Malta's Guns

Born in Venice, Antonio Pesaro has lived in London all his life, mastering the art of cannon making. Chance sends him on a perilous journey across Europe to Venice, to obtain the latest military secrets of the Venetian Guild and bring them back to England.

Venice, full of intrigues and quiet murders, is a dangerous place, especially for Antonio, who learns that his real parents were murdered by Lady Masina, the wife of a powerful Venetian noble. But war is coming to the Mediterranean, and the mighty Ottoman Empire had decided to crush the Knights of St. John and capture their stronghold on Malta. A great fleet and powerful army are on the move to the island.

Antonio finds himself assisting the Master Gunners at Venice's great Arsenal, who are providing cannons and arms to the Knights of St. John for the coming siege. Rapid advances in military technology are sweeping over Europe, and cannon makers continue to improve or create new gunpowder weapons.

He soon clashes with the haughty Venetians, who place him on a galley bound for Malta with military supplies. Once there, Antonio is betrayed and left for dead. By the time he recovers, his ship has sailed for Venice. The Ottoman fleet arrives and blockades Malta, leaving Antonio trapped on the island, where the Knights of St. John recognize that his skills will prove invaluable.

Now Antonio must survive the most dangerous and brutal siege in history. Surrounded by death and slaughter, he becomes one of the Knights' key gunners, directing the cannons that keep the Turks at bay. As the siege drags on, his plans to return to Venice and seek revenge on the man who murdered his friend grow more forlorn. But neither the Turks nor the Knights have reckoned with Antonio's determination to reclaim his name and honor.

The story culminates in Venice where the politics, conspiracies, and vendettas of the Merchant Princes prove as deadly to Antonio as the enemy guns at Malta.