Hammond Innes · 1988 · mediterranean

Hammond Innes's 1988 novel. A diver running a small salvage business out of Minorca is drawn into the affairs of a decommissioned frigate being refitted by people who will not say for whom. Against a background of Spanish politics and an island full of old scores from the Civil War, the ship turns out to be intended for a coup.

1. 1
   Barcelona

   On the Spanish mainland the politics are tightening: a young democracy, an officer class that has not accepted it, and money moving for purposes that nobody will put on paper - all of which reaches Minorca by sea.

2. 2
   Mahon

   At Mahon, the great natural harbour that navies have coveted since the eighteenth century, Mike Steele runs a diving and salvage outfit - and watches a supposedly scrapped frigate being quietly and expensively made seaworthy again.

3. 3
   Fornells

   On the north coast at Fornells the island's older quarrels surface - families divided since the Civil War, and men who have been waiting fifty years for a chance - and the ship's real purpose becomes impossible to mistake.