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Description of  Zulu Hart (George Hart series)

Includes all three books in the series 01. Zulu Hart: Bullied at school for his suspiciously dark skin and lack of a father, Hart soon learns to fight and win. At eighteen, his world is shaken by his mother's revelation that his anonymous father is willing to give him a vast inheritance provided he can prove himself worthy of the prize as an officer in the King's Dragoon Guards. At a time when racism and prejudice are rife in Victorian society, Hart struggles to come to terms with his identity. Forced to leave the army, he decides to head to South Africa, and a fresh start. But George Hart has soldiering in his blood, and once in Africa the urge to serve again is strong. Yet now he is caught between two fierce and unyielding forces as Britain drives towards war with the Zulus. Hart must make a choice and fight for his life. 02. Hart of Empire: The second installment in the George Hart series is set during the Second Anglo-Afghan War, of 1878-1880 Back in England following his heroics in the Zulu War, George Hart is summoned to a new adventure when the Prime Minister asks him to go on a secret mission to Afghanistan, where the British fear discontent rebels are poised to overthrow the local ruler and threaten the jewel in the Imperial crown, India. Hart has severe misgivings. Always an outsider in British society, he doesn't like Whitehall's arrogant way of meddling in other people's religious and political affairs. But, desperate for money, he takes the job and descends the Khyber Pass into a strange and mystic land. When his warnings are ignored by the pompous British Resident in Kabul, a terrible massacre occurs, and soon Hart is on the run with a beautiful Afghan princess, in a race to prevent an uprising and head off a catastrophic British invasion. 03. The Prince and the Whitechapel Murders: London 1888: George 'Zulu' Hart is the mixed-race illegitimate son of a Dublin actress and (he suspects) the Duke of Cambridge, commander-in-chief of the army. George has fought his way through wars in Africa and Afghanistan, won the VC and married his sweetheart, but he's also a gambler, short of money and in no position to turn down the job of 'minder' to Prince Albert Victor, second in line to the throne. George is to befriend the charming young cavalry officer and keep him out of trouble - no easy task, given that the Prince is a known target for Irish nationalist assassins, while his secret sexual orientation leaves him open to blackmail and scandal. To make matters worse, the Prince is also in the habit of heading out late at night to sample the dubious pleasures of the East End. Both outsiders in their different ways, perhaps the two men have more in common than they know, but when a series of horrible murders begins in Whitechapel, on just the nights the Prince has been there, George is drawn into an investigation which forces him to confront the unthinkable... A brilliant standalone adventure based on detailed research, this is a thrilling novel of suspense and a fascinating new twist on the Jack the Ripper story.