Lone Escort begins with the crew of a small, homeward-bound merchant ship being stopped by a Royal Navy frigate, with a number of hands -- including able seamen Lovemore and Cranston, both of whom once served under Captain Tom King and, in fact, escaped with him from a French prison in Honor Bound -- being pressed for service on the HMS Tenacious.

Tenacious is an unhappy frigate, commanded by the weak, indolent Captain Ralph Wheatstone. The first lieutenant and master-at-arms believe that flogging is the best course for discipline, and the crew is, at best, resentful.

Then Wheatstone chokes himself to death during an elaborate dinner in his cabin. At the same time, King -- who has been enjoying time ashore with his common-law French wife Aimee and their young son -- decides to reactivate his commission. It's good timing, because Tenacious needs a captain for an escort mission to Nova Scotia.

King is able to bring his old shipmate, Lt. James Croft, aboard as his second lieutenant, along with Midshipman Michael Summers and ship's surgeon Robert Manning. They, along with Lovemore and Cranston, provide the foundation for restoring equilibrium to the ship -- although Wheatstone's first lieutenant, William Leyton, may prove to be a problem. So, too, might Amanda Levesque and her supposed maid Alice, who were brought onboard by Wheatstone as passengers to Halifax and who have something shady going on.

A lot happens once they're at sea, including an action against privateers that leaves Tenacious alone to protect a small fleet of four merchants. As always in an Alaric Bond novel, there is plenty of action, and the pulse-pounding battle at the book's climax is a heart-stopper.

Bond's Fighting Sail books continue to comprise one of the best ongoing nautical series currently publishing. Bond has a keen grasp of story and character, with an excellent knowledge of 18th-century sailing to keep his stories both thrilling and plausible. I'm not sure he can write them fast enough to keep me satisfied -- particularly considering he's also writing a World War II-era series called Coastal Forces -- but at least I still have a few more books to go before I catch up.

Write faster, Alaric!

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