It is early 1854 and war looms with Tsarist Russia. James Rutherford and his ship Spartan are transferred to Royal Navy service and given a role patrolling Oriental waters in search of a powerful enemy warship which seeks to prey upon allied shipping. Reluctant to be confined to such tedium, Rutherford adopts a more proactive approach but this will lead to grave risks for Spartan’s crew.

Martin Hicks lives in Fraserburgh in Scotland and began writing after a career in education. The Renegade is his sixteenth book and the fourth Spartan story. He is currently working on a fifth title.