The Captain’s Vengeance
The twelfth volume in the Alan Lewrie naval series finds the intrepid Royal Navy Captain involved in Foreign Office-sponsored undercover work in New Orleans during the French Revolutionary wars. Lewrie’s H.M.S. Proteus had captured a prize ship, only to lose her and the crewmen he had assigned to her. Taken by the 1799 equivalent of spoiled (and thoroughly homicidal) rich dilettantes from French New Orleans, Lewrie goes ashore as a soldier of fortune to recover his vessel. While on land, Captain Lewrie finds a bedmate in the amoral Charité, smashes a conspiracy of pro-Revolutionary forces, earns the respect of American agents, and (most importantly for our hero’s bank account) makes a tidy profit in the bargain.
Dewey Lambdin’s creation is far from a flawless man, but he is a naval officer committed to his country, his service, and the sailors under his command. The fact that he is utterly helpless when confronted by his two pet cats and forever has his eyes on enlarging his purse only adds spice to an adventurer who always entertains his readers. The fact that Captain Lewrie will sail again is blessed news.