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Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures Books in Order

Part ofChris Durbin Books in Order

See 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

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18 books

1

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.

2

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.

3

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.

4

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.

5

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.

6

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.

7

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.

8

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.

9

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.

10

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.

11

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.

12

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.

13

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.

14

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.

15

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.

16

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.

17

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.

18
New

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

  1. Book cover for "The Colonial Post-Captain"

    The Colonial Post-Captain

    by Chris Durbin

    2017Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures, Book 1
  2. Book cover for "The Leeward Islands Squadron"

    The Leeward Islands Squadron

    by Chris Durbin

    2018Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures, Book 2
  3. Book cover for "The Jamaica Station"

    The Jamaica Station

    by Chris Durbin

    2018Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures, Book 3
  4. Book cover for "Holbrooke's Tide"

    Holbrooke's Tide

    by Chris Durbin

    2019Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures, Book 4
  5. Book cover for "The Cursed Fortress"

    The Cursed Fortress

    by Chris Durbin

    2019Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures, Book 5
  6. Book cover for "Perilous Shore"

    Perilous Shore

    by Chris Durbin

    2019Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures, Book 6
  7. Book cover for "Rocks and Shoals"

    Rocks and Shoals

    by Chris Durbin

    2020Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures, Book 7
  8. Book cover for "Niagara Squadron"

    Niagara Squadron

    by Chris Durbin

    2020Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures, Book 8
  9. Book cover for "Ligurian Mission"

    Ligurian Mission

    by Chris Durbin

    2021Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures, Book 9
  10. Book cover for "Nor'west by North"

    Nor'west by North

    by Chris Durbin

    2021Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures, Book 10
  11. Book cover for "Carlisle's Duty"

    Carlisle's Duty

    by Chris Durbin

    2022Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures, Book 11
  12. Book cover for "Treacherous Moon"

    Treacherous Moon

    by Chris Durbin

    2022Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures, Book 12
  13. Book cover for "Cousins At Arms"

    Cousins At Arms

    by Chris Durbin

    2023Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures, Book 13
  14. Book cover for "An Upright Man"

    An Upright Man

    by Chris Durbin

    2023Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures, Book 14
  15. Book cover for "Old Bahama Straits"

    Old Bahama Straits

    by Chris Durbin

    2024Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures, Book 15
  16. Book cover for "Debatable Lands"

    Debatable Lands

    by Chris Durbin

    2024Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures, Book 16
  17. Book cover for "Red Gold"

    Red Gold

    by Chris Durbin

    2025Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures, Book 17
  18. Book cover for "Straits of Anián"

    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.

Edited by

Richard Reis

Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.

Anurag Ramdasan

Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.

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