A secret invention. A deadly race across the Mediterranean. And an enemy determined to stop Britain claiming the future of naval warfare.

1795. Captain William Rennie has been cast aside by the Admiralty after the disastrous loss of a fortune in French gold, while his former first lieutenant, James Hayter, has inherited a title, an estate and command of his own frigate.

But when the Secret Service Fund learns of a mysterious inventor hiding in Naples, both men are drawn into a mission of extraordinary importance. Marion Milson claims to have devised a revolutionary means of propelling ships without wind – an invention that could transform naval warfare forever.

Their orders are to reach Naples and bring Milson and his plans safely to England. But spies have already penetrated the mission. Their families are threatened, enemies stalk their ships, and French frigates close in across the Atlantic.

What begins as a secret voyage soon erupts into brutal sea battles, betrayal and devastating loss – with Rennie and Hayter caught between the enemy and the dangerous men in Whitehall who sent them.

Packed with naval combat, espionage and political intrigue, The Following Wind is the thrilling eighth adventure in Peter Smalley’s HMS Expedient series.