The Perils of Command
1794. Lieutenant John Pearce, who is in temporary command of HMS Flirt, due to his captain Henry Digby being wounded, arrives in Brindisi with two French prizes in tow. While Digby is convalescing, Pearce takes the opportunity to travel to Naples to try to find his lover, Emily Barclay. He learns that she is pregnant, and has had no alternative but to return to her husband, Pearce’s long-term enemy Captain Ralph Barclay, to avoid scandal. Pearce travels to Leghorn to confront the captain, while Barclay hatches his own plan to thwart his enemy. However, there is also the problem of a French fleet threatening to break out from port.
This is book twelve in the John Pearce series, although this is my introduction to his work. The story is well researched, with strong character development, and exciting battle scenes. John Pearce is brave, reckless, opinionated, selfish and totally believable. The plot is fast-paced and brings alive life on board a warship at this period. It can be read as a standalone, although there are references to actions that have taken place in previous books. If you are a fan of the Master and Commander series, this is for you. I’m off to my local bookshop to find the rest of the series.
