Showing results by author "Malcolm Archibald" in All Categories

Murders, riots, strikes, and runaway horses. Midlothian in the 18th and 19th centuries was an interesting place to live. This book introduces the listener to the hard lives of the colliers, the birth of the rural police force, and the impact the army had on life in the county south of Scotland’s capital city. Highwaymen and grave robbers, footpads and murderers, illicit distillers and murderous poachers - all lived or worked in Midlothian at a time when Scotland was changing from a rural to an industrial nation.

Burmese War, 1852. Unable to join the famous Royal Malverns, Jack Windrush is commissioned into the despised 113th foot. Determined to rise in the ranks and make a name for himself, he is sent with the 113th to join the British expedition. But when they get involved in the attack of Rangoon, Jack realizes that war on the fringes of the empire is not as honorable and glorious as he expected. After a chance meeting with a renegade British soldier, Jack witnesses the true terrors of war, and begins to question the whole framework in which he has grown up.

Malta, 1854. Jack and his disreputable 113th Foot have to resort to ungentlemanly actions to get themselves posted to Crimea. A lieutenant in British Army's worst regiment, Jack hankers for recognition to regain his true station in life. Facing the formidable Russian army led by the savage Major Kutozov, Jack learns that life in the front line is tough, with only the wayward Helen to alleviate the horrors of war.

Dundee, Scotland, 1862. After the mill of businessman Matthew Beaumont burns to the ground, Detective Sergeant George Watters is sent to investigate. Soon, George discovers that this is not the first property that has been targeted. When a man is found dead in the hold of a trade ship, George discovers a shocking connection between Beaumont and foreign powers threatening the very country.

Canada, 1759. After the capture of Quebec in the Seven Years War, Corporal Hugh MacKim and other 78th Highlanders attempt to desert the British army. But when Hugh's group is caught in an ambush, his loved one, Tayanita, is mortally wounded by a tall, tattooed Canadian. MacKim swears vengeance. Suffering from nightmares, he returns to the army, transfers to the Rangers and decides to fight in a series of skirmishes through the winter.

When Sergeant George Watters is assigned to a scuttling case, he thinks he can solve it in a few days. Instead, he discovers a connection to a string of burglaries of high-value shops and hotels across Dundee. Things take a turn for the worse when one of Watters' informants tells him that someone from the police force is involved in the burglaries. Soon, George realizes that the mystery runs deeper than he expected.

Kent, England, 1762. Bloody smuggling wars are raging on England's southern coast. It's a time of daring men and bold women, and deadly skirmishes between rival gangs and the law. John Smith, a man both hanged and drowned, returns to his home village, swearing vengeance on the landowner who killed his father. There is no quarter asked or expected when Smith begins to carve out his place among the Free Traders of Kent. What he doesn't know is that the Preventative Service has sent Ambrose Grant - their most effective man - to hunt him down.

Years after leaving the 113th Foot, Jack Windrush is sent to the Northwest Frontier of India to investigate reports of gun-running among the Pashtun tribes. When he discovers that the reports are not only true, but run deeper than initially believed, he is assigned to stop the rogue group and prevent an uprising. Soon, old friends turn into mortal enemies and loyalty becomes a scarce commodity. As the Islamic revolt against the British rises across the Frontier, can Jack and his unit stop the rebel uprising?

Tired of war, he has to obey orders when Colonel Hook orders him to hunt down a mysterious female warrior named Jayanti. Soon, Jack's company of the 113th Foot shares in the defeat at Fort Ruhya, where they encounter warriors wearing black turbans...and discover that they are women. With a Pathan prisoner, Jack and the remains of the 113th Foot leave the main army to search for Jayanti.

In the ninth book in the Jack Windrush series of military novels, Jack and the 113th Foot join the British invasion of Afghanistan in 1878, trying to counter an alleged Russian threat. Training the young battalion for the trials he know will come, Jack's unit is assigned to Afghanistan, to a war created by Russian interference and British politicians. Between bloody battles, treacherous spies, and friends who may be on either side, Jack must guide his men through a morass of dangers. But can he succeed and return home safely, or will he never see his wife Mary again?

Captain Jack Windrush and the the infamous 113th Foot are assigned to India, just before the Indian Mutiny breaks out. Returning from a five-day march with his company, Jack finds that the sepoys have rebelled and massacred their officers, and most of the other company of the 113th. Gathering together a number of survivors, Jack and his company fight their way out of the cantonment and escape. After Jack learns that the British are besieged by a large rebel army, he takes his men to Allahabad to relieve Cawnpore, and meet with General Havelock.

This thematic audiobook introduces the history of the Firth of Forth, the gateway to the east of Scotland and Edinburgh, Scotland’s capital city. There are whaling ships and fishing boats, great tea clippers with a Forth connection and the Leith built Sirius that was the first ship to cross the Atlantic under steam power alone. The historical background to each of the Forth islands is covered, with tales of shipwreck and holy men, pirates and lighthouses, plague victims, grim prisons and a Jacobite fortress that held out against the Scottish Navy.

Dundee, 1860s. Sergeant George Watters and his team investigate the murder of a local banker, found dead on the 13th tee of a local golf course. Illicit prizefighters, merchants, and prostitutes all seem to be somehow connected to the murder, and even the toughest of Dundee are refusing to talk.

Scotland, 1388. After Fergus Scott of Eildon travels north to investigate reports of a malevolent presence, he encounters the ferocious Alistair Mor. Drawn into battle against enchantment and death, Fergus is aided by the lovely but quick-tempered Seonaid. Meanwhile, Donald of the Isles and his army march to confront Alistair, and trouble is brewing as the witches of Scotland gather to recreate the Book of Black Earth.

The successful smuggler John Smith has become a highwayman to safeguard his inland trade. Riding the roads as the Yellowhammer, he makes both friends and enemies as he robs the rich and powerful.

Dance If Ye Can is an introduction to the huge variety of battles fought in Scotland, or fought by the Scots in the nearly 900 years when they were an independent nation. The first part of the audiobook serves as an introduction to Scottish history, while the second section portrays the Scottish soldier throughout history. Part three gives an alphabetical guide and brief notes of the many hundred battles, skirmishes, and sieges that pepper the history of Scotland.

The Moray Firth of Scotland has a fine maritime history. This audiobook introduces the nearly forgotten sealing and whaling industry of the 19th century. It includes ships, masters, men, and anecdotes from Fraserburgh and Banff, with a year-by-year breakdown of the industry. A recognized expert on the Scottish whaling industry, Malcolm Archibald has authored a number of books on the subject, including Whalehunters (Mercat Press, 2004), Ancestors in the Arctic (Black and White, 2013), and The Dundee Whaling Fleet (Dundee University Press, 2013).

In Sergeant George Watters' next case, the Dundee policeman finds himself dealing with local susceptibilities and international intrigue.

After the campaign against the Norse, Melcorka the Swordswoman is unsettled. She wishes revenge on Egil the Norseman, yet knows that Defender - her magic sword - cannot kill without cause. After a visit to the seer Fitheach, Melcorka receives a dire warning. They head toward the Western Isles in search of knowledge, facing many dangers on their path. With the help of pirate leader Osprey and Hector, leader of the Ulvust, they forge on toward the Standing Stones of Callanish to face the most fearsome foe of all: The Shining One.

Returning to the Dundee of 1860 after years in the army, Robert Douglas finds employment with George Gilbride, a whaling-ship owner known as the Wizard. Drugged by sinister gangster John Wylie, Douglas wakens on board the steam-whaler Redgauntlet bound for the Artic, and discovers that his companions believe the ship is haunted and do not expect to return. After an initial clash, Douglas befriends the ship's mate, "Bully Houston", and together thay begin to unravel a year-old mystery.