For Want of a Shilling: A New Zealand Historical Novel of Naval Adventure and Political Intrigue
(Book #2 in the Moana Rangitira Series)
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Book Overview
A secret Russian warship. A defenseless colony. The forgotten countdown to a Pacific invasion.
London, 1868. British Prime Minister William Gladstone makes a chilling prediction: New Zealand's massive gold rushes, rich coal fields, and agricultural resources have made the remote colony a prime target for envious nations. To cut costs, Britain is withdrawing her troops-leaving the young territory completely exposed.
Saint Petersburg, 1872. High within the ranks of the Imperial Russian Navy, a shadow plot takes shape. Inspired by the devastating commerce-raiding tactics of the American Confederate Navy, Prince Alexei and Admiral Romanov deploy Russia's most advanced ironclad frigate, the Petropavlovsk, on a covert mission to the bottom of the world. Their objective: map the defences of New Zealand's capital city, Wellington for an impending invasion.
Wellington, 1873. Under the cover of a violent southern storm, the massive steel-sided predator slips undetected into the Cook Strait. But when a ruthless marine sniper pulls a trigger on a dark gravel beach, a quiet reconnaissance mission explodes into a fatal international incident. As blood spills on the shores of Owhiro Bay, the fate of a fledgling nation hangs on a knife-edge. Can a colony with no navy defend itself against a global superpower?
Based on the fascinating, historically factual "Russian Scare" era of the late 19th century, For Want of a Shilling is a gripping historical thriller packed with authentic naval tactics, political intrigue, and boots-on-the-ground military suspense.
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