In the last several weeks, I've read several novels about the British and American navies in the Age of Sail. Some have been by authors I'm familiar with, others by authors who were new to me; some were very good, some less so. In any case, it felt time to cleanse my literary palate with something I knew would be of higher quality. Chris Durbin fits the bill and, fortune be with me, he had just sent me his latest novel for review.

Durbin -- much like authors including O'Brian, Pope, Kent and Nelson -- rarely if ever disappoints. Although I was first introduced to his work just over a year ago, he has quickly joined the ranks of my favorites, so Carlisle's Duty, the 11th book in Durbin's Carlisle & Holbrooke series, was a welcome addition to my nightstand.

It did not let me down.

It's set in 1760-61 and, while the French & Indian War is over in the American colonies, the Seven Years War continues elsewhere in the world. Captain Edward Carlisle is cruising aboard his 50-gun ship of the line, HMS Dartmouth, in the West Indies, dealing with smugglers and privateers, to say nothing of the ubiquitous French. He is even at one point captured, although only briefly.

Carlisle, unlike most other officers in the British navy, was born in the colonies rather than England -- and he's starting to feel the weight of that stigma more than he used to. Carlisle is moodier in this book than we've seen him in the past. He seems vaguely dissatisfied with his place in the navy, and he's sometimes a bit crankier with his men than we're used to seeing. At the same time, he has a newfound sense of satisfaction with his wife and son, who are happily settled in his native Williamsburg, where he finally sees a future for himself.

Much of the book deals with more mundane topics than its predecessors in the series, which focused more on thrilling land and sea battles between the British and French forces during the French and Indian War. Now with that particular chapter ended, and with France fully withdrawn from its American colonies, many coastal residents want to see things return to normal -- and that means free trade, and unimpeded smuggling, with the French islands of the Caribbean. But England still frowns on tax-free commerce with its erstwhile foe, and Carlisle is placed in an awkward position when he captures a Rhode Island smuggler with a cargo of molasses bound for the New England rum trade. Where do his true loyalties lie? He is, after all, a loyal British officer despite his New World upbringing.

Carlisle's Duty moves at a slower pace than previous books in the series, but it remains entertaining nonetheless. The post-captain interacts with some interesting historical figures, including Rhode Island businessman John Brown and privateer Abraham Whipple, as he spends time in both New England and Virginia. His family dynamic undergoes a crucial shift while he's there, too, changing a great deal in his personal life.

That's not to say there's not plenty of sea action, particularly a dramatic battle against a superior French squadron near the end of the book. I am already eagerly anticipating the next book in this series.

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