Independent Action: Kinkaid in the North Atlantic (Volume 1)

Item Description

The Jonathan Kinkaid Series is a meticulously researched, nautical fiction, action-adventure trilogy, all certain to become classics in the genre. Each book is based on actual events; each takes us to a different theatre of the war at sea during the American Revolution.

Volume one, "Independent Action," introduces our hero as he finds himself serving as First Lieutenant aboard the American frigate Randolph of 32 guns, blockaded in the port of Philadelphia during the winter of 1776-77. Tasked with orders to undertake "independent action" in the frigid waters of the North Atlantic against a mighty British convoy, the "Lucky Randy" manages to elude enemy warships long enough to transform her crew-from the crusty boatswain O'Toole to the teenage midshipman Billy Weatherby-into an effective fighting force. A story of the fury of the sea and the waste of war, of brave but fallible men and boys who find themselves in dire straits, of history and the building of character, "Independent Action" is fast-paced, old-fashioned, high seas adventure at its very best. Cover art by the author; The Continental Frigate Randolph.

Volume two is entitled "Uprising," in which Kinkaid is given command of his own ship, Swift, of sixteen guns. His assignment is threefold: to deliver a diplomat bearing a copy of the Declaration of Independence to the Dutch free port of St. Eustatia in the Caribbean, to assist a major of marines with a mysterious assignment that takes them to the jungle island of Dominica, inhabited by cannibalistic Caribe Indians, and to gain information of any pirate activity in the Virgin Islands that may interfere with American shipping from St. Eustatia to American shores. Cover art by the author; The Attack on Hurricane Hole.

Volume three, "Hazardous Duty," finds Kinkaid in command of the 18-gun sloop of war, Ranger, tasked with scouting duties for the Continental Fleet in this third volume of the Jonathan Kinkaid Series. Braving not only the foul and frigid weather of northern waters, Kinkaid must contend with an inexperienced crew, a badly leaking ship, and  personality clashes among senior officers; one of them being the bold and aggressive John Paul Jones, in command of the Frigate Alfred, not to mention trying to evade a strong and powerful British force that hopes to trap and destroy them in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Cover art by the author; The Ranger with the Continental Fleet.
 
Volume Four, "Tidings of Victory" tells of Captain Kinkaid and his seagoing patriots taking the news of our great victory at Saratoga to Benjamin Franklin in Paris. Filled with spies and saboteurs, intrigue and villainy, this masterfully written tale is another triumph of high-seas adventure, giving fans an intense story of booming cannons in ship-to-ship battles as well as a bold rescue of American seamen from an English prison, with a brilliant and unexpected conclusion.

Michael Winston also wrote "Sunset of the Iroquois," an epic novel about Washington's 1779 invasion of the Iroquois lands of New York State, and the Sgt. Smith World War II trilogy, about a squad of soldiers in the First Infantry Division. 

All of Michael Winston's books are available as paperbacks or e-books for Kindle.

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