Chris Durbin Books In Order

Publication Order of Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures Books

Chris Durbin is a published author of fiction.

Durbin was born in the United Kingdom, growing up in South Wales in Porthcawl, a town by the seaside. He first started out sailing at the level of sea cadet, sailing in the Bristol Channel’s tideway. When he was sixteen years old, he was aboard a topsail schooner for a week in the Southwest Approaches.

Chris also served as a crew member aboard a Porthcawl lifeboat for some time. Then he decided to join the navy. He would be there for over two decades, participating in the Royal Navy as a warfare officer for 24 years. He served in a variety of ship classes, everything from frigates to destroyers, aircraft carriers, and minesweepers.

Durbin also participated in various operational campaigns located in places such as the Adriatic, the Middle East, and the Falkland Islands. He also worked as a personnel exchange officer, teaching tactics for a period of two years in San Diego at a United States Navy training center. Chris eventually retired from service in the Royal Navy.

He would then join up with an American company. From then on he would take the time to work for 18 years in the industries of aerospace, defense, and security. This also involved two years working as part of a group designing aircraft carriers (Queen Elizabeth class). He has graduated from Dartmouth’s Britannia Royal Naval College and the British Army Command and Staff College.

He also graduated from the United States Navy War College and Cambridge University. At the U.S. college, he earned a post-grad diploma on the field of national security decision-making. From Cambridge, he received his MPhil in the field of international relations.

The author has always been interested in two things, naval history and writing historical fiction. It was this desire to write fiction that led him to create his Carlisle and Holbrooke series of fictional novels. It involves a colonial Virginian man that is commanding a frigate run by the British Navy at some point during the mid-point of the 18th century. The novels will oversee the period of the Seven Years War. It will also cover rocky relations held between the American colonies and Britain around the 1760s.

Durbin resides on England’s south coast. There he is happy to be surrounded by centuries’ worth of naval history. He is married to his wife, who also was with the United States Navy, since retired. They have three children together that have grown up and have careers and families of their own. In their spare time, he and his wife like to sail their dayboat on the water.

Chris Durbin is the creator and the writer of the Carlisle and Holbrooke Naval Adventures series. These fictional history genre stories cover a distinct period of time during the 18th century. The first book published in this series is The Colonial Post-Captain. It was published in 2017. The second novel to come out was The Leeward Islands Squadron, published in 2018. It was followed by The Jamaica Station, Holbrooke’s Tide, The Cursed Fortress, and more. If you are looking for a historically influenced series to check out, make this one it.

The Colonial Post-Captain is the first novel in the Carlisle and Holbrooke series. The time for this novel is 1756, set in the opening in the Western Mediterranean. There has been peace for some time, but it’s about to be broken up when France’s general orders an invasion force to get ready in Toulon. The only question is where it is heading to.

Readers meet Captain Carlisle. He is an experienced man that comes from Virginia. It is at that time a colony loyal to the Crown. But when feelings of war start to come together, Fury is called upon. The small frigate of Captain Carlisle’s has now been ordered to go on a reconnaissance mission to Toulon.

This is going to be a huge demand on Carlisle. There are a lot of elements at play. For one, he’s going to have to take on the Gulf of Lions and the winter weather. He’s also going to have to balance diplomatic issues while the tension is still at hand prior to war, all while having to deal with the French frigate.

He also has other problems going on, partly because he’s from the colony. He does not have political or professional sponsors. His followers are less than inspiring. Having both would be nice as part of his naval career as they are needed. He’s got almost no money and he must find a way to succeed regardless.

George Holbrooke is the master’s mate. He is not able to muster up enthusiasm when it comes to how boring peacetime navy can be. But when they start coming into riskier scenarios and combat, he may change his tune. How can George show the captain that he’s got a different outlook? George is also trying to get a promotion so that he reaches commissioned status.

There is also the gorgeous woman known by the name of Chiara Angelini. She’s being chased by a corsair from Tunisia over the Mediterranean. It appears that the corsair is either in love with her or looking to kidnap her and receive a ransom. It’s a strange situation to have to be dealing with as Captain, but can he help Chiara?

As Fury matches the pace of the French fleet when it sails towards its destination, Holbrooke and the Captain will both prove to be witness to a sea battle and a final showdown with a French frigate. Can they make it through alive? Read this book to find out!

The Leeward Islands Squadron is the second installment of the Carlisle and Holbrooke series.

The time is 1756, late in the year. Minorca has been lost, and the English government is falling apart. The navy and country are in the middle of chaos. Meanwhile, a small fleet of ships is heading over to the West Indies for the purposes of backing up the Leeward Islands Squadron.

Captain Carlisle and first lieutenant Holbrooke are coming off of a victory capture in the Mediterranean. Now aboard Medina, their new frigate, they’re joining a squadron run by a commodore with a grave illness. The goal is to take on a fortress on a Caribbean island.

Follow Holbrooke and Carlisle as they take on orders and head into battle, taking on ships and more. Catch all of the action by picking up this book!

3 Responses to “Chris Durbin”

1. Giles Ziolkowski: 6 months ago

   I have thoroughly been enjoying the Carlisle and Holbrooke series. Just finished book 11. I’m not much of a sailor although my son is and he has also read the entire series. We just sailed with him for a week in the AVI. Something that recently dawned on me that would have been helpful was illustrations of the various ships in your stories as a reference to visualize what you’re describing. Perhaps in future reprints. Keep up the great writing.
   Cheers, Giles

   Reply
2. James Holloway: 2 years ago

   Enjoy your books .waiting for book 12 in the series. I hope they do not end up on opposite sides in the revelution. GMG2 JDH

   Reply
3. James Holloway: 2 years ago

   Enjoy your books .waiting for book 12 in the series. I hope they do not end up on opposite sides in the revelution. GMG2 JDH

   Reply