Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures Books in Order
Part ofChris Durbin Books in OrderSee the Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures by Chris Durbin in order, with short summaries, series background, and help choosing where to start.
Last updated: July 7, 2026
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Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures books in publication order
18 books
The Colonial Post-Captain
by Chris Durbin
2017
In 1756, Virginian captain Edward Carlisle takes HMS Fury to Toulon to gauge a French buildup as peace slides toward war. Winter weather, brittle diplomacy, and the mysterious Chiara Angelini make a reconnaissance mission far more dangerous than it looks.
The Jamaica Station
by Chris Durbin
2018
A Spanish governor fleeing pursuit draws Carlisle and Holbrooke into intrigue across the Caribbean. When Carlisle is badly wounded, Holbrooke must command Medina himself and face a French threat that could shape far more than one small campaign.
The Leeward Islands Squadron
by Chris Durbin
2018
After the loss of Minorca, Carlisle and first lieutenant George Holbrooke sail their new frigate Medina to the West Indies. A dying commodore, uneasy crewmen, and an assault on a powerful island fortress test both officers almost at once.
Holbrooke's Tide
by Chris Durbin
2019
Newly promoted commander George Holbrooke takes the sloop Kestrel to blockade Emden and cut French support to the army in Germany. Assassins, hard bargaining, and a race against time leave little room for mistakes.
Perilous Shore
by Chris Durbin
2019
Holbrooke is drawn into Britain's experimental coastal raids on France, leading flatboats onto hostile beaches in Normandy and Brittany. The new style of war is chaotic enough, and a failed landing leaves him fighting for survival, freedom, and future command.
The Cursed Fortress
by Chris Durbin
2019
Carlisle and Medina join the 1758 campaign against Louisbourg, the great French stronghold guarding the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Siege work, brutal weather, and a hazardous cutting-out attack make this one of the war's toughest operations.
Niagara Squadron
by Chris Durbin
2020
Sent inland with the expedition against Fort Niagara, Holbrooke must fight far from blue water on rivers, boats, and Lake Ontario. He has to improvise quickly, win trust, and help force a French stronghold to fall.
Rocks and Shoals
by Chris Durbin
2020
With the attack on Quebec under way, Carlisle helps guide the British advance up the treacherous St. Lawrence. Shipwreck, shifting commands, and Wolfe's campaign turn a naval mission into a grim test of endurance and judgment.
Ligurian Mission
by Chris Durbin
2021
Carlisle carries a British envoy into the Ligurian Sea and finds himself caught between diplomacy, naval rivalry, and trouble inside Chiara's family. What begins as routine duty becomes a dangerous tour through ports where loyalties shift fast.
Nor'west by North
by Chris Durbin
2021
Newly promoted post-captain George Holbrooke takes frigate Argonaut north to intercept a threatened French landing. The chase circles the British Isles through bad weather, false trails, and growing pressure to stop the enemy before it is too late.
Carlisle's Duty
by Chris Durbin
2022
While blockading the last French islands in the Caribbean, Carlisle seizes a New England ship suspected of trading with the enemy. The case leaves him torn between duty to the Crown and loyalty to the colonies that shaped him.
Treacherous Moon
by Chris Durbin
2022
Holbrooke goes ahead of the Belle Isle expedition to place and protect an intelligence agent on the French coast. Espionage, betrayal, and a risky night landing make this one of the darkest tests of his war.
An Upright Man
by Chris Durbin
2023
France needs a sharp blow against British trade, and the Newfoundland fisheries become the target. Holbrooke and Argonaut are thrown into cold North Atlantic fighting against an old enemy, where the loss reaches beyond one battle.
Cousins At Arms
by Chris Durbin
2023
Carlisle carries a diplomatic cargo to Havana and then the new governor of Guatemala, with Lady Chiara proving invaluable as interpreter and ally. Beneath the courtesies, signs of Spain's entry into the war are gathering fast.
Debatable Lands
by Chris Durbin
2024
Holbrooke sails six thousand miles to the River Plate to aid an Anglo-Portuguese expedition against Spanish territory. Shallow water, privateers, and a familiar rival turn the campaign into a tense contest of nerve and local knowledge.
Old Bahama Straits
by Chris Durbin
2024
Carlisle helps guide the invasion fleet toward Havana through the dangerous Old Bahama Straits. The campaign promises a decisive strike at Spain, but disease, navigation, and hard bargaining make victory far costlier than anyone hopes.
Red Gold
by Chris Durbin
2025
After losing Dartmouth, Carlisle hopes for a quieter life in Virginia until news from Sardinia forces him to confront Chiara's hidden past. A seemingly simple Mediterranean journey opens into family politics, old loyalties, and real danger.
Straits of Anián
by Chris Durbin
2026
In peacetime, Holbrooke is unexpectedly sent in frigate Orion to search the Pacific for the legendary Straits of Anián. The voyage mixes exploration, imperial ambition, and the uneasy sense that not everyone aboard is who they claim to be.
Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures books in chronological order

The Colonial Post-Captain
by Chris Durbin
2017Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures, Book 1
The Leeward Islands Squadron
by Chris Durbin
2018Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures, Book 2
The Jamaica Station
by Chris Durbin
2018Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures, Book 3
Holbrooke's Tide
by Chris Durbin
2019Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures, Book 4
The Cursed Fortress
by Chris Durbin
2019Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures, Book 5
Perilous Shore
by Chris Durbin
2019Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures, Book 6
Rocks and Shoals
by Chris Durbin
2020Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures, Book 7
Niagara Squadron
by Chris Durbin
2020Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures, Book 8
Ligurian Mission
by Chris Durbin
2021Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures, Book 9
Nor'west by North
by Chris Durbin
2021Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures, Book 10
Carlisle's Duty
by Chris Durbin
2022Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures, Book 11
Treacherous Moon
by Chris Durbin
2022Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures, Book 12
Cousins At Arms
by Chris Durbin
2023Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures, Book 13
An Upright Man
by Chris Durbin
2023Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures, Book 14
Old Bahama Straits
by Chris Durbin
2024Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures, Book 15
Debatable Lands
by Chris Durbin
2024Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures, Book 16
Red Gold
by Chris Durbin
2025Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures, Book 17
Straits of Anián
by Chris Durbin
2026Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures, Book 18
Series background & context
The Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures is a long-running naval series set in the middle years of the eighteenth century. It opens with The Colonial Post-Captain and begins with two officers aboard the same ship: Edward Carlisle, a Virginia-born captain in the Royal Navy, and George Holbrooke, the younger Hampshire officer learning the trade under him. The early books keep them together, which gives the series a strong mentor and protégé dynamic from the start.
As the story moves on, that partnership changes shape. Holbrooke earns his own commands, first in smaller vessels and later in the frigate Argonaut, so the books often alternate between Carlisle's campaigns and Holbrooke's. One novel may follow a Caribbean deployment, the next a raid on the French coast, a wilderness expedition toward Fort Niagara, or a tense mission in European waters. The cast grows, but the series never loses sight of its two central men.
The sea is only half the battle.
Setting matters a lot here. These books range through the Mediterranean, the West Indies, the St. Lawrence, the Great Lakes, the Gulf of Mexico, the River Plate, and eventually the Pacific in Straits of Anián. Harbours, shoals, winds, and supply lines are part of the drama, not just scenery. A difficult passage or a badly chosen anchorage can matter as much as a duel between ships, which gives the series a grounded, practical feel.
What keeps the books moving is the pressure of command. Carlisle is a colonial American serving the British Crown, so questions of loyalty are built into his career from the beginning. Holbrooke starts out eager to prove himself and gradually learns what responsibility really costs. Promotions, patronage, courtrooms, diplomacy, marriage, and family all carry weight, especially as British success in the Seven Years War gives way to the more awkward politics of the 1760s.
Nothing stays simple for long.
The tone is straightforward historical adventure, but with more politics and logistics than some sea stories. Holbrooke's Tide and Perilous Shore lean into covert work and amphibious raids. Old Bahama Straits and Debatable Lands open out into big strategic campaigns. Red Gold brings family secrets to the surface, while Straits of Anián turns toward exploration in peacetime. If you like naval fiction that cares about ships, careers, and character in equal measure, this series gives you plenty to settle into.
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