When the British fleet trounced the French on the Glorious First of June in the novel Enemies at Every Turn, Lt. John Pearce -- the eponymous hero of this series by David Donachie -- was nowhere near the action. But in the book that follows, A Sea of Troubles, his small gunship finds itself sailing against the tide among the massive grain convoy, en route to France from the United States to break the famine there.

It's a tense scene as Pearce and his men try to bluff their way out of a desperate situation. Of course, they succeed -- otherwise, this would be a very short book.

Meanwhile, the many threads Donachie has been weaving into the series continue to unwind. Pearce's romance with Emily Barclay blossoms, even as her estranged husband, the cruel ship's captain Ralph Barclay, puts another plan in motion to find her and bring her forcefully back to his arms. The smugglers who have been pursuing Pearce for his (unwitting) theft of their ship and cargo set a trap, and Pearce strives to win the freedom of his friends, Charlie and Rufus, from a life of servitude on Barclay's ship.

Of course, the political machinations of Pitt and Dundas and the naval/political maneuvers of Howe, Hood and Hotham continue to plague Pearce, who wants nothing more than to be out of the British navy, even though he's proven quite adept at command.

Pearce and his friends have come a long way from the first book in this series, when they were illegally pressed onto Barclay's ship and their naval adventures began. Some of Donachie's long-running plots, such as Pearce's legal efforts to have Barclay charged with perjury at his court martial, have gone on a bit too long, but overall, the series continues to be an enjoyable read.