The Prime Minister
1845
Lisbon, 1755. A royal navy ship cuts through Atlantic swells toward a city about to be rewritten by fire and ambition. On board, the young Don Luis dreams of home and love, while Captain Pinto reads the horizon with harder eyes. Their conversation about hope and expectation crackles with foreshadowing. Then the storm breaks. Then the mystery ship appears on the water. What begins as a voyage home becomes a crucible of adventure, romance, and political intrigue set during the terrifying reign of the Marquis of Pombal, whose radical reforms are reshaping Portugal in the aftermath of catastrophe. Kingston weaves the intimate dramas of his characters against the larger currents of national transformation, crafting a swashbuckling tale where love and loyalty are tested by nature and history alike.
