Ramage is given command of the brig Triton. However,like the rest of the Navy, Triton's crew is mutinous and somehow he has to find a way of persuading the sailors under his command not to take part, even though he has some sympathy with their complaints. But if he fails to deliver three sealed dispatches to admirals off Brest and Cadiz, and in the Caribbean, he will become a convenient scapegoat and will have failed his mission. There's a lot of action and also conflict with pirates who have been preying on British Caribbean commerce, but the most intriguing thing is Ramage's overall plan ......

Ramage and the Drumbeat takes the brave Lord Ramage to the new world where he becomes embroiled in a series of electrifying sea battles and hazardous political shenanigans. He must once again prove his mettle as he undergoes the merciless enemy attacks. Fighting alongside Lord Nelson, this is Ramage at his best.

It is 1796 - sea battles rage and an attack from the French has left third-lieutenant Ramage the sole officer in charge of his frigate. With orders from Nelson to be obeyed and a daring mission to be completed, young Nicholas Ramage must rise to the challenge. Despite the situation and grave adversity, Ramage embarks upon an intrepid rescue with quite unforeseen consequences. This thrilling adventure is the first in Dudley Pope's popular and much-loved Ramage series.