It is 1800 and Jacob Fletcher's plans for a career in trade are once again dashed by the allure of new adventures on the ocean's waves.

Sent to America as a roving ambassador, Fletcher finds himself caught up in one of his most demanding challenges yet, against the incredible fighting force of the French Navy. It is during this epic battle that Fletcher first sees the Blue Star, a diamond to surpass all others.

Determined to find the source of the diamond, Fletcher embarks on a journey into Africa, where he finds himself entangled in a new and dangerous enterprise: providing weaponry, and fighting side by side with Prince Inyathi, the Buffalo, a Zulu leader, who is battling against the Arabs. Fearsome Zulus, witchcraft and even love all stand in Fletcher's way in his pursuit of the diamond mines and a safe passage back to England.

This action-packed adventure is the sixth book in the bestselling Fletcher series.

'Broad comedy, high drama, plenty of action, a pinch of sex... the genre has room for this cheerily debunking outsider' - Daily Mail

'Swashbuckling adventure on the high seas doesn't get much better than this ... John Drake writes beautifully, and you'll be torn between savoring the words and quickly flipping the pages. Any favorable comparison to Stevenson or Patrick O'Brian is totally justified' - Nelson DeMille, #1 New York Times bestselling author

John Drake trained as a biochemist to post-doctorate research level before realising he was no good at science. His working career was in the television department of ICI until 1999 when he became a full-time writer. John's hobby is muzzle-loading shooting, and his interests are British history and British politics (as a spectator), plus newspapers, TV news, and current affairs. He is married with a son and two grandchildren.