Archie Dexter, Napoleonic War secret agent Series

In the final few months of 1808, Napoleon's efforts to subjugate Europe by military might and political guile continue unabated. His armies have conquered Portugal and Spain and now an under-resourced British Army under General Moore is floundering in its attempts to throw them out. Archie Dexter is an undercover agent working for a shadowy section of the Aliens Office. Tasked with countering the many plots and schemes of Napoleon's vast network of spies and agents, the men of the Aliens Office operate wherever the threat is greatest, from the streets of London to the countryside of France itself and even the battlefields of the Iberian Peninsular. Following a daring rescue mission into northern France, the agents of the Aliens Office learn of appalling acts of treachery that will seriously threaten the military capability of Britain's army. Archie and his men discover traitors plotting at the very heart of the British Army, within Horse Guards itself no less. Could it really be the case that British officers working inside the Army's headquarters have been persuaded to betray their country in support of the French cause? With the assistance of just a small team of fellow agents, Archie must put his own problems to one side and seek out the truth. From the bustling streets of London to the desolate shoreline of the Sussex Downs, the pursuit of the conspirators will lead to the Iberian Peninsular where Archie will become swept up in the momentous events sweeping that war torn land. Crossing from Portugal into Spain, he will be forced to put his life on the line in the heat of ferocious battle in order to thwart a shocking plot designed to turn the tide of war in favour of the French cause. With vast armies comprising tens of thousands of soldiers sweeping back and forth across Iberia, the agents must hunt down one man in order to prevent disaster. From the very beginning, the price in blood will be high and along the way triumph and tragedy will compete for the final word. At every twist and turn, the plotters seem to keep one step ahead of their pursuers and with failure seemingly inevitable, the tragic consequences could change Europe forever. In this exciting sequel to An Agent of the King the reader will be taken on an exciting roller-coaster ride as the story, woven through many actual events of the times builds to its shocking conclusion.

Archibald Dexter, a hedonistic but adventurous and fervently patriotic young man, joined the British Army at the end of the 18th Century. A hero in battle but in constant trouble in barracks, when given a final chance for redemption he finds himself on the staff of Admiral Horatio Nelson. Trapped in Egypt following Napoleon’s invasion he will need all his wit and guile to survive and go on to play a pivotal role in Nelson’s victory at the Battle of the Nile. Wounded and thrown into captivity, he eventually returns to London where as a member of a secretive department of the Aliens Office, he will be called upon to fight fierce battles against increasingly violent French agents, plotting and murdering their way across the capital. Together with an oddball assortment of comrades Archie travels to Spain on a deadly mission to rescue a British spy, the one man capable of enabling Pitt’s government in London to secure an alliance of nations with a chance of defeating Napoleon. However it is back in London that Archie will face his sternest test, where failure will force him to choose between the life of his closest friend and the King of England himself. Archibald Dexter is a reluctant hero caught up in the turbulent times of the Napoleonic Wars. An Agent of the King is a fast paced, gritty and exciting action drama that takes the reader on a roller coaster ride through North Africa and Europe via the bordellos, slums and ballrooms of Georgian London. Carefully researched, the storyline weaves its way through the events of troubled times creating a believable but unique group of characters who readers will enjoy following on their escapades.