Seven books into David Donachie's John Pearce series of naval novels set during the war between England and France following the French Revolution, and I'm starting to wonder if the author is running out of ideas.

The protagonist's goal throughout the series has been to escape naval service, into which he was illegally pressed in the first book, and to get revenge against ship's Captain Ralph Barclay, who forced him into service in the first place. He also strives to improve the lot of his friends in the service and, almost as an afterthought, win the heart of Barclay's estranged wife, Emily, who caught his eye from the start.

But for the first time in this series, Blown Off Course does little to keep my interest up. It's mostly set ashore in England, where Lt. Pearce has gone to acquire protections for his friends Michael, Charlie and Rufus who, unbeknownst to him, were put ashore and are fleeing to escape the pursuers who would force them back into the service. Meanwhile, he ponders his lack of fortune and, for a bit of action near the end of the book, agrees to smuggle a ship and cargo into England in exchange for a sizeable share of the profits.

Donachie has always gone a little overboard in this series in recounting the past of his characters to keep his readers up to speed. In this book, he just hammers old plot synopses home over and over again, almost as if he didn't know how else to fill the pages. There's relatively little action to keep the story from plodding along. On the plus side, it sets up a few new plot points that could mean more action in the next volume.

Perhaps it's time for Donachie to wrap up a few loose threads. Does Pearce stay in the navy or resign his commission? Does he get his revenge against Barclay? Does he get the girl? Then he can focus his storytelling craft on a new chapter in Pearce's life; there's still plenty of war ahead for England and France, so if Pearce remains in the service, he can count on lots of action.