We are delighted to announce that we have signed the fourth book in Justin Fox’s Jack Pembroke Naval Thrillers series: action-packed British Navy stories set during the Second World War.
Below, Justin tells us more about the series and what to expect from the latest instalment:
“During my national service in the South African Navy back in the 1980s, I learnt about the clashes that took place in the South Atlantic during World War Two. Most South African warships were converted fishing trawlers or Norwegian whalers, hastily fitted with a few guns and depth charges to take on Nazi U-boats and raiders. I was astonished to learn that more than 150 Allied ships had been sunk in South African waters, mostly by German and Japanese submarines.
“Before embarking on my series of novels, I needed to do a lot of research to get the period and events right. I spent time in the British National Archives, Imperial War Museum and the British Library in London, as well as the archives of the South African Naval Museum in Simon’s Town.
“The first two novels in the series tell the story of Jack Pembroke, posted from Britain to serve on escort ships based at the Cape. In the next two novels, Pembroke and his ship HMSAS Gannet are sent up north to Egypt, where they join a flotilla escorting Allied convoys around the eastern Mediterranean. Malta Inferno deals with a fateful convoy to the beleaguered island and Pembroke’s traumatic time there. Each novel can be read as a standalone story.
“Given my background as a travel journalist, I’m the kind of writer who needs to visit and experience the locations of my novels. So, for this novel, I spent considerable time in Malta, trying to find the old haunts of the sailors during the war. Visiting the locations brings valuable authenticity to the writing … and it’s also a good excuse to travel to fascinating places. The next Jack Pembroke novel is set in Madagascar, so that’s where I’m bound!”
Malta Inferno is available to pre-order now.
Visit Justin’s website for all his latest news.
