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A Close Run Thing (The Matthew Hervey Adventures: 1)

byAllan Mallinson

A high-octane and fast-paced military action adventure guaranteed to have you gripped!

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From the Sunday Times bestselling author Allan Mallinson, a riveting read with the perfect combination of hero, history and adventure - perfect for fans of Patrick O'Brian and Bernard Cornwell.

"Convincingly drawn, perfectly paced and expertly written...A Joy to read" - Antony Beevor.
"I can't wait to read the next in the series..." - ***** Reader review.
"A captivating read..."- ***** Reader review.
"Allan Mallinson is a truly gifted storyteller..."- ***** Reader review.

*****

Waterloo 1815. The war against Napoleon Bonaparte is raging to its bloody end at Waterloo.

A young officer - Cornet Matthew Hervey - going about his duty suddenly finds himself at the crux of events.
The decisions he has to make - both military and romantic - will change the course of his life, and possible have far reaching political consequences...

A Close Run Thing is the first book in Allan Mallinson's Matthew Hervey series. His adventures continue in The Nizam's Daughters.

About the series

Follow Lieutenant-Colonel Matthew Hervey through the 19th century as he takes command of the Sixth Light Dragoons, battles to crush the rebellion, and tries to safeguard his country's interests whilst leaving the brutal war as unscathed as possible. With cuts in the army and with his battalion down to a single squadron, can Hervey remain an impartial spectator when the stakes have never been higher?

'Now at last a highly literate, deeply read cavalry officer of high rank shows one the nature of horse-borne warfare in those times: and Colonel Mallinson's A Close Run Thing is very much to be welcomed.'

Patrick O'Brian

About Allan Mallinson

A professional solder for thirty-five years, Allan Mallinson began writing while still serving.
His first book was a history of four regiments of British light dragoons, one of which he commanded. His debut novel was the bestselling A Close Run Thing, the first in an acclaimed series chronicling the life of a fictitious cavalry officer before and after Waterloo (The Tigress of Mysore is the fourteenth in the series). His The Making of the British Army was shortlisted for a number of prizes, while 1914: Fight the Good Fight won the British Army’s ‘Book of the Year’ Award. Its sequel, Too Important for the Generals, is a provocative look at leadership during the Great War, while Fight to the Finish is a comprehensive history of the First World War, month by month.
Allan Mallinson reviews for the Spectator and the TLS and also writes for The Times. He lives on Salisbury Plain.
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