The Tide of War
Sailors are a superstitious lot. Firm believers in an unlucky ship, the officers assigned to them face innumerable problems in dealing with an alarmed and suspicious crew. Such is the plight of Captain Nathan Peake, RN as he assumes command of HMS Unicorn in 1794. His predecessor had his command time abruptly terminated by a slit throat and the mutineers responsible have not only disappeared, but left the Unicorn in a perilous state. Peake’s problems only begin here as he must also deal with an American spy, the alluring and dangerous “Witch Queen of the Army of Lucumi,” and a French warship charged with creating unrest in England’s Caribbean colonies. All in all, Captain Peake faces a troubled 1794.
Seth Hunter (a pseudonym) has a talent for describing sea life, command decisions, politics, and intelligence operations in wartime, and, thankfully, the interplay between our hero and the captivating “Prencesa Negra.” Neither Horatio Nelson nor Horatio Hornblower faced problems quite like this.
