Late Summer, 1644. The king’s cause in the north has been shattered and the pivotal city of York has fallen. Parliamentarian eyes now look to his remaining territory in the south in a push for total victory.

But for Major Stryker, captured amid the bloody carnage of Marston Moor, the war is at an end. Confined within the dank hell of London’s Clink Prison, where the stinking floodwaters of the Thames are as deadly as his gaolers, his future is bleak. At the mercy of crazed inmates, murderous soldiers and a sadistic governor, this is a new world of savagery, disease and squalor, where all Stryker’s military expertise counts for nothing.

With enemies on all sides, Stryker faces death at any moment. But he knows he must fight for freedom at all costs, for beyond the Clink’s high walls there remains a spy to be hunted, a lover to be found and a war to win…

History fans love Michael Arnold!
‘A thumping good read… every last part of this book oozes authenticity.’ Ben Kane
‘I loved Sharpe. I am going to be equally at home with Captain Stryker.’ Historical Novels Review
‘You can smell the gunpowder and hear the cannon fire.’ Robyn Young
‘A dark-hued romp, livid with the scents, sounds and colours of a country on the brink of implosion.’ Daily Express
‘Rollicking action and proper history… a cracking series.’ Anthony Riches
‘This is masterfully done.’The Times