Blue Flags (The Flag Series)

Blue Flags, the first in the Flag series of novels, introduces Philip Marlin, a nineteen-year-old engineer cadet serving in the British merchant navy. On a voyage from the United Kingdom to the Far East on the motor vessel Olympus, Marlin becomes unwittingly and dangerously exposed to a scheme to steal a bag of gem grade diamonds from a passenger.
But who actually stole the diamonds and will they get away with it?

Ralph Mason was born in Birmingham, England, and as a young man, trained to be an engineering officer in the British merchant navy. As a boy, he was an avid trainspotter, and his love for railways and rapid transit systems carried over into his project management career. After attending the University of Birmingham, he decided to visit the US for a couple of years and got a job in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Subsequently, he worked as an engineer and manager on projects all over the world. He now resides in Northern California, having lived in the US for fifty-five years.