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Follow the thrilling and exciting adventures of Horatio Hornblower's life at sea in the Royal Navy, in these three classic stories. Hornblower and the AtroposSkippering the flagship for Nelson's funeral on the Thames is not Hornblower's idea of thrilling action. But soon his orders come, and he sets sail for the Mediterranean in the Atropos. Battle, storm, shipwreck, disease - what were the chances that he would never come back again?The Happy ReturnHornblower sails the South American waters and comes face to face with a mad, messianic revolutionary in this gripping adventure. A Ship of the Line Commando raids, hurricanes at sea, the glowering menace of Napoleon's onshore gun batteries - Hornblower must deal with them all as he sails his ship to the Spanish station.

Introducing the most gallant and redoubtable figure in naval history - Horatio Hornblower. The seventeen year old Hornblower became infamous as soon as he stepped on board ship as the midshipman who was seasick in the Spithead, but things were soon to change. Amid battle, action and adventure he proves himself time and time again - courageous in danger, resourceful in moments of difficulty and decisive in times of trouble. The reader stands right beside him as he prepares to fight his first duel, feels that heat as he battles to control a blazing ship and shares his horror as he experiences for the first time, the panic of the plague. The young Hornblower - A truly formidable force in his majesty's service.

An omnibus edition incorporating four of Forester's novels about Hornblower, including "Flying Colours", "The Commodore", "Lord Hornblower" and "Hornblower in the West Indies", which describe his adventures from the Mediterranean to Havana.

The seventeen-year-old Hornblower became notorious as soon as he stepped on board ship - as the midshipman who was seasick in Spithead. But he was soon to gain his sea legs. Amid battle, action and adventure he proves himself time and time again - courageous in danger, resourceful in moments of difficulty and decisive in times of trouble.

Described as a 'riveting read' by Sarah Waters and acclaimed by crime writers such as Andrew Taylor, The Pursued is a dark, gripping 1930s psychological thriller by C. S. Forester, the author of Hornblower.The story begins when Marjorie, a young woman, arrives home one summer evening and finds her sister, dead, with her head in the oven. She looks peaceful, as if she is asleep. Their mother suspects, however, that Dot's death was far from natural - and that she knows who the killer is. So, slowly and meticulously, she plots her terrible revenge. C. S. Forester's 1935 thriller The Pursued, lost for decades, rewrote the traditions of crime fiction to create a dark, twisted portrayal of obsession and retribution.

Mr Marble is in serious debt, desperate for money to pay his family's bills, until the combination of a wealthy relative, a bottle of Cyanide and a shovel offer him the perfect solution. In fact, his troubles are only just beginning. Slowly the Marble family becomes poisoned by guilt, and caught in an increasingly dangerous trap of secrets, fear and blackmail. Then, in a final twist of the knife, Mrs Marble ensures that retribution comes in the most unexpected of ways ...First published in 1926, C. S. Forester's gritty psychological thriller took crime writing in a new direction, portraying ordinary, desperate people committing monstrous acts, and showing events spiralling terribly, chillingly, out of control.

Taking us into a 1930s London of grimy back streets, smoky cafes and shabby rooms, Plain Murder, C. S. Forester's second crime novel, is a brilliantly atmospheric and gripping portrayal of the dark heart of a killer, published in Penguin Modern Classics.'They'll get you for certain,' said Oldroyd. 'Then they'll hang you.'At the Universal Advertising Agency on the Strand, London, a murder is being planned. Three men have been discovered taking bribes and face the grim prospect of the dole queue, unless they can get rid of the person who caught them. Their ringleader, thick-set and vicious Mr Morris, soon discovers that killing is far easier than he thought - and that he even has a talent for it. He might, he feels, be superhuman. But as he will discover, there is no such thing as the perfect crime, and no deed goes unpunished.Cecil Louis Troughton Smith (1899-1966), better known by his pen name Cecil Scott Forester, was an English novelist who rose to fame with tales of naval warfare. His most notable works were the 11-book Horatio Hornblower series, depicting a Royal Navy officer during the Napoleonic era, and The African Queen (1935; filmed in 1951 by John Huston). His novels A Ship of the Line and Flying Colours were jointly awarded the 1938 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction. He began his career with the crime novels Payment Deferred and Plain Murder, now reissued in Penguin Modern Classics along with The Pursued, which was lost for over 60 years.If you enjoyed Plain Murder, you might like Forester's Payment Deferred, also available in Penguin Modern Classics.'A terrible and striking piece of work' Observer

THE GRIPPING NAVAL THRILLER, NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING TOM HANKS _______ 1942. America enters the war and an untested officer receives his first wartime command . . . Ploughing through icy, submarine-infested North Atlantic seas is a convoy of thirty-seven merchant ships, carrying vital Allied supplies. In charge is Commander Krause, a grizzled but unproven veteran of the U.S. Navy. Over the next forty-eight hours he will stay on watch aboard the bridge of his destroyer as the convoy is hounded by a murderous wolf pack of German U-boats determined to sink every ship without trace. But armed with extraordinary courage and grit, Commander Krause will battle the U-boats, tiredness, self-doubt and self-reproach, as he desperately tries to protect the ships and lives under his command . . . This classic wartime novel is a thrillingly taut tale of bravery and determination against all odds, set during the darkest moments of the Second World War. _______ Praise for C. S. Forester 'Action, tension, tingling suspense . . . The greatest adventure story to come out of World War II' Life Magazine 'I recommend Forester to every literate I know' Ernest Hemingway 'I find Hornblower admirable, vastly entertaining' Sir Winston Churchill

Discover the new Penguin Crime and Espionage seriesThere is nothing more dangerous than a desperate manBank clerk William Marble is facing financial ruin - until a visit from a wealthy young relative, a bottle of Cyanide and a shovel offer him an unexpected solution. But there is no such thing as the perfect murder. Gradually Marble becomes poisoned by guilt and fear, and his entire family corrupted. Sooner or later his deed will catch up with him, as events spiral out of control in the most unpredictable of ways...

Step aboard C.S. Forester's classic seafaring tale from the author of The Good Shepherd, now a major-motion picture starring Tom Hanks 'A joyous creation, a perfection in words. Young Hornblower is, simply, one of the most complete creations of character in fiction' Conn Iggulden, The Independent_______One vital convoy can break Mussolini's stranglehold on Malta - but it is intercepted in the Mediterranean by enemy warships . . . Five light British cruisers are left to beat back the armed might of the Italian battle fleet and C.S. Forester - creator of Horatio Hornblower - takes us aboard HMS Artemis as she steams into battle against overwhelming odds. We get inside the heads of Artemis's men, from the Captain on his bridge down to the lowest engine room rating, as they struggle over one long and terrifying afternoon to do their duty. This brilliant and gripping story recounts life aboard a British warship during some of the darkest days of the Second World War: capturing the urgency of the blazing guns, the thunderous rupturing of deck plates, the screams of pain and, most importantly, the shouts of triumph._______Praise for C.S. Forester'Unbelievably good' James Holland, bestselling author of Normandy '44'High and glittering excitement' New York Times

Join young Horatio Hornblower in the thrilling naval adventure from the author of The Good Shepherd, now a major-motion picture starring Tom Hanks 'A joyous creation, a perfection in words. Young Hornblower is, simply, one of the most complete creations of character in fiction' Conn Iggulden, The Independent_______1793, the eve of the Napoleonic Wars, and Midshipman Horatio Hornblower receives his first command . . . As a seventeen-year-old with a touch of sea sickness, young Horatio Hornblower hardly cuts a dash in His Majesty's navy.Yet from the moment he is ordered to board a French merchant ship in the Bay of Biscay and take command of crew and cargo, he proves his seafaring mettle on the waves.After a character-forming duel, several deadly chases and some dramatic captures and escapes, the young Hornblower is soon forged into a formidable man of the sea. This is the first of eleven books chronicling the nautical adventures of C. S. Forester's inimitable hero, Horatio Hornblower._______ 'Absolutely compelling. One of the great masters of narrative' San Francisco Chronicle

The Second Horatio Hornblower Tale of the SeaThe nineteenth century dawns and the Napoleonic Wars rage as Horatio Hornblower is ordered to the Caribbean and dangerous waters.New Lieutenant Hornblower's latest ship is HMS Renown, a sound vessel whose captain is unfortunately of rather unsound mind. When ordered to attack a Spanish anchorage, the chain of command breaks down and it requires all of Hornblower's seafaring cunning to avert disaster. As cannons pound and splinters fly aboard their beleaguered vessel, and the men are forced to engage at close quarters, the young lieutenant knows that to save his ship and crew he must prove himself a master of the high seas . . .This is the second of eleven books chronicling the adventures of C. S. Forester's inimitable nautical hero, Horatio Hornblower.Featuring an exclusive introduction by Bernard Cornwell, creator of Sharpe'One of the best. Everyone interested in war, or in human nature, should read this fascinating tale' The Times Literary Supplement

The Third Horatio Hornblower Tale of the SeaApril 1803, and the Peace of Amiens is failing as Horatio Hornblower takes a sloop on a vital reconnaissance mission . . .On the day of his marriage to Maria, Hornblower is ordered to take the Hotspur and head for Brest - war is coming and Napoleon will not catch His Majesty's navy with its britches round its ankles. With thoughts of his new life as a husband intruding on his duties, Hornblower must prove himself to be not only the most capable commander in the fleet, but also its most daring if he is to stop the French gaining the upper hand.This is the third of eleven books chronicling the adventures of C. S. Forester's inimitable nautical hero, Horatio Hornblower.Featuring an exclusive introduction by Bernard Cornwell, creator of Sharpe'A master of the genre' New York Times Book Review

A Horatio Hornblower Tale of the Sea.1805, and Hornblower is both humbled and honoured in quick succession . . .After near disaster on board a canal barge, Horatio Hornblower is given his first assignment as Captain, taking charge of the Atropos, a 22-gun sloop that will act as flagship for the funeral procession of Lord Nelson. Soon the Atropos is part of the Mediterranean fleet's assault upon Napoleon, and Captain Hornblower must execute a bold and daring salvage operation for buried treasure lying deep in Turkish waters. Under the guns of a suspicious port captain and the threat of a Spanish frigate more than double Atropos's size, Hornblower must steer his ship unscathed and triumphant. . .This is the fourth of eleven books chronicling the adventures of C.S. Forester's inimitable nautical hero, Horation Hornblower.'I recommend Forester to every literate I know' Ernest Hemingway'I find Hornblower admirable, vastly entertaining' Sir Winston Churchill

A Horatio Hornblower Tale of the SeaJune, 1808 - and off the Coast of Nicaragua Captain Horatio Hornblower has his hands full . . .Now in command of HMS Lydia, a thirty-six-gun frigate, Hornblower has instructions to form an alliance against the Spanish colonies with a mad and messianic revolutionary, El Supremo; to find a water route across the Central American isthmus; and 'to take, sink, burn or destroy' the fifty-gun Spanish ship of the line Natividad - or face court-martial. And as if he did not have enough trouble, Hornblower must also contend with the beguiling charms of an unwanted passenger: Lady Barbara Wellesley . . .This is the fifth of eleven books chronicling the adventures of C. S. Forester's inimitable nautical hero, Horatio Hornblower.'I find Hornblower admirable, vastly entertaining' Sir Winston Churchill

A Horatio Hornblower Tale of the SeaMay, 1810 - and thirty-nine-year-old Captain Horatio Hornblower has been handed his first ship of the line . . .Though the seventy-four-gun HMS Sutherland is 'the ugliest and least desirable two-decker in the Navy' and a crew shortage means he must recruit two hundred and fifty landlubbers, Hornblower knows that by the time Sutherland and her squadron reach the blockaded Catalonian coast every seaman will do his duty. But with daring raids against the French army and navy to be made, it will take all Hornblower's seamanship - and stewardship - to steer a steady course to victory and home . . .This is the sixth of eleven books chronicling the adventures of C. S. Forester's inimitable nautical hero, Horatio Hornblower.'I recommend Forester to every literate I know' Ernest Hemingway

A Horatio Hornblower Tale of the SeaA humiliated and shipless captive of the French, Horatio Hornblower faces execution unless he can escape and make a triumphant return to England . . .Forced to surrender his ship, HMS Sutherland, after a long and bloody battle, Captain Horatio Hornblower is held prisoner in a French fortress. Prospects turn bleaker when he learns that he and Lt. Bush are to be tried and executed in Paris as part of Napoleon's attempts to rally the war-weary Empire. Even if Hornblower can escape this fate and make it safe to England, he still faces court-martial for surrendering his ship. With little hope for the future and little left to lose, Hornblower throws caution to the wind once more.This is the seventh of eleven books chronicling the adventures of C. S. Forester's inimitable nautical hero, Horatio Hornblower.'A joyous creation, perfection in words' Conn Iggulden

1812 and the fate of Europe lies in the hands of newly appointed Commodore Hornblower . . .Dispatched to northern waters to protect Britain's Baltic interests, Horatio Hornblower must halt the advance of Napoleon's empire into Sweden and Russia. But first he must battle the terrible Baltic weather: fog, snow and icebound waterways; overcome Russian political and commercial intrigues; avoid the seductive charms of royalty as well as the deadly reach of assassins in the imperial palace; and contend with hostile armies and French privateers. With the fate of Europe balanced on a knife edge, the responsibility lies heavy on a Commodore's shoulders ...This is the eighth of eleven books chronicling the adventures of C. S. Forester's inimitable nautical hero, Horatio Hornblower.'A recipe for pure pleasure' Bernard Cornwell

A Horatio Hornblower Tale of the Sea1813, and Horatio Hornblower is propelled toward the heart of the French Empire and his old enemy, Napoleon . . .Sir Horatio Hornblower has received strict and highly confidential orders from the highest rank: he must embark upon a grave and perilous mission to recapture the Flame in the Bay of Seine, where the brutal and foul-tempered Lieutenant Augustine Chadwick is being held prisoner by a mutinous crew. Rescuing the Lieutenant demands all of Horatio's spirit and seafaring prowess - for at the same time, he must contend with capturing two French cargo vessels and take part in negotiations to topple the faltering Napoleon once and for all . . .This is the ninth of eleven books chronicling the adventures of C.S. Forester's inimitable nautical hero, Horatio Hornblower.'A recipe for pure pleasure' Bernard Cornwell'These accounts of naval heroism during the Napoleonic era are cracking good yarns for whenever you're feeling glum. We follow ambivalent young Hornblower as he rises from a seasick midshipman to become an understated tactical genius' Sunday TImes

A Horatio Hornblower Tale of the Sea1815, the Napoleonic Wars are over. Yet peace continues to elude Horatio Hornblower overseas . . .As an admiral struggling to impose order in the chaotic aftermath of the French wars, Horatio Hornblower, Commander-in-chief of His Majesty's ships and vessels in the West Indies, must still face savage pirates, reckless revolutionaries and a violent hurricane. And while his retirement at half-pay might well be in sight, Hornblower will need every ounce of his rapier wit and quick thinking - not to mention his courage and leadership - to ensure that the lasting peace in Europe reaches the turbulent seas of the West Indies.This is the tenth of eleven books chronicling the adventures of C. S. Forester's inimitable nautical hero, Horatio Hornblower.'The true master of the genre' Boris Johnson