A Return to Duty

by William C. Hammond

Overview

A Return to Duty, the eighth volume in the award-winning Cutler Family Chronicles series, is set in Massachusetts and the Far East in the early 1850s during the aftermath of the First Opium War fought between China and Great Britain. The subsequent flood of opium into North America and Europe, from Turkey and the eastern provinces of India through China, threatens the very fabric of America. As a premier carrier of goods along Far Eastern trade routes, Cutler & Sons, in league with the U.S. Navy and the Royal Navy, plays a key role in the struggle to eliminate the scourge of narcotics. Family loyalties, core values, and passions are woven into a plot that takes the reader from Boston to Washington, and from Java to Hong Kong and the Gulf of Tonkin, in a savage conflict with cutthroats and brigands who defy their emperor to amass huge fortunes by ransoming sailors and smuggling opium. The fate of Cutler & Sons and the future of Western civilization hang in the balance.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781493087341
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	09/03/2024
Series:	Cutler Family Chronicles , #8
Pages:	258
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

William C. Hammond was born in 1947 in Boston, Massachusetts, and grew up in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts. An amateur historian and sailing enthusiast, he is the author of the Cutler Family Chronicles, which take place amid the rise of the American Navy. Hammond now lives in New Zealand with his wife, Sheree.

Editorial Reviews

A seamless blend of history, a page-turning plot and unforgettable characters. To Distant Shores is an unputdownable, entertaining read that will appeal to anyone who enjoys a well-written novel that engages the heart and mind.”

New Zealand Book Lovers

.. . William Hammond sticks with his engaging and award-winning formula of embedding his early 19th-century characters in the culture, people and politics of the time.

Sailing

William Hammond is an impressive author able to breathe life into his characters and envelop his reader's total attention from first page to last. An outstanding continuation of a highly recommended series, How Dark the Night is highly recommended for personal reading lists and community library historical fiction collections. These are the kind of books from which blockbuster movies and award-winning television mini-series are made!

Midwest Book Review

A rollicking good read full of battles, glory, and high-seas adventure, all firmly rooted in this nation’s maritime history, which the author knows and portrays well.

James L. Nelson

William Hammond spins a captivating tale set against the endeavors of a young nation and a family seeking to find its way in a politically and personally complicated world. How Dark the Night—and the entire Cutler chronicle—shine a glorious light on America's rich maritime history.

Quarterdeck

High drama on the high seas combined with political intrigue, ships of two navies, pirates, and privateers draws the reader into this compelling tale, well crafted by William Hammond. The growing Cutler family's story brings history to life even as they appear on opposite sides of an international conflict. Another well-told, fast-paced story from the pen of Mr. Hammond that is sure to further endear his readers to the well-portrayed and three-dimensional cast of characters.

William H. White

How Dark the Night, the fifth volume in the Cutler Chronicles, was a joy to read! Strong enough to stand on its own sea legs, Hammond has written a finely crafted tale of familial and maritime adventure. Hammond's masterful scene-setting places you on the wharves, on board ships, and in family settings so vividly that you feel as if you're eavesdropping on life during the Age of Sail. Best of all, How Dark the Night is a novel whose impact subtly builds to a riveting and wrenchingly emotional climax.

Dwight Jon Zimmerman

Two previous books covered the Cutlers’ naval service during the American Revolution, but The Power and the Glory is a fine stand-alone read. Hammond offers a deft blend of fictional and real characters that range the American coast from Massachusetts to Barbados, as Lt. Richard Cutler rises in the new American Navy. Hammond’s meaty tale climaxes in 1800 with a splendid ship duel between the newly built USS Constellation and La Vengeance. This battle alone is so thrilling that I am now eager to look up Hammond’s previous works, and I heartily recommend The Power and the Glory.

Historical Novels Review Online

As always, the naval, family, and political threads are woven together in an excellent, well-written, and believable narrative by the author as [Hammond] explores the early history of the young nation. I look forward to reading the next in the series. Recommended.

Historical Naval Fiction