Dust and Steel Patrick Mercer 9780007302741

Thrilling military history from the author of To Do and Die.

As the ship docked in Bombay, the shocking news of the rising by the Indian mutineers and their massacre of women, children and civilians reached Anthony Morgan and his company. Even so, they were hardly prepared for what they now faced in this country, so unknown to them, where they found it hard to understand who was friend or foe among the native troops.

Morgan himself has another quest. On discovering that the son he had fathered, his child's mother and her husband, Morgan's old sergeant, are captives up in the hills where the enterprising Rhani of Jansi is building up her force against old comers, he is determined to find a way to rescue them and lead them to safety.

A gripping tale of one of the great challenges to the Victorian Empire, and the difficult dilemmas of a soldier torn between orders and honor.

Born in 1956, Patrick Mercer read History at Oxford University before joining the Army. He commanded his battalion in Bosnia and Canada. Previously receiving a gallantry commendation, he was awarded the OBE in 1997. In 1999, Patrick Mercer accepted a post as the Defence Reporter for the Today Programme. In the 2001 election, he won the Tory seat in Newark. A respected historian, he has already published a non-fiction account of the Inkerman battle during the Crimean War

Praise for To Do and Die:

'A finely-drawn depiction of battle and the camaraderie of war' Daily Mail

'A tremendous achievement by a storyteller who knows the humour, the fear and the frenzy of men in battle.' Bernard Cornwell

'Mercer's prose is muscular yet silky smooth . His depiction of the experience of battle is unsurpassed'
Saul David, author of Zulu Dawn

'An excellent fiction debut. Any more please?'
Military Illustrated

'Mercer creates colourful, believable characters that stay true to the dialect of the time, but remain recognisable to any modern soldier. Fans of Sharpe, Flashman or Matthew Hervey should enjoy this novel'
Soldier magazine