Send a Gunboat, by Douglas Reeman
Filed under: Douglas Reeman, book review, naval fiction
There are many heroes in this delightful old story 
Commander Justin Rolfe, another hero in this book, is also seemingly at the end of his useful naval life. He is an embittered man, brooding and angry from a court-martial verdict and after having been betrayed by his wife. When the offshore island of Santu is threatened with invasion from the Chinese mainland, Commander Rolfe, old Wagtail, and her crew, is assigned the mission of bringing out the British citizens on the island. It is a difficult job, but also a job that offers the chance of a reprieve and a restoration of self respect.
I loved this book! It took a little while before I really got into it, but after a hundred pages or so I had a hard time putting it away. Send a Gunboat tells a very good story about how danger and action draws together, changes, and unites the men involved in it by the skillful and very knowledgeable Reeman!
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Lost Souls, by Lisa Jackson
Filed under: Thriller, book review, crime book, erotic fiction
Four coeds have disappeared in less than two years at All Saints College. They were all considered “troubled” girls. So no one has asked too many questions about the missing students.
Twenty-seven-year-old Kristi Bentz, the stunningly beautiful, hot wanna-be-detective is lucky to be alive. Not many people her age have nearly died twice at the hands of a serial killer, and lived to tell about it. Her last encounter was with a sadistic monster in bestselling Jackson’s Absolute Evil. But somehow she is fascinated by the minds of serial killers, and she is ready for another go and wants to write about it.
Kristi by chance rents the apartment of one of the missing girls. She begins investigating the case, thinking it might make a great first book. However, Vlad, the mysterious serial killer, very soon sets his sights on Kristi. And the action starts.
There is a lot of action in this book, but I am not sure I like it much even so. Vampirism is not my thing. But it seems very fashionable for the moment. But Jackson is smart, and has written a book that probably will be attractive to a lot a people – some hot sex, some vampire-stuff, a lot of action, a real crime mystery, and some supernatural powers as well for good measure.
Lost Souls is entertaining. Even though I didn’t like it all that much, it was still somehow a little fun and a little exciting. So if you like pretty well written romantic suspense novels and the campus background, and some hot sex scenes, this may be it.
Sails on the Horizon, by Jay Worrall
Filed under: Charles Egdemont, Jay Worrall, Main character, book review, historical fiction, naval fiction
This is Worrall’s debut as a historical fiction writer. He tells the tale of Charles Edgemont, a very interesting and appealing hero who does 
In Sails on the Horizon, he starts out as a lowly lieutenant for a few pages. However, when his ship, the outdated line of the battle ship Argonaut, is ordered to sacrifice herself in an attempt to stall the Spanish fleet he is quickly elevated to master when his superiors fall in battle. Argonaut gives a good account of herself, even though she is completely wrecked. Edgemont refuses to strike his colors despite the overwhelming odds, and by holding out for a few crucial moments he influences the tide of the battle.
As a result of having done his job, young Charles finds himself a wealthy man due to the prize money he gets after the fight. As well, he is elevated to commander status on a permanent basis by Admiral Jarvis, even thought in his own eyes he does not deserve it.
He takes over a temporary command of a brig, whips her crew into shape and captures prizes while patrolling the Irish Sea. As well, he falls in love with a pretty and somewhat strange – but very interesting and beautiful – Quaker neighbor named Penelope Brown. And, being a rich man, he helps his brother out of his financial problems and buys himself a large property as well.
Aboard his new permanent command, the frigate, Louisa, Charles is assigned the task of making certain that the 40 gun Spanish frigate Santa Brigida is prevented from attacking British vessels outside the coast of Spain. As the Spanish ship outguns Charles frigate, he has to find a way of attacking the Spanish ship which can maximize his own odds, otherwise his chances will be slim indeed. He thinks he can see a way to do it, but will his plan hold?
Sails on the Horizon is very well-written, the battle scenes are engaging, the story is very appealing, and the hero and heroine are very likable. The book shows that Worrall has considerable expertise in ship and naval warfare history. The biggest minuses, to my mind, are perhaps that the plot is a little too smooth, and that there are some pretty historically unlikely events in the book. However, Sails on the Horizon is an excellent debut and a very, very entertaining read. Hardly a dull moment!
Mr Midshipman Fury, by G. S. Beard
Filed under: G. S. Beard, book review, historical fiction, naval fiction, recommendation
The year is 1792. We are at the start of the French Revolutionary Wars. John Thomas Fury he embarks on his first voyage as midshipman aboard the 32-gun frigate Amazon. His 
As Amazon heads to India, young midshipman Fury is involved in a dreadful shipboard accident, and he must work doubly hard to prove that he isn’t cursed just like his father. However, redemption is around the corner. On a mission from the Governor of India, the crew battle against a much stronger foe. Somewhere in the Indian Ocean a very powerful privateer is at work. Amazon must find and destroy her.
So, perhaps too soon Fury finds himself in charge of the gun deck in furious fighting. This is the spot where the leaders of men are forged. And Fury shows exceptional courage and coolness. And gradually the shadows of the past are banished and Fury’s naval career begins in glory as he becomes a leader of men.
Praise for Midshipman Fury:
“Here is a rollicking adventure…which will stir the sluggish blood of even the most pacific of readers.”
- – Daily Express“A lively page-turner. Beard shows that he can write about nautical action fluently, and there is always something going on as adventures fairly fall over each other once the ship sails into Indian waters”
–Historical Novels Review
See more G.S. Beard reviews.
Ramage & the Freebooters, by Dudley Pope
Filed under: Dudley Pope, Lord Ramage, Main character, book review, historical fiction, naval fiction, recommendation
(This book was published as The Triton Brig in USA) The first line of the book reads: “As Ramage’s carriage rattled along Whitehall he was surprised to see the long and wide street was almost deserted.” 
If he gets away from Spithead, Ramage is to deliver three sealed dispatches to admirals off Brest and Cadiz, and in the Caribbean. If he fails, he will become a very convenient scapegoat.
This is how the third novel in the Ramage series starts. As the two previous ones, it is an extraordinarily exciting story which captures all the romance, mystery and adventure of the Caribbean in Nelson’s day.
Having arrived in the Caribbean, he is instructed to stop the mysterious loss of ships sailing from Grenada to Barbados after two frigate captains had previously failed to do so. A new puzzle, and again he is set up as a scapegoat. He has no choice, but must gamble that he will be successful. And, as it turns out, logical analysis and a keen understanding of the economics of piracy soon leads Lord Ramage in the direction of the freebooters.
Dudley Pope delivers excellent adventure yarn with delightful, well thought out plots. Few among the writers of naval historical fiction from the romantic Era of Sail knows (or knew) more about the times, the Navy and life in it than Dudley Pope. Pope has also written several non-fiction historical books of great value. He also has a cunning ability to convey how the best of the best handle emergency situations, and – as well – portrays these situations with realism and authenticity. Ramage and the Freebooters is very exciting. It is at least the equal of the first two books in this series. A great trill to read!
Command, by Julian Stockwin
Filed under: Fiction, Julian Stockwin, Thomas Kydd, book review, historical fiction, naval fiction
Command is the seventh book of the Kydd series. Very unexpectedly, Thomas Kydd is appointed Commander and master of his own brig-sloop Teazer (16-gun). However, the sloop is
Kydd feels the elation and weight of command as he, and he alone, is responsible for the successes and failures aboard his command. However, Kydd, as we have come to expect, rises to the challenge, his determination and resourcefulness coming to the fore. His is a leadership based entirely on his personal qualities, blessed with the common touch, and his competency as a blue water seaman.
We follow him on missions where he makes mistakes, but gradually learn and builds confidence. And, as well, he eventually succeeds in the course of a successful sea battle against La Fouine, an action which brings him revenge for an earlier exchange where the French ship almost had the better of him. Unfortunately, in the midst of this, peace “breaks out” and Kydd is sent ashore without a ship or job.
Kydd is then faced with desperate times as he faces the loss of his livelihood and his best friend. To make ends meet, he agrees to transport convicts to Australia. Little does he know that his friend Renzi, weakened by illness and embittered with the service, is also bound for that colony as a settler. There they will be forced to face their deepest fears and prove themselves against all odds.
Command is another great novel in the “Kydd” series. It is exciting and interesting. The turnaround in the relationship between Kydd and Renzi is very interesting and intriguing.
, Corsair, by Clive Cussler and Jack Dubrul
This is the sixth novel in the Oregon Files series by Clive Cussler and co-authors. To my mind, this series seems to be written much in the fashion and style of the 
In Corsair, Juan Cabrillo, the Corporation, and the Oregon are at it again. The Oregon is a vessel that viewed from the outside appears to be old, somewhat in disrepair and weak, but which in reality is heavily armored and full of sophisticated equipment and powerful weaponry. And the technology plays a significant role in the book.
It starts with a prologue set during the Barbary pirate war and a tale of a pirate fortune. It continues with the Oregon raiding a modern day pirate stronghold in order to capture a pirate leader out of a heavily defended port.
But the real action in Corsair, its main storyline, starts when the United States’ Secretary of State’s plane crashes under mysterious circumstances on the way to Libya. And the action is fast, furious and impressive. It is quite interesting and entertaining. Even though you really have let go of logic and go with the flow of the book pretty often in order to fully enjoy. But if you can do that, than this book is very entertaining.
Du Brul and Cussler weave great although sometime pretty wild plotlines, and they are good at mixing in “facts” in lots of shapes and forms – history, religion, and politics. To me, the plot was moderately or so engaging. And at some spots, even in this adventure filled action novel, things were a little too slow and the side stories a tad boring. But even so, Corsair is an above-average adventure story, and quite ok for a relaxing reading of a technological adventure.
The Piano Teacher, by Janice Y K Lee
Filed under: Fiction, International bestseller, Janice Lee, book review, recommendation
The Piano Teacher tells a complicated, convoluted story of adaptation, love, betrayal and responses to changing circumstances. The story is set in war-torn Hong Kong,
A focal point in the novel is Will Truesdale, an Englishman who arrived in Hong Kong in 1942. In most ways he is an ordinary, self doubting man. However, having arrived, he more or less immediately falls headlong into a passionate relationship with the extremely attractive, intriguing and beautiful Eurasian socialite Trudy Liang.
As the war in Asia spreads, Hong Kong too is captured. Will, being English, is forced into an internment camp. Trudy, on the other hand, is Eurasian and is able to remain outside. And while they struggle to retain their affair even after they have been separated, it soon becomes apparent that their opportunities and outlooks develop in quite different directions.
Will tries his best to contribute to the collective of the prison camp, and is increasingly shaped by the events, obligations and bonds there. Trudy, on the other hand, seeks to preserve her high society lifestyle, and involves herself with the Japanese. She soon gets involved in affairs far beyond her control. Her desperate attempts to locate a priceless collection of Chinese art on behalf of her Japanese lover leads to a chain of terrible betrayals, involving several pillars of society.
Ten years later, Claire Pendleton comes to Hong Kong and is hired by the wealthy Chen family as their daughter’s piano teacher. She meets Will, is attracted to him, and becomes his mistress. Again, a love affair of Will’s takes on an importance much larger than the affair itself. And as Claire begins to understand the intricacies and multiple conflicts of the world she has entered, long-buried secrets are brought to the fore. And now Claire’s whole life changes as a consequences of the revelations that are unleashed.
Janice Y. K. Lee’s first novel, The Piano Teacher, is beautiful and written in a spare and understated form, where only the tips of huge icebergs of events are visible up to the very end. None of her characters are particularly endearing, but they are complex, interesting, often disagreeable, and very authentic. The whole book is full of intrigue. And even though the novel raises many more questions than it answers, the answers that are provided are very satisfactory. I strongly recommend it!
Praise:
“Evocative, poignant and skillfully crafted, The Piano Teacher is more than an epic tale of war and a tangled, tortured love story. It is the kind of novel one consumes in great, greedy gulps, pausing (grudgingly) only when absolutely necessary.” — Chicago Tribune
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