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A Dangerous Game

Thomas Cochrane's Life on the Edge

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A Dangerous Game

By: Peter Moore
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

The astonishing true story of Thomas Cochrane – naval hero, political radical and inspiration for Patrick O’Brian’s Jack Aubrey – whose audacity at sea, scandals on land and battles across empires make for a tale as thrilling as any novel

Cochrane’s life was even more remarkable than the fiction it inspired. A hero of the Napoleonic Wars, known for destroying the French Atlantic fleet in one explosive attack, he was an equally aggressive force in British politics as the Radical MP for Westminster.

Cochrane’s fortunes turned in 1814 when he was convicted of a fraud on the Stock Exchange. Escaping from prison, he later reinvented himself as a revolutionary admiral, helping the Chileans, Peruvians, Brazilians and Greeks in their struggles for independence.

In A Dangerous Game, Sunday Times bestselling historian Peter Moore draws on newly uncovered materials to bring Cochrane vividly to life. Bold, rebellious and uncompromising, he saw the world as a contest to be won – at sea, in politics, even in scandal – and played it more dangerously than any man of his age.

© Peter Moore 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

Historical Military Military & War Politicians Politics & Activism

Critic Reviews

A meticulously researched, widely accessible, highly entertaining and, at times, shocking book. Cochrane was, most definitely, the best kind of hero: purged, loved, misunderstood, dangerous, humble, and, importantly, always for the people (LOUIS D HALL, author of In Green)
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