John Pearce, a newly minted lieutenant in the British navy, continues his efforts to free his illegally pressed shipmates in An Awkward Commission, the third book in the series by David Donachie.

With his friends on a ship bound for the Mediterranean, Pearce applies for a post in the same region in the hope of arranging their release from service. Of course, he has his share of naval adventures along the way, one of which will help him to begin learning his new responsibilities, another of which will reintroduce him to his former, much-hated captain.

As for Captain Ralph Barclay, he remains a thoroughly unlikeable man but yet proves a fairly competent leader when it comes to battle. Even so, his ship is taken by the French and he, his wife and his men are imprisoned ... until Pearce arrives to negotiate a tenuous treaty with a French contingent that's unhappy with the direction the Revolution has gone.

Those talks are in Toulon, by the way, so readers who know their history can anticipate some fireworks before all's said and done. Along the way, Pearce will find himself unexpectedly in command of a ship when a routine mission goes awry.

Donachie has long since proven his skill with a naval yarn; this is the fourth series he's written that I've had the pleasure to enjoy. And that's part of the appeal -- while a lot of talented authors find their protagonist and stick with him for the long haul, Donachie writes his stories and moves on to something new.

This series might prove the exception, however; at last count, John Pearce has been the hero of 15 novels ... so far. Be that as it may, I plan to keep reading about Pearce as long as his adventures are this interesting and well crafted.