Jade Gate By Leasor, James

Robert Gunn has built one of the Far East's greatest trading empires by seeing opportunities where others saw only risk. Now, as steam replaces sail and coal becomes as valuable as gold, he is convinced that one last discovery will secure both his legacy and Britain's future in Asia. His search leads to the remote island of Jade Gate, off the coast of Borneo, where rumours of vast coal deposits have drawn powerful rivals with ambitions of their own. In a land where fortunes are won by violence and life is cheap, the race to control this priceless resource can have only one winner. As old enemies close in and the stakes become greater than ever before, Robert Gunn must gamble everything he has built in the most dangerous venture of his life. The thrilling conclusion to James Leasor's acclaimed Robert Gunn Trilogy, combining historical authenticity, unforgettable characters and high adventure. Together, the Robert Gunn Trilogy charts the rise of Western commercial power in nineteenth-century Asia through the remarkable life of one unforgettable adventurer.