1786. Britain is at peace - but HMS Expedient is sailing into danger.

Captain William Rennie has spent years stranded on half-pay, waiting for the command that never came. When he is finally given HMS Expedient, a newly refitted frigate bound for the Pacific, it should be the chance to restore his career.

But from the beginning, something is wrong.

The ship’s guns are experimental. Her orders are sealed. Her supposed voyage of scientific exploration conceals a far more dangerous purpose. And when a mysterious frigate begins shadowing Expedient across the Atlantic, Rennie and his first lieutenant, James Hayter, realise they may not be sailing alone.

Their mission will take them from Portsmouth to Tenerife, round the savage waters of Cape Horn and into the vast uncertainty of the Pacific, where an uncharted island waits... and where the truth behind their secret orders may prove deadlier than any enemy broadside.

For fans of Patrick O’Brian, Dudley Pope and classic Royal Navy adventure, The Pacific Mission launches the HMS Expedient naval adventures: a richly authentic Age of Sail series of courage, intrigue and command at sea.

This work was previously published as HMS Expedient by Peter Smalley.