Due to a packing error, I found myself on vacation with A Close Run Thing, the 15th book in David Donachie's ongoing John Pearce series. Sadly, book 14, which I had not yet read, sat at home. Well, I needed a book and this was at hand. And, although it took me a few pages to figure out what I had missed, Donachie didn't waste much time in getting me up to speed.

It's somewhat surprising to note that, although this is the 15th book in the series, only three or four years have passed since Pearce's story began way back in By the Mast Divided, when he was pressed as an unwilling seaman in the British Navy. Since then he has made new friends among his fellow unfortunates, rebelled against an unfair captain, advanced from the lower deck to a midshipman's post and, eventually, became a lieutenant through personal valor and a royal whim. Despite his best efforts to escape the navy, he has found himself to be fairly competent in a command role, even if at times it makes him feel like a hypocrite. He has engaged in battles and spycraft. He seduced away his ex-captain's wife, with whom he has already had a child. His adventures have taken him far and wide, at a time when travel was by no means swift. And yet, while the first book was set in 1793, this most recent volume takes place in 1796 -- a busy three years indeed.

And, as usual, this story is packed with action and intrigue.

A Close Run Thing starts off with our protagonist trapped behind enemy lines in Gravelines, in Northern France. He and his companion must find passage back to England, and that is going to be tricky. Pearce makes it, of course, but his arrival is less than optimal, and his greeting is not immediately an enthusiastic one. However, the admiralty cannot discount his various successes, and Pearce finds himself rewarded with a new ship and mission. Unfortunately, the assignment does not come with a trained crew, so Pearce must mold a gaggle of landsman into competent sailors with very little time or resources at his disposal. On the plus side, he has a few good officers and a trio of close friends to assist him.

Meanwhile, his relationship with Emily, his former captain's former wife, continues to degrade into awkward tolerance of each other, and he has only a passing acquaintance with his young son Adam. There is also a certain degree of skulduggery as a former shipmate, a deceitful ne'er-do-well, bargains for his life by offering vital information against the threat of a public hanging. Oh, and there are some vengeful smugglers in the mix.

Never let it be said that David Donachie doesn't stuff his books with solid material. A lot has happened to John Pearce over the past few years and more than a dozen novels, and we lucky readers get to ride along. I think I need to read the book I missed, then quickly move on to see where Donachie takes us next.