PRAISE FOR ‘THE JOURNALS OF MATTHEW QUINTON’
There is a welcome return, too [in Death’s Bright Angel], for Captain Matthew Quinton of Charles II’s navy. J D Davies is an expert on the 17th-century navy, and his series about a gentleman captain in the Age of Sail has won him keen fans…Davies knows his subject and wears his knowledge lightly. Death’s Bright Angel is the sixth book in a series of real panache. – The Times (review by Antonia Senior)
Great naval fiction…Hornblower, Aubrey and Quinton – a pantheon of the best adventures at sea – Conn Iggulden
Exciting, emotive and utterly convincing, the Quinton Journals lead the field in naval historical fiction – Sam Willis, TV presenter and author of Fighting Ships, The Fighting Temeraire, The Admiral Benbow & The Glorious First of June
Finely shaded characters, excellent plotting, gut-clenching action and immaculate attention to period naval detail…these are superb books – Angus Donald, author of ‘The Outlaw Chronicles’
Welsh born/English adopted J D Davies is a guy who knows about his subject. He’s an academic and historian with a doctorate in Reformation naval history. Therefore the details of things like the equipment, traditions and tactics in his Matt Quinton series are spot on; as are the pacing, adventure and thrills. (An ability that’s a little more unusual in academic circles.) In short this is as exciting as it is informative for naval history fans as a for those who don’t know one end of a ship’s cannon from another but just want a ripping read…From the prologue to the author’s wonderful notes at the back, this is an excellent read. – The Bookbag (review by Ani Johnson)
A splendid addition to nautical adventure, and a grand story, to boot!—Dewey Lambdin, author of the Alan Lewrie series of novels
J D Davies’s depiction of Restoration England and the British navy is impeccable, his characters truly live and breathe, and the plot kept me in suspense. Gentleman Captain is one of the rare books that I have read with a smile on my face from cover to cover. I could not recommend it more. — Edward Chupack, author of Silver: My Own Tale as Written by Me with a Goodly Amount of Murder
A beautifully written and masterfully told story…an excellent book, well researched, well written and thoroughly enjoyable…terrific characters, a thrilling adventure, and a wonderful sense of time and place…a delightful tale… a naval adventure that goes well beyond the usual outlines of the genre to paint a lively portrait of England in the 1600s…these are superb books…the best series of historical fiction I’ve ever read – From various reviews of the series