid ways and descriptions of each time a lion eats someone or whatever feel if not forced, than less about the story than about a writer wanting to describe the event.

[Letterrausch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Einfach ein toller historischer Abenteuerroman. Kurzweilig, spannend, mit einer guten Prise Ironie. Hier gibt es Kriegsschiffe und Kampfhandlungen, politische Intrigen, Bettgeschichten und eine fehlgeleitete Expedition nach Afrika. Richtig gut!

[Marko · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining story, overall, although the first half of the book can get heavy-going with the family intrigue that keeps us waiting for the descriptions of naval life and African expedition. The characterisation leaves something to be hoped for, but the historical detail and the rarely explored era in naval history novels makes up for it.

Full review at:

http://susimetsa.blogspot.fi/2016/03/...

[Gentleman Detective · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had an interesting premise but failed to live up to it. Lots of interesting historical colour but the plot started to wander, aimlessly, towards the middle of the book. And the core action doesn't take place till well after you may well have lost the will to live.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second in the series is as worth reading as the first... I am looking forward to reading the rest in the series. I really like that the author is extremely knowledgeable about the historical time period but that he has crafted a very readable series!

[Warren Ingham-Barrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great adventure

Matthew Quinton captains the Seraph on a mission to retrieve gold for the impoverished Charles II. A fascinating insight into a little known period of British naval history. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this better than the first book in the series. Occasionally I felt there were some passages that felt like padding, which slowed the momentum, but otherwise the characters carried the story and engaged the reader.

[jim miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Montain of Gold

Good story with lots of twists and turns. I Look forward to the next adventure. I will write five more words.

[Liz C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good follow up to the first book.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

A ripper.

[Tony Bertram · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second in a series of naval adventures. Quite lightweight. The family and court intrigues overshadowing the naval action.

[TC · Rating 3 out of 5]

This seventeenth century naval adventure is the second in the Matthew Quinton journals series, but I found this on Netgalley, was intrigued and read it without having read Gentleman Captain first. Matthew Quinton is an inexperienced young captain who is also brother of an Earl, and heir to the title. When he captures a galley from under the nose of a Maltese Knight he discovers an Irishman, posing as a barbary pirate, who has tales of a mountain of gold. This tale stays his execution and maps out Matthew's immediate future. King Charles II sends him on a mission to find the mountain. The task is a hard one, without forces conspiring against the Captain and his men. Those who fear a Monarch with absolute power are determined to prevent the King becoming endlessly wealthy, but does the mountain even exist? As if Matthew doesn't have enough to contend with his brother, the Earl, is being pushed into a marriage of convenience with woman suspected of being involved in the deaths of her first two husbands.

While this novel contains some tense action and battles this wasn't the swash-buckling pirate romp I was expecting, but in a good way. It's clear from the information about the author and the notes at the end on the factual elements that this is well researched and grounded in fact. This is set in a different era to a lot of the historical fiction I have read before so I felt like I was learning something, but enjoyed the story and the moments of humour and warmed to Matthew and his colourful wife. In fact the Quinton family is quite a memorable cast and the subplot relating to the Earl's marriage is just as likely to get me reading the rest of the series as any other element.

The high paced action is broken up as the author shows the plotting, scheming and preparations that seem par for the course at the time, creating a nice balance and giving the reader a chance to catch their breath. I did feel slightly cast adrift in places, not being able to follow what was happening very well, but this was down to my ignorance of certain nautical terms rather than any fault with the writing. This book worked perfectly well on its own, and althought there are references to Matthew's previous sea-faring experience not having read the first book didn't seem to affect my appreciation for this novel.

All in all I found this an enjoyable, well written historical fiction action story.

[Jerry Mercer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Story

The clever plot, the dialogue, and the historical references make this a very good story. The descriptions of African scenery, the smells, and the native people were all well-defined.

[Jeff Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in a series featuring the "Gentleman Captain" Captain Matthew Quinton which takes place during the time of King Charles II.

The first book was an enjoyable read, but not without flaws. The use of a major coincidence to resolve the ending of the book soured it a little.

This book though was an improvement on many levels and while there is a bit of coincidences in it, they are minor without the plot depending on them. Once again we see intrigues regarding Captain Quinton's family, political intrigues with the king, and intrigues among his ship. Not all of these intrigues are answered in this book and are to be answered later in the series.

The basic premise of a British Captain being sent off to find a mountain of gold based on the words of a traitor provides much of the plot. As a historical novel you know they will not find such a mountain and the captain is dubious of this from the start. Despite knowing this the trip as an adventure provides much tension that does keep you guessing how it is going to be resolved. I found it to be a very enjoyable read and the series has much promise to it.

Being that it is written by a historian who specializes in this time period of the British Navy it is filled with many details that give it a richness. The author also explains in a note at the end of the book the historical threads he has drawn together into a fictional account. Events are combined or added on to provide the historical bedrock for the novel.

[Patricia O'Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Young British naval captain, Matthew Quinton, is on his third mission, hunting down Barbary pirates in the Mediterranean when his ship sights a crippled galleon with a Maltese galley bearing down on her. Quinton and his crew pluck the prize from the galley only to learn the captain of the galleon, Omar Ibrahim, is actually an Irishman, Brian Doyle O’Dwyer, and that it is O’Dwyer, not his cargo, that the Maltese are after. Quinton brings O’Dwyer back to England to be tried for treason, but O’Dwyer tells the king of a mountain of gold deep inside the African coast and Charles II, newly restored to his throne and desperate for money, decides to go after it. The king orders Quinton to escort O’Dwyer to Gambia to search for the mountain of gold. But Quinton does not believe in the mission and he certainly does not believe O’Dwyer. In fact, when King Charles II orders Quinton’s older brother to marry a woman reputed to have killed her two previous husbands, Quinton begins to doubt his sovereign.

The Mountain of Gold is the second in Davies’s Gentleman Captain series. Readers of naval tales will definitely want to read it, but Davies is one of those writers who offers something for everyone. This story has political intrigue, family drama, and an exotic setting that presents its own challenges to Captain Quinton and his crew. But this is no light read. Davies peppers his story with a rich dose of historical backstory that is sure to satisfy readers who enjoy learning as much as they enjoy a good story.

[Rob Ballister · Rating 3 out of 5]

J. D. Davies' second novel, THE MOUNTAIN OF GOLD, is a decent sequel to his first book, GENTLEMAN CAPTAIN.

In this second work, Captain Matthew Quinton is back, this time serving as commanding first the king's warship Wessex and then the brand new Seraph. No longer a rookie seamen, Quinton has a more confident demeanor on the open sea than before, yet is still humble enough to know that he needs to learn more.

While operating in Africa, his ship captures an Arab pirate who by law should go to the gallows. However, the pirate tells a tale of a mountain of gold, something that would make England's king rich and allow him to fund his many military conquests. When the king gets wind of this, he sends Quinton and a small group of ships to find this mountain and bring it home for England's glory.

For the most part, this book is consistent in story and style with GENTLEMAN CAPTAIN, including the use of period grammar, language, and descriptions. The author is obviously very knowledgeable regarding the period and the NAVY. I noticed a bit more dialogue and a bit less combat in this effort, but there was significant drama and action outside of combat, seasoned with no small amount of humor, which kept the story moving.

Entertaining story, and a must read for those who already read the first book. Will be a hit with anyone interested in stories of the old 1Csailing 1D navies.

[L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A delightful read. I may have found an author with the strength to wrench me out of Bernard Cornwell's grasp.

While most of the story takes place on a ship, Davies doesn't obliterate me with all that sea speak of fo'c's'le or jib or I see flashes of light from the harbour which I'm really not into.

The second book in a series - again I'm reading a series out of order because this book was on sale when the first one was not. What was I saying? I got distracted. Oh yes, I was simply going to say that even though this is the second book you can pretty much read it on it's own without having read the first one.

English Captain Matthew Quinton is sent on a fool's errand by the biggest fool of all, Charles II, to find a legendary mountain of gold somewhere in Africa. When he's not worrying about being eaten by a lion (as one does when one is in Africa), Matthew is worried about his gay brother's strange and sudden marriage to a twice-widowed beauty. Will the new bride be thrice-widowed? Will Matthew be put out of the running to inherit the family title? If the lion doesn't eat him, will it be a hippopotamus? You know I read somewhere that more people are killed by hippopotami than they are killed by lions. It was on the internet so it must be true.

[D.J. Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's a lot of Napoleonic-era naval fiction out there, some of it world-class literature. This rousing adventure tale, awash in Dutch colonizers, African kings, French intrigue, dastardly knights of Malta and perfidious Irishmen turned Turk, is set a century earlier, in the time of Charles II. Captain Matthew Quinton -- who may or may not be heir to the earldom of Ravensden, depending on the outcome of his brother's marriage to a known conniver and suspected murderess -- sails with mixed feelings to find a legendary mountain of gold. Though a loyal Englishman, he can't feel quite at ease with the notion that he might bring limitless wealth to his sovereign, a man who aspires to limitless power... on the other hand, given all the enemies with daggers pointed at Captain Quinton's throat, his feelings might be rather beside the point...

[Curtis Rhodes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now, I'm a big fan of Patrick O'Brien and the wonderful adventures of Jack Aubrey on his ship The Surprise as they sailed the seas during the Napoleonic years and so this book, whose cover even looks like one of O'Brien's books, had a lot to live up to. I'm sorry to say that I didn't find this book had quite the same beautifully written mix of amazing characters and sense of actually being aboard a man of war as when I sailed with Captain Jack. The Mountain of Gold and this hero, Matthew Quinton, did supply me with a satisfying amount of adventure to say that it was a book well worth reading, especially for someone who does love historical novels.

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

The second book of our Gentleman Captain from England in the 1600’s. Not so good as the first as more than half the book is about his brother’s wedding to some mysterious woman. The mystery is more or less solved in the end, but I was hoping for more naval action, and less about the intrigue of the Court of Charles the II.

Don’t read this until you have read the first book, as I think you would miss out on the evolution of many of the characters. Colorful, but ‘bitchy’ characters (they whine excessively).

It’s a ‘war book’ so expect violence.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh. Barely made it through. Skimmed the last 1/4. So bored. I think the first-person narrative was very limiting in a book that needed sweep and scope to hold my attention. Matt Quinton (whose name is great, anyway) bored my eyes out with his tactic of telling the reader he has an idea, and then not telling me what it is, until the reveal at the end of the chapter, when I think "Oh, so you didn't think what you said you thought. Whatever."

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just checked this out of the liebrary and my book has a diffrent look then what this one is. I am enjoying this book, the chapters are a tad long but I am on chapter 4 going into five. I am almost half way through this book and it is very good. I do think you need to know a little of old English hummar to understand some of the book. But over all the chapters are very interesting and so I am loving it.

I loved this book. Very interesting and some humor considering the time period.

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three, but a high three.

Good things about the first two Matthew Quinton books: interesting period, lively prose, liberal use of the word "whipstaff", properly proofed manuscripts which make the reading experience easier. Also some humor.

Things that could be improved: stories are a little thin, characters are not very well developed.

Will I read the next one? Yes I will.

[effie · Rating 2 out of 5]

for a book where a man gets his face ripped off by a lion, another is beheaded by a crocodile, an entire harbor is set on fire, and we hang out with the literal king of england, this book is relentlessly, incredibly, mercilessly boring. I wanted so badly to like it - history! tall ships! royals! adventure! - but good grief; it's like slogging through treacle. stick with aubreyad.

[James Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much. Davies knows the Restoration period through and through, and it's not a period you often read about. He knows the seamanship aspects, too, and weaves a good, tight story.

[Claudia L Sterling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historical fiction set after the Restoration of the English Monarchy after Cromwell. Lots of naval action. Guys would like this series. I got the 4-book series because I have Welsh heritage and wanted to support Welsh authors.

[Nick Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

As others have said, not Patrick O'Brian. But nice to see the English Restoration period as the subject. Sentimentalizes too much on an intense subject, the beginning of the slave trade.

[DROPPING OUT · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as thrilling as the first volume in this series. Too little derring-do that marks the genre. Also, mixture of 17th century mixed with contemporary usage made for a jarring experience.

[Michael Rhode · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun series set in the English Restoration, rather than the Napoleonic wars so the ships are smaller, and the Dutch are the enemy.

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

English navy historical novel in the 1660's