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**SHORTLISTED FOR THE WILBUR SMITH ADVENTURE WRITING PRIZE **''A gripping tale of one woman''s extraordinary adventures ... Saltblood is a triumph of the imagination''ELODIE HARPER, author of ''The Wolf Den'' trilogy''A ravishing picaresque told with fireworks, finesse and gusto'' PAUL LYNCH, author of Prophet Song''A well crafted, salty, old-fashioned adventure about identity and freedom'' The TimesIn a rented room outside Plymouth in 1685, a daughter is born as her half-brother is dying. Her mother makes a decision: Mary will become Mark, and Ma will continue to collect his inheritance money.Mary's dual existence as Mark will lead to a role as a footman in a grand house, serving a French mistress; to the navy, learning who to trust and how to navigate by the stars; and to the army and the battlegrounds of Flanders, finding love among the bloodshed and the mud. But none of this will stop Mary yearning