THE fourth instalment of a Crediton author’s historical Napoleonic-era saga is set to be published.

Graham Ley’s Moonlight at Cuckmere Haven will be released on Friday, January 17.

The four-volume tale is set in the early years of the Napoleonic Wars in England and France and has taken Mr Ley five years to write.

“It is a Devon saga, a big story which has taken a long time to put together, but now can be read as a whole,” Mr Ley said.

He has travelled around Devon visiting various locations in the books, including Okehampton, Hatherleigh, Dartmoor, Plymouth and Roborough Downs.

“Devon and Brittany both provide wonderful historic buildings and wonderful countryside, and the stories of the characters weave in and out of them,” he continued.

“The stories and journeys of the leading characters bring in revolt and invasion, intrigue and undercover missions, abduction and rescue, and strong romantic involvements and misunderstandings, with candlelit assemblies and masquerade balls offering glamour and excitement.”

The latest book, Moonlight at Cuckmere Haven, features a dramatic ending to the saga based on true events.

“On September 22, 1796 [HMS Amphion] was about to leave Plymouth on service, with wives and children on board saying their farewells, when it simply exploded, disintegrated in flames, with hundreds killed,” Mr Ley explained.

“Only the captain and a very few others survived. So, I thought this must be commemorated, as best as I can, and I wrote scenes that tried to capture the tragedy of it all.”

The novels in order are The Baron Returns, Heir to the Manor, Lady at the Lodge, and now Moonlight at Cuckmere Haven, to be released on Friday, January 17.

You can order the Kindle edition of Moonlight at Cuckmere Haven by visiting: amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B09S3TG68R.