The Battle of the Nile behind him, Captain Alexander Clay is reassigned to a small squadron en route to the Indian Ocean, where a trio of French frigates is making havoc among the profitable East India trade. Clay, recently honored by mad King George III for his part in the Nile campaign, leaves behind his young wife Lydia, who is expecting their first child. He sails under the command of Commodore Sir George Montague, about whom he knows little, aboard HMS Black Prince, and in consort with the sloop Rush, commanded by his best friend, John Sutton.

But all is not well, for the squadron also includes the sloop Echo, commanded by Nicholas Windham. Windham, only slightly Sutton's junior in rank, is also a nemesis of Clay's and Sutton's from The Captain's Nephew, the first book in Philip K. Alan's outstanding series.

Windham, who was a thorn in Clay's side back then, now carries a grudge against Sutton, whom he suspects (and not without cause) of murdering Windham's uncle, Captain Percy Follet, in the heat of battle. The fact that Follet was one of Montague's best friends could spell further trouble for the two friends, who are also estranged over Sutton's pursuit of Clay's sister, Betsey.

The Distant Ocean includes escort missions and excellent sea battles aplenty, along with a mysterious fish, a cunning ruse and the literary exploits of Clay's coxswain. There's a subplot involving a betrayal, a capture, a little hilltop subterfuge and a harrowing voyage, sans food and water, in a tiny boat. There are raw eggs and a pool of guano-flavored rainwater to consider, too.

While the book focuses primarily on Clay and Sutton, Allan also provides readers with a well-rounded cast of secondary characters that add numerous layers to the story.

I discovered Allan's work in 2020 and, although this is only the fifth of his books that I've read since then, he has risen to stand among my favorites in the genre. I look forward to continuing this series soon!

[ visit Philip K. Allan's website ]