Showing results by author "Malcolm Archibald" in All Categories

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.

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.

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?

Scotland has always given generously of her people to the world. This book tells the story of some of the many hundreds of thousands of Scots who have contributed to the fabric of modern world. In here are explorers and entrepreneurs, settlers and soldiers, politicians and missionaries, traders and police officers. They are a diverse lot with only two things in common: they made their home in a foreign land, and they hailed from Scotland. The world is all the richer for the part they played.

It's 1854, and the 113th Regiment of Foot is commissioned to Sevastopol during the Crimean War. As the great storm of November 1854 rages, Jack and his friend Ben - a naval officer - are rescuing survivors from a wrecked ship. Jack finds out that one of the survivors is Helen Maxwell, his former sweetheart.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

In the seventh book in the Windrush series, Jack is sent to infiltrate the Fenian Brotherhood, who are threatening to cause mutiny in the British Army. The journey will take him from deepest England to Ireland and across the Atlantic to the United States and Canada. Jack discovers that another nation is using the Fenian cause for its own ends, and gets involved in battles and intrigue. But what's most worrying of all is the involvement of Helen, Jack's old flame. What is she doing with the Fenians?

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