The Straits of Treachery
There is a style of military historical fiction which emphasises the minutiae of warfare – details of uniforms, the weapons carried, the precise way in which pistols are loaded, etc. Novels in this style often include a great deal of detail of locales, the latest operas and so on. There is clearly a market for books like this, and Straits of Treachery will appeal to people who are interested in the stand-off between the French armies in Italy and the British in Sicily in September 1810. There is a lot of incident in this story – duels, French raids, various sexual passions, both requited and unrequited – but the storyline serves mainly as a vehicle for lots of information about the place and the period. The action scenes are exciting and carry the reader along, but (as in real-life) these are interspersed with long periods when nothing particular happens. There is a plot about a spy, but fairly early on we learn who it is and then we have only to wait for a captured French officer to betray him. The next we see he is in irons. We are told, “He’ll face trial for treason, of course, and may hang.” I’d have thought there was no “may” about it, but we will never find out, as at this point the book somewhat abruptly ends. Perhaps a sequel is planned to pick up some of the loose ends. Like this, it will undoubtedly appeal to its target market.
