I am a British author and journalist. My most recent book, The Straits of Treachery (Allison & Busby, 2020), is my first novel. It won the Society of Army Historical Research’s Fiction Prize for 2020. A tale of war, treachery and divided loyalties, it is set in Messina, Sicily, in 1810 during the turbulent years of the Napoleonic Wars.

Previously, I have published three works of non-fiction.

A Reluctant Hero: The Life of Captain Robert Ryder, V.C. (Pen & Sword Books, 2011)

Pistols at Dawn: A History of Duelling (Piatkus, 2007)

The Battle of Maida, 1806 (Pen & Sword Books, 2002)

I am now working on a sequel to The Straits of Treachery.

I am a book reviewer and for the last three years have been Books Editor of Country & Town House magazine for which I write a monthly review page. My book reviews have also appeared in The Economist, Country Life, The Field, FT, and other publications.

I am available for copywriting work, both corporate and private.

I was educated at Magdalen College, Oxford, from which I graduated with an M.A. in Modern History. I was subsequently called to the Bar by Gray’s Inn.