Indian Ocean

Murder and Mayhem in Mauritius presents a selection of historical crime stories ranging from the trial and execution of rebellious slaves, to tragedies arising from adultery and love triangles, and desperate acts of exploited workers. Alongside the better known cases of career criminal Nanard and exiled Malagasy noble Ratsitatane, this collection introduces readers to the tale of the Mauritian attorney who ended up in a Nazi concentration camp, and to the Indian workers on a Chagos atoll who murdered their manager and hijacked a ship, among other sometimes moving, sometimes shocking true ...

As in The Golden Ocean, The Unknown Shore tells the tale of another ill-fated ship on Anson’s expedition round the world – the Wager. Parted from her squadron in the fearful storms off Cape Horn, the Wager struggles on alone up the ironbound coast of Chile, before she is driven onto rocks and sinks. The survivors include Jack Byron, a midshipman, and his eccentric protégé Toby, an alarmingly naive surgeon’s mate with a single-minded devotion to zoology.

Patrick O’Brian is acclaimed as one of the greatest historical novelists of the twentieth century, celebrated throughout the world for his masterful roman fleuve, the Aubrey‒Maturin series. But he was also a prolific writer of short stories, and it is in this form that he first made his mark. Encompassing stories written in his unvarnished youth to tales told by a seasoned traveller, this is the most comprehensive collection of O’Brian’s short fiction ever published. It is a treasure chest, containing more than sixty tales, including rarities, uncollected works, and forgotten jewels.