A saga of the US Navy from the Barbary War of 1803 through the War of 1812. In 1803, a young man joins the crew of what will become the most famous frigate of the early US Navy - USS Constitution. From the sands of North Africa during the first Barbary War, across the aquamarine waters of the Caribbean, we follow the exploits of a young American seaman, Alain de Noux. At the outbreak of the War of 1812, Captain de Noux takes the ship he personally designed to sea to fight the mightiest navy in the world - Britain's Royal Navy. USS Relentless is the newest, largest, fastest frigate in the world, her hull coated in resin that allows her to fly across the waves, her radically-designed sails and special chute-sail that acts as a spinnaker pulls the big frigate along at nearly eighteen knots. Armed with weapons far in advance of its time - steel cannons with rifled barrels that propel shells farther than any cannon on any ship, along with special binoculars that aid lookouts to see at night, USS Relentless is a most lethal ship. The ship also carries high caliber shells that explode on contact and special carcass rounds filled with white phosphorous, consuming any ship it strikes in flames. USS Relentless challenges all ships, including the huge British ships-of-the-line, contemporary battleships. Terrorizing the Atlantic for months, Relentless is sent on a more important mission, a mission with no return ticket. She will fly the American flag into combat for the first time across the Indian Ocean, attacking the fat merchant ships of Britain's lucrative East India Company. America does not have the means to invade Britain, but USS Relentless can disrupt her most profitable trade routes. Alain finds success in war and finally meets the woman that will change his world, if only for a short time. In his heart, he knows he will die a young man. It is a race. How many ships can the great raider destroy or capture before the Royal Navy's fleet can destroy her? Along the shoals of the Laccadive Islands, In what the world will call The Battle of the Arabian Sea, USS Relentless must fight an entire fleet in order for Alain to get back to the love of his life.
About the Author: Born in New Orleans, O'Neil De Noux is a prolific American writer of novels and short stories. Much of De Noux's writing is character-driven crime fiction, although he has written in many disciplines including historical fiction, children's fiction, mainstream fiction, science-fiction, suspense, fantasy, horror, western, literary, religious, romance, humor and erotica. In 2007, The Private Eye Writers of America awarded its prestigious SHAMUS AWARD for Best Short Story to "The Heart Has Reasons" by O'Neil De Noux (the cover story of the September 2006 Issue of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine). The Shamus Awards are given annually to recognize outstanding achievement in private eye fiction. "The Heart Has Reasons." De Noux is also the 2009 DERRINGER AWARD winner for Best Novelette for "Too Wise." The Derringer Awards are given annually by the Short Mystery Fiction Society to recognize excellence in the short mystery fiction form. Another De Noux story, "The Bonnie and Clyde Caper" was runner up in the Derringer Award Best Long Story category. In 2010, De Noux made a move to eBooks and print-on-demand books, teaming with other artists in the art co-op Big Kiss Productions and he quickly published a number of books: SLICK TIME, a sexy caper novel, NEW ORLEANS NOCTURNAL and MAFIA APHRODITE, an erotic suspense novel. In March 2011, the novel JOHN RAVEN BEAU was published by Big Kiss Productions, which was named 2011 POLICE BOOK OF THE YEAR by Police-Writers.com, a group that boasts of 1153 state and local law enforcement officials from 485 state and local law enforcement agencies who have written 2504 police books. In 2011, BATTLE KISS was released, a 320,000 word epic of love and war set against the panorama of the Battle of New Orleans, January 8, 1815. In 2012, Mr. De Noux's first private eye was published. ENAMORED, a novel of obsession and murder, is set in 1950 New Orleans and BOURBON STREET is a crime novel set in 1947 New Orleans. Books published in 2013-2016 include USS RELENTLESS, a saga of the US Navy in the Age of Sail, the Lucien Caye mystery NEW ORLEANS RAPACIOUS and the first Jacques Dugas novel, THE FRENCH DETECTIVE, John Raven Beau novels CITY OF SECRETS and Nude in Red, LaStanza novels NEW ORLEANS HOMICIDE, THE BLUE NUDE and THE LONG COLD and the World War II novel DEATH ANGELS. In 2013, O'Neil De Noux was elected Vice-President of the Private Eye Writers of America. De Noux's web site is http: //www.oneildenoux.net