The early twentieth century. British rule dominates in the Far East…

Brimming with ambition and optimism, twenty-year-old Larry Cairns boards the Empress of India, bound for Singapore, an island filled with promise and opportunity.

For Larry, it is the chance to join the renowned trading house of Hammond and Teng and build a career for himself.

While on board, Larry meets and befriends Chung Kai, the Chinese son of a rival company.

But in a world of colonial snobbery and rigid social codes, it is a friendship that is met with disdain by their fellow passengers.

And matters are further complicated when Larry falls in love with Kai’s sister Lan, as their clandestine relationship transgresses the strict racial codes of the colonial period.

But any chance of a future with Lan is shattered when Larry marries Margaret Anstey, the daughter of a wealthy businessman. A marriage ‘of the right sort’ is just the step Larry needs to take in order to move forward in his career – but it is a decision that will have consequences years later…

Meanwhile, the threat of a Japanese invasion remains ever present, and Japanese officer Colonel Kitachi Tano will stop at nothing to destroy British rule. And when he crosses paths with Larry Cairns, their lives will take a turn that no one could have expected…

Spanning the decades leading up to World War Two, Dark Sun is the thrilling and epic third instalment in Christopher Nicole’s Pearl of the Orient saga.

Praise for Christopher Nicole

“Told with smooth authenticity” – Publishers Weekly

"His action-packed war story will appeal to squadrons of readers” – Library Journal

Christopher Nicole was born in 1930 in the West Indies and currently resides in the Channel Islands with his wife, Diana, who is also a novelist. He has written over 200 fiction and non-fiction books since 1957, including the best-selling, five-volume Caribee series. He primarily writes historical novels and specialises in series and sagas. Nicole has won international acclaim for his work under several pseudonyms, including Max Marlow, Andrew York, and Alan Savage.