Kit Killigrew and the crew of HMS Tisiphone capture China's most ruthless pirate, Zhai jing-mu. After handing him over to the authorities, Kit is free to enjoy the pleasures the Hong Kong has to offer. But rising tensions and the pirate's escape from jail means Killigrew must be on his guard.

In the spring of 1852, Killigrew leaves England, bound for the arctic, on a voyage to discover the North-West Passage. Killigrew is keen to make a name for himself as an explorer, but their ship, HMS Venturer, soon runs into trouble. Eventually they find themselves frozen, deep in the heart of the arctic.

Offers a tale of subterfuge and double-crossing, from dark deeds in the underworld of Victorian London, to international espionage and warfare in the Baltic.

The Baltic, 1854. "War tourist" Viscount Bullivant and his family are kidnapped by the Russians. It falls to Commander Kit Killigrew to escape the Tsarist secret police, rescue the Bullivants, steal back their yacht, sail through the Ekenas Archipelago and defeat Captain-Lieutenant Pechorin.