The Martinique Mission

Lieutenant Michael Fitton, his captain and the rest of the crew of the armed schooner Gipsy, have been captured by the French. Imprisoned in a French gaol Fitton is left to brood over the disastrous and ill-conceived reconnaissance mission that helped put them there and to worry about whether or not their current state is his fault or that of the arrogant Major Harkness. But help is at hand in the guise of a charming Creole girl who offers Fitton a brief chance of regaining his freedom, but will he be able to avoid the many dangers that lay in wait for him? The Martinique Mission, first published in 1999, was the penultimate adventure featuring Styles' hero Michael Fitton.

Showell Styles was born Frank Showell Styles in 1908. His childhood was spent in the Welsh hills and he became an avid mountaineer and explorer. During the war, Styles joined the Navy and was posted in the Mediterranean, but even there he walked and climbed as much as he could. An aspiring writer, Styles already had articles published in Punch, before setting out toe make his living as an author. His first novel, Traitor's Mountain, was a murder mystery set on and around Tryfan in Wales. He became a prolific writer with over 160 books published. As well as books on mountains such as The Mountaineer's Weekend Book, he wrote detective fiction under the pseudonym of Glyn Carr, and humorous pieces as C.L. Inker. Showell Styles died in 2005.