The following bibliography of books written by Alexander Kent is listed in historical chronological order.
 1 - Midshipman Bolitho FP 1993 Combines Richard Bolitho, Midshipman and Midshipman Bolitho and the Avenger in one volume.
Richard
Bolitho, Midshipman FP 1975 OCTOBER 1772, PORTSMOUTH ... And sixteen-year-old Richard Bolitho
waits to join the
Gorgon. Britain is at peace with France
and Spain, but pirates still threaten British trade routes and the slave
trade continues to flourish. The Gorgon is ordered to sail to Africa's west coast. For Bolitho, and for many of the crew, it is to be a testing-time as they are pitted against a ruthless enemy.
Midshipman
Bolitho and the Avenger FP 1978 DECEMBER 1773, FALMOUTH ... The young Bolitho looks forward to a
family Christmas in Cornwall while the
Gorgon is refitted.
But Cornwall is the treacherous stamping ground of smugglers and wreckers.
After the murder of a revenue officer, Bolitho is swept aboard his brother's
cutter Avenger on a dangerous mission of hide and seek.
 2 - Stand Into Danger FP 1980 PLYMOUTH, 1774... Richard Bolitho is now newly appointed Third Lieutenant, joining the 28-gun frigate Destiny. It is a far step from midshipman's berth to wardroom -- and Bolitho must come to understand that his loyalty is to his captain, his ship and His Britannic Majesty. Despatched on a secret mission, Destiny and her company face the hazards of conspiracy, treason and piracy. It is admist the broadside battles at sea and the clash of swords that Bolitho learns to accept his new responsibilities as a King's officer.
 3 - In
Gallant Company FP 1977 NEW YORK, 1777 ... As the American Revolution rages on the mainland, the British Navy prepares for action at sea. Against a growing fleet of American and French privateers, the Navy must maintain its blockade of Washington's vital military supplies. Caught up in the turmoil, junior officer Richard Bolitho finds himself having to make momentous decisions in the heat of battle - decisions that will affect the lives of many men and perhaps the outcome of history.
 4 - Sloop
of War FP 1972 APRIL 1778, ENGLISH HARBOUR, ANTIGUA ... As the French enter the American War of Independence in earnest, young Captain Richard Bolitho is given his first command, Sparrow - a fast, well-armed fighting sloop. The American Revolution has turned the Atlantic coast into a refuge for privateers and marauding French warships. At last he has the chance to prove his abilities as a junior captain. But he faces other challenges too, threats as real and deadly as the enemy itself.
 5 - To Glory We Steer FP 1968 JANUARY 1782, PORTSMOUTH ... His Britannic Majesty's frigate Phalarope
is ordered to the assistance of the hard-pressed squadrons in the Caribbean.
Aboard is her new commander -- Richard Bolitho. To all appearances
the Phalarope is everything a young captain could wish for.
But beneath the surface she is a deeply unhappy ship -- her wardroom torn
by petty greed and ambition, her deckhands driven to near-mutiny by senseless
ill treatment.
 6 - Command a King's Ship FP 1973 SPITHEAD, 1784 ... His Majesty's frigate Undine sets sail for India and the seas beyond en route to the East Indies. Europe may be at peace - but in colonial waters the promises of statesmen count for little and the bloody struggle for supremacy still goes on. Richard Bolitho would have cause to remember his admiral's words: 'The task I am giving you would be better handled by a squadron'.
 7 - Passage
to Mutiny FP 1976 OCTOBER 1789, NEW SOUTH WALES ... Into Sydney, capital of Britain's
infant colony, sails the frigate Tempest. She is one of His Majesty's ships employed in policing the newsouthern trade routes. Her captain is Richard Bolitho, who hopes to be ordered home to England. Instead, he is despatched on a mission to the islands of the Great South Sea, where he must face hazards of fickle winds, pirates and savage islanders. But he is menaced by deeper fears; the men of the Bounty have mutinied
in these same waters; and from distant Europe comes news of a revolution
in France.
 8 - With
All Despatch FP 1988 SPRING 1792 ... It is over ten years since Britain's defeat by the American colonies, and the bitter humiliation still sticks in the Admiralty's craw. Now brutal smugglers, many of them naval deserters, occupy the Channel, plying their trade between England and France. Richard Bolitho's mission: to take three speedy topsail cutters and fight the treacherous raiders off the coast of Kent.
 9 - Form
Line of Battle FP 1969 JUNE 1793, GIBRALTAR ... England is once again at war. For Richard Bolitho, the renewal of hostilities with France means a fresh command and the chance for action after months of inactivity. However, his mission to support Lord Hood in the monarchist-inspired occupation of Toulon has gone awry. Bolitho and the crew of the Hyperion are trapped by the French near a dry Mediterranean island. The great ship-of-the-line's battered hull begins to groan as he sails snap in the hot wind.
 10 - Enemy
in Sight FP 1970 MEDITERRANEAN, 1793 ... England has been at war with revolutionary France
for almost two years. Aboard the Hyperion, Richard Bolitho
sets sail with an untrained crew for blockade duty off France. Unfortunately,
his superior, Commodore Mathias Pelham-Martin, is an incompetent egotist
whose petty hostilities jeopardize the operation of an entire fleet.
Bolitho is forced to drastic measures in a chase across the Atlantic that
tests both his mettle and his seamanship.
 11 - The
Flag Captain c. 1797 FP 1971 APRIL 1797, FALMOUTH BAY ... As France continues her bitter struggle
for supremacy on land and sea, the Royal Navy receives a crippling blow
at home: the Great Mutiny. Returning home after eighteen months continuous
service, Flag Captain Richard Bolitho finds himself at the centre of the
crisis. And his new commander, it seems, is a man who will brook
no interference.
 12 - Signal,
Close Action! c. 1798 FP 1974 JANUARY 1798 ... As master of France, Napoleon now turns towards the East - and the vast wealth of India. But first he must secure the eastern Mediterranean and Egypt. Now Commodore of a newly formed squadron, in a British fleet stretched to the limit, Richard Bolitho faces one of the toughest commissions of his career: to ascertain the fighting strength of the French - then seek, find and bring them to battle.
 13 - The
Inshore Squadron c. 1800 FP 1977 CAGEN, 1800 ... After seven years of cruel war against France, Britain's long-standing ally, Denmark, suddenly poses a threat. The scene of battle shifts abruptly from Europe to the Baltic where the British Navy encounters the bitter hardship of blockade duty. Richard Bolitho, recently appointed rear-admiral, is in charge of his first squadron, and is thrown immediately into a fierce and bloody struggle with the enemy. The outcome of the crucial Battle of Cagen is in Bolitho's hands.
 14 - A
Tradition of Victory c. 1801 FP 1981 JULY 1801, PLYMOUTH ... Richard Bolitho's small squadron is still repairing the scars of battle earned at Cagen. Now the Admiralty needs Bolitho again. After eight years of war with France, Britain must show her strength and determination and dramatically weaken the French cause. The Admiralty wants an attack. Rear-Admiral Richard Bolitho must follow his flag's tradition of victory - even though for the first time in his life he is torn between the demands of public duty and personal need.
 15 - Success
to the Brave c. 1802 FP
1983 SPRING 1802 ... Richard Bolitho is summoned to the Admiralty to receive his orders for a difficult and thankless mission. The recent Peace of Amiens is already showing signs of strain as old enemies wrangle over colonies won and lost during the war. In the little 64-gun Achates, Bolitho sails west
for the Caribbean, to hand over the island of San Felipe to the French.
But diplomacy is not enough.
 16 - Colours
Aloft! FP 1986 SEPTEMBER 1803, FALMOUTH ... Now the grim reality of war at close quarters confronts Bolitho and he will be called upon to anticipate the strategies of the French fleet. But the conflict had also taken on a personal note: the vendetta between Bolitho and the French Admiral, Jobert, who once commanded the Argonaute. One last, potentially fatal, rendezvous lies ahead of Bolitho and his men - a meeting in which no quarter will be asked, or given.
 17 - Honour
This Day FP 1987 SEPTEMBER 1804 ... As England stands alone against France and the fleets of Spain, Vice-Admiral Richard Bolitho hoists his flag above the veteran Hyperion and sets sail with a new squadron for the Caribbean. His orders are to plan and effect a daring raid on the Spanish Main at dawn. Beneath the hostile mortars of La Guaira lies the ultimate prize: Her Catholic Majesty's largest treasure ship, laden with gold and silver and bound for Spain. Bolitho himself will lead the mission -- as if driven by a death wish. Aroused from the darkness of soul by the rediscovery of a passion which threatens his reputation, Richard Bolitho sails Hyperion east once more: to a death or glory rendezvous
with history.
 18 - The
Only Victor FP 1990 FEBRUARY1806, CAPE OF GOOD HOPE ... The frigate carrying Vice-Admiral Sir Richard Bolitho drops anchor off the shores of southern Africa. It is only four months since the resounding victory over the combined Franco-Spanish fleet at Trafalgar, and the death of England's greatest naval hero. Bolitho's instructions are to assist in hastening the campaign in Africa, where an expeditionary force is attempting to recpature Cape Town from the Dutch. Outside Europe few have yet heard of the battle of Trafalgar, and Bolitho's news is met with both optimism and disappointment as he reminds the senior officers that, despite the victory, Napoleon's defeat is by no means assured.
The Bolitho Omnibus
FP 1991 Three Richard Bolitho tales in one volume: Stand
Into Danger, In Gallant Company, and Sloop of War. Published by Hutchinson in the United Kingdom.
 19 - Beyond
the Reef FP 1992 MARCH 1808 ... As Napoleon holds Portugal
and threatens his old ally Spain, Vice-Admiral Sir Richard Bolitho is dispatched
once more to the Cape of Good Hope to establish a permanent naval force
there. Setting aside his bitter memories and the anguish of a friendship
betrayed, Bolitho takes passage in the ill-fated Golden Plover. With him sail others commanded by duty and lured by danger - and those who wish only to escape. But when shipwreck and disaster overtake the Golden Plover off the desolate coast of Africa, neither the innocent nor the damned are spared. Beyond the tortured hell of the reef, Bolitho's battle begins -- to summon the survivors' last reserves of courage and hope.
 20 - The
Darkening Sea FP 1993 SUMMER 1809 ... Returning safely to England after the dramatic capture of Martinique, Vice-Admiral Sir Richard Bolitho finds an all too brief respite from war and politics in the arms of his mistress, Lady Catherine Somervell. But the shadow of a new conflict already darkens the horizon. The old enemy, France, forges an uneasy alliance with America - threatening the safety of British trade routes. Although ordered immediately to the Indian Ocean, for the first time Bolitho's thoughts are not of glory but his own - and the Navy's - past. Both Nelson and Collingwood died in their country's service. For the Navy's newest Admiral, is there life beyond the sea itself?
 Bolitho
FP 1993 Three classic tales of the sea in one volume: With
All Despatch,
The Only Victor, and Honour This Day. These stories chart the career of the ever popular naval hero, Richard Bolitho, as he battles for King and Country, for his sailors who serve him loyally and for the woman he desperately loves but cannot marry, Lady Catherine Somervell. Published by William Heinemann in the United Kingdom.
 21 - For
My Country's Freedom FP 1995 MARCH 1811 ... After two and a half months of precious peace in Cornwall with his beloved mistress Catherine, Admiral Richard Bolitho is once again summoned to London. In defence of an Empire, the Admiralty must quell the unrest in America - or face war with those who were once friends. For when diplomacy fails, the cannon will speak. For his daring mission, Bolitho must call on the loyalty of his most trusted officers - and the trust of those he loves the most. Distance too is their enemy, as the Indomitable leads the fleet from Plymouth towards the rich merchant grounds of the Americas. In the troubled seas from Antigua north to Halifax, Admiral Bolitho's revolutionary 'flying squadron' will face their first and harshest test. For a country's freedom. For a hero's right to turn his back on the sea.
 22 - Cross
of St. George FP 1996 FEBRUARY 1813, HALIFAX ... With convoys from Canada and the Caribbean falling victim to American privateers, Sir Richard Bolitho returns to Halifax to pursue a war he knows will not be won, but which neither Britain nor the United States can afford to lose. England's youngest admiral desires only peace. But peace will not be found in the icy Canadian waters, where a young, angry nation asserts its identity and men who share a common heritage die in close and bloody action. Nor will there be peace for those who follow the Cross of St. George: for the embittered Adam, mourning his lover and his ship, nor for Rear-Admiral Valentine Keen, who must confront both grief and responsibility. Nor will there be peace from those enemies who use his struggle between nations as an instrument of personal revenge.
 23 - Sword of Honour FP 1998 MARCH 1814 ... Admiral
Sir Richard Bolitho returns to England from several months' rigorous patrolling
off the North American coast. War with the United States has not
yet ended, but news of Napoleon's defeat and abdication has stunned a navy
and a nation bled by years of European conflict. Victory has been
the impossible dream and now, for Bolitho, a vision of the future and a
personal peace seems attainable. However, an unsympathetic Admiralty
dispatches him to Malta. Is this appointment a compliment or a malicious
ploy to keep Bolitho from the woman he loves and the freedom he craves?
He cannot know, but the voice of duty speaks more insistently even than
the voice of the heart, and in this familiar sea where both glory and tragedy
have touched his life, Bolitho must confront the future, the renaissance
of a hated tyrant, and the fulfilment of destiny.
 24 - Second
to None FP 1999 1815, WATERLOO EVE ... A sense of finality and cautious hope pervade a nation wearied by decades of war. But peace will present its own challenge to Adam Bolitho, captain of His Majesty's Ship Unrivalled, as many of his contemporaries face the prospect of discharge. The life of a frigate captain is always lonely, but for Adam, mourning the death of his uncle Admiral Sir Richard Bolitho, that solitude acquires a deeper poignancy. He is, more than ever, alone, at the dawning of a new age for the Royal Navy, where the only constants are the sea and those enemies, often masked in the guise of friendship, who conspire to destroy him.
 25 - Relentless
Pursuit FP 2001 1815, SIERRA LEONE ... It is December 1815 and Adam Bolitho's orders are unequivocal. As captain of His Majesty's frigate Unrivalled of forty-six guns, he is required to 'repair in the first instance to Freetown, Sierra Leone, and reasonably assist the senior officer of the patrolling squadron'. But all efforts of the British anti-slavery patrols to curb a flourishing trade in human life are hampered by unsuitable ships, by the indifference of a government more concerned with old enemies made distrustful allies, and by the continuing belligerence of the Dey of Algiers, which threatens to ignite a full-scale war.
26 - Man of War FP 2003 1817, ANTIGUA ... Every harbour and estuary is filled with ghostly ships, the famous and the legendary now redundant in the aftermath of war. In this uneasy peace, Adam Bolitho is fortunate to be offered the seventy-four gun Athena, and as flag captain to Vice-Admiral Sir Graham Bethune once more follows his destiny to the Caribbean. But in these haunted waters where Richard Bolitho and his 'band of brothers' once fought a familiar enemy, the quarry is now a renegade foe who flies no colours and offers no quarter, and whose traffic in human life is sanctioned by flawed treaties and men of influence. And here, when Athena's guns speak, a day of terrible retribution will dawn for the innocent and the damned.
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