If any man can keep his nerve in a war tearing England apart, it's Captain Stryker.

The year is 1642. England is bleeding. King and Parliament have plunged the country into civil war, and no road is safe.

Captain Stryker didn't return home out of loyalty to a king. He came back to face his enemy: Captain Eli Makepeace, the man who left him scarred and hardened. The man who nearly destroyed him.

But vengeance will have to wait.

Prince Rupert has a mission only Stryker can pull off: hunt down a spy buried deep inside the Royalist cause — and silence him before the damage becomes irreversible. Lightly armed, outnumbered, and moving through a country crawling with enemies on both sides, Stryker must move fast.

He doesn't know that someone else is already closing in on the same man. Someone he has sworn to kill...

A gritty and authentic historical civil war adventure, this is perfect for fans of David Gilman, Giles Kristian and Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe.

Reviewers love Michael Arnold!

'A thumping good read... every last part of this book oozes authenticity.' Ben Kane
'I loved Sharpe. I am going to be equally at home with Captain Stryker.' Historical Novels Review
'You can smell the gunpowder and hear the cannon fire' Robyn Young
'A dark-hued romp, livid with the scents, sounds and colours of a country on the brink of implosion.' Daily Express
'Rollicking action and proper history... a cracking series.' Anthony Riches
'This is masterfully done.' The Times