Still caught in the ongoing struggle for power between Admiral Hood and Vice Admiral Hotham, set in the backdrop of Toulon during the bloody siege of 1793, John Pearce grows increasingly frustrated by his stalled efforts to free himself and his shipmates from service in the British navy.

But, despite losing a court martial against his former captain, Ralph Barclay -- who was censured by the court for his actions when Pearce and the others were illegally pressed, but against whom no further actions were taken -- Pearce holds onto a hope that he can still win the day with a charge of perjury for lying under oath and persuading others to do the same.

Hood, who has no love for Barclay, sees Pearce as a valuable pawn in his feud with Hotham. And Pearce, despite his lack of experience in the navy and a rapid, unprecedented advancement from landsman to ship's lieutenant, has proved uncommonly successful in his various efforts on the navy's behalf.

So Hood, dangling evidence against Barclay as a reward, orders Pearce to Naples to confer with Ambassador William Hamilton (and his wife, the lovely Emma Hamilton) in order to pry more troops from the king and queen of the Two Sicilies (the queen being sister to Marie Antoinette) for the defense of Toulon.

Pearce, acting as premier of HMS Faron under command of Lt. Henry Digby, also is sent on a diplomatic mission to Tunis, where he gets to know Horatio Nelson, whose own star is on the rise in the navy (and whose future with the Hamiltons is legendary).

Throughout Pearce's mission, author David Donachie also keeps an eye on action in Toulon, where matters turn more grim by the day.

And that's where Donachie's mastery of the craft really comes into play. As in other novels in this series, he keeps many wheels turning, and each is carefully plotted and the characters keep the story moving along at a measured pace. There's plenty of action here, but Donachie also steeps his story in the politics and personalities at the heart of this war.

This is the fifth book in this series, and it's still 1793, the year the series began. It looks like Donachie has plenty more story to tell before this war comes to an end.