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Jonathan Spencer

One man against an armada

London, 1798. Late one night, a junior naval officer at the Admiralty intercepts a coded despatch, marked with blood: Napoleon Bonaparte is about to launch the largest invasion fleet in history. Target: unknown.

England is vulnerable, bereft of allies, and the Sea Lords fear a direct assault on Britain. Admiralty Intelligence sounds the alarm and prepares to unleash Nelson and the Mediterranean squadron.

But before they can, they need vital information. They need a special officer to infiltrate by land or by sea to uncover the destination of Napoleon's armada a man who never stops.

Marine Lt William John Hazzard.

But will he agree to help them?

Betrayed by the Admiralty at the African Cape three years earlier, Hazzard has vowed never to trust them again. Bitter memories poisoned his return home, and his devoted fiancé Sarah, unable to bear his pain any longer, disappears in Naples never to be seen again.

But the Admiralty knows just how to get him back.

They know where Sarah is, and her life is in danger!

From pitched sea-battles to back-street duels in a covert war, this is the epic adventure of the new hero of Napoleonic fiction: Hazzard. Perfect for fans of Seth Hunter, Bernard Cornwell and CS Forester.

Never give up the boat.

Jonathan Spencer is from south-east London, the great-grandson of a clipper-ship captain who brought tea from China. He served in the Canadian army, studied ancient and modern history, and has lectured at universities and private associations on the subject of Napoleonic Egypt. He writes historical non-fiction under the name Jonathan Downs, his major work a revised account of the British acquisition of the Rosetta Stone, Discovery at Rosetta, (London 2008; Cairo 2020). He speaks several languages, has trained with the former Russian National fencing coach, and has lived and worked abroad all his life. He currently lives in the Western Cape in South Africa.

Mark Elstob

SAGA Egmont

William John Hazzard series

Napoleon's Run

The battle for Empire rages across Egypt. 

The thrilling second novel in the William John Hazzard series, following Napoleon's Run.

Malta, June 1798. Captured by the French after hurling himself into enemy ranks, Hazzard is now a prisoner of his arch-nemesis, spycatcher Citizen Derrien, but has uncovered the true purpose of Napoleon’s armada: the conquest of Egypt. Their bold plan is to cut open the ancient Suez Canal to the Red Sea and attack India, the jewel in England’s crown.

The survival of nations in the balance, Nelson scours the Mediterranean for the French in vain. If Hazzard can’t convince Admiralty Intelligence of a desperate plan, an ancient world will be lost for ever. But help comes from an unexpected quarter: the missing Admiralty agent...

As French cannons roar in the desert sands and the Mamluk cavalry sweeps in to attack, Hazzard fights to prevent a lost cause turning into tragedy.

From the shores of Malta to the epic encounter at the Battle of the Nile – this is the explosive beginning of the French conquest of Egypt.

Never give up the boat.

‘Stupendous... Lords of the Nile has such a breathtakingly frenetic plot that I found myself getting faster and faster in my reading, tearing through the pages, only to realise that I was trying to match the pace of the characters and the plot. It is so immersive you can’t help but be sucked into it, swept away by it, pushed to tears by it and utterly enthralled by it.
‘Jonathan Spencer is now one of my "Must read" authors, a drop-what-you’re-doing-(or whatever else you are reading)-and-read-it-now writer. My favourite book this year.’ Parmenion Books on Lords of the Nile

‘This is an outstanding novel, made even more remarkable by its début status. Better than Sharpe, gripping and intense, Napoleon’s Run deserves to be a runaway success’ Ben Kane, Sunday Times bestselling author of Lionheart on Napoleon's Run

'Hornblower meets Mission: Impossible. A thrilling, page-turning debut packed with rousing, rip-roaring action' J. D. Davies, author of the Matthew Quinton Journals on Napoleon's Run

Jonathan Spencer is from south-east London, the great-grandson of a clipper-ship captain who brought tea from China. He served in the Canadian army, studied ancient and modern history, and has lectured at universities and private associations on the subject of Napoleonic Egypt. He writes historical non-fiction under the name Jonathan Downs, his major work a revised account of the British acquisition of the Rosetta Stone, Discovery at Rosetta, (London 2008; Cairo 2020). He speaks several languages, has trained with the former Russian National fencing coach, and has lived and worked abroad all his life. He currently lives in the Western Cape in South Africa.

Lords of the Nile

The sands of Egypt carry whispers of rebellion…

The much-anticipated third novel in Jonathan Spencer’s best-selling William John Hazzard series.

Egypt, September 1798. After tragedy at the Battle of the Nile, Hazzard is possessed by a dark vengeance: with the marines of 9 Company and their Bedouin allies he scours the Nile Delta for his enemy, the French spy-catcher Citizen Derrien.

However, among the sacred ibis and ever-shifting sands, Hazzard catches wind of something far more deadly: the stirrings of revolt in Cairo, the outbreak of plague, and the cold hand of Admiralty Intelligence. When riot explodes in the capital, Hazzard fears he is simply too late.

Abandoned by the French Government, Napoleon and his army are now trapped in Egypt. When Bonaparte discovers that Al-Djezzar ‘the Butcher’ of Acre is gathering his forces to attack, he accepts the challenge.

Riding with the Mamluk and the beautiful Shajar al-Durr, Hazzard engages French cavalry in the shadow of Ozymandias in ancient Thebes – and the Admiralty calls upon him once more as Napoleon launches his bloody crusade on Syria and the Holy Land to become the new Emperor in the East.

From flaming battle at sea with the blockade fleet to massacre at the walls of Jaffa and Acre, this is Napoleon’s desperate bid to seize the Orient – and the next explosive chapter of the French occupation of Egypt. 

Perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell, Simon Scarrow and Seth Hunter.

In the words of J. D. Davies this is the follow-up to a "Hornblower meets Mission: Impossible" storyline.

Jonathan Spencer is from south-east London, the great-grandson of a clipper-ship captain who brought tea from China. He served in the Canadian army, studied ancient and modern history, and has lectured at universities and private associations on the subject of Napoleonic Egypt. He writes historical non-fiction under the name Jonathan Downs, his major work a revised account of the British acquisition of the Rosetta Stone, Discovery at Rosetta, (London 2008; Cairo 2020). He speaks several languages, has trained with the former Russian National fencing coach, and has lived and worked abroad all his life. He currently lives in the Western Cape in South Africa.

Emperor of Dust