Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #125449 in Books
• Published on: 2008-01-08
• Released on: 2008-01-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

From Publishers Weekly
The 13th title in Lambdin's popular series finds salacious Royal Navy captain Alan Lewrie in hot water for "liberating" a dozen slaves from their Caribbean plantation and putting them to work on his ship, the HMS Proteus. Facing the prospect of court martial and a civil trial, Lewrie reluctantly agrees when Zachariah Twigg of the Foreign Office suggests a scheme that might save his career: recasting the incorrigible captain as an abolitionist hero. Noting that Lewrie is "a much easier man to extol at long-distance," Twigg arranges for him to convoy some merchantmen and an unlikely floating Russian circus between St. Helena and Cape Town. As usual, Lambdin (The Captain's Vengeance) provides realistic detail of naval life in the late 18th century, but here the plot is slender and the action brief and sporadic. The circus ship offers a potential romantic interest in an exotic "raven-haired wench" named Eudoxia, but nothing comes of it. There are two skirmishes with French raiders—the second a decisive victory for Lewrie. Even so, the cloud over Lewrie's career lingers, perhaps to be dissipated in the next title in a series that has proven popular with fans of nautical fiction. (Sept.)
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Review
Praise for Dewey Lambdin and the Alan Lewrie series



“You could get addicted to this series. Easily.”



---The New York Times Book Review



“The brilliantly stylish American master of salty-tongued British naval tales.”



---Kirkus Reviews



“The best naval adventure series since C. S. Forester.”



---Library Journal



 



 

From the Inside Flap
The powder-packed thirteenth installment in a classic naval adventure series.
 
Captain Alan Lewrie, Royal Navy, is just discovering the truth of the old adage that “No Good Deed Goes Unpunished!”
After a bout of Yellow Fever decimated the crew of Lewrie’s HMS Proteus in 1797, it had seemed like a knacky idea to abscond with a dozen slaves from a coastal Jamaican plantation to help man his frigate, a grand jape on their purse-proud master and a righteous act, to boot. But now . . . two years later, the embittered Beauman clan at last suspects Lewrie of the deed. Slave-stealing is a hanging offense, and suddenly Alan Lewrie’s neck is at risk of a fatal stretching!
Patrons finagle an official escape from Jamaica to England, where the nefarious and manipulative master Foreign Office spy, Zachariah Twigg, is just too nice and helpful to be credited on his behalf, arranging a long voyage even further out of the law’s reach, to Cape Town and India, as escort to an East India Company convoy led by one of Lewrie’s old captains, who still despises him worse than cold, boiled mutton!
To the Cape of Good Hope, where French cruisers prowl, where a British circus and theatrical troupe joins the convoy, just teeming with tempting female acrobats, nubile young bareback riders, and alluring “actresses” like the seductive but deadly archer, Eudoxia Durschenko!
It will take all Lewrie’s shrewd guile, wit, low cunning, and steely self-control to worm his way out of trouble, this time, and keep his breeches chastely buttoned up to avoid even more troubles . . . or will he?  Praise for the Previous Book in the Series, The Captain’s Vengeance
“Every bit as atmospheric and addictive as its predecessors.”--Kirkus
“A wealth of historical detail and lively . . . supporting characters.”--Publishers Weekly
 
Praise for Dewey Lambdin and his Alan Lewrie Adventures
“You could get addicted to this series.”--The New York Times Book Review
“The brilliantly stylish American master of salty-tongued British naval tales.”--Kirkus
“Stunning naval adventure, reeking of powder and mayhem. I wish I had written this series.”--Bernard Cornwell “Rousing series of nautical adventures.”--Booklist“Lewrie is a marvelous creation, resourceful and bold.”--James L. Nelson, author of the Revolution at Sea saga“The best naval adventure series since C. S. Forrester.”--Library Journal

Customer Reviews

Dewey Done Did Good!
When a fellow reviewer wrote "Would not go to work this morning without turning the last page and then required several hankies and some Visine to do so." they mirrored my experience almost to a "T".

I have thoroughly enjoied all of Lambdin's Lewrie novels and this one defiantely didn't let me down. In fact, it is at the top of my list of favorites in this line.

My only complaint is that each new book in the series seems to get released later and later. For a long time, the books would release in Sept / Oct and I learned a long time ago to wait and read the current book around the end of August so I caould delve right into the next one.. Now I'll have to wait until January!

Alan Lewrie
Great seafaring book. I have all the Lewrie books. Mr Lamdin is an exceptional author. One I start reading one his books I am enthralled. I feel like I am there with Captain Lewrie, on and off ship. Will keep buyimg all his books.

A Less Lurid Lewry
Ever since the first of this series came out, with our lad bedding his half sister and getting caught in the proverbial act on page one, he's been called Alan Lurid in our household, and for good reason -- the earlier books were a real romp in misbehaviour, Royal Navy style. Alan boarded and vanquished at least as many young maidens -- and former-maidens -- as enemy ships in these earlier books and you could count on all sorts of action in every title. Then he hooked up with this Caroline character, married her, and his love life pretty much went to hell...kids, house payment, a vast estate to manage, crabby neighbors, and a wife who turned into something of a shrew just because she discovered he's had a few girls in a few ports -- what was she expecting? Well, along comes this latest book and I am hoping he'll recruit a new mistress or two, but no -- Lewrie flirts a bit with an actress in this story but her virtue (if any) remains as pure at the end (so to speak) as when he met her -- no bodices ripped, no panting orgies on this literary cruise. Caroline has him throughly intimidated and I almost expected him to go into counseling. But don't let me talk you out of reading this title -- it's still fun. And wouldn't the sailors of two hundred years ago smile if they could know that, here in the Twenty-First Century that we'd be fascinated with their lives and times?