If the Carlisle & Holbrooke naval adventures were a TV serial, I'd guess that the third episode -- or, in this case, the third novel in the series, The Jamaica Station -- was filmed while the actor playing Captain Edward Carlisle was contractually obligated to another studio. That would explain his absence during a large portion of a title in a series bearing his name.

In reality, author Chris Durbin uses a temporary but crippling injury, sustained about halfway through the book, to remove Carlisle from the action so his first lieutenant, his young protege George Holbrooke, can assume command of the ship, carry out the mission and prove his abilities to the admiral to advance his career.

The book is set in the West Indies in 1757. There is, as always in a Durbin novel, plenty of action, starting with a severe hurricane that leads to a daring rescue of a Spanish ship in peril. There are ship-vs-ship engagements, secret missions to spy on the French, an encounter with Dutch privateers with a hidden vendetta, a journey to the capital city of Spanish Florida, politics and diplomacy, romance and flirtations, and the pivotal Battle of Cape Francois, which gives the British their much-needed first major naval victory in the Seven Years War.

Carlisle, of course, continues to be a daring and influential character in the first half of the book, but his debilitating injury -- received during an otherwise decisive sea battle -- forces him ashore to convalesce under the tender care of his wife and navy doctors. Holbrooke then is given a temporary promotion to command in his stead. (Holbrooke, a mere 20 years old and, until recently, unsure of his future with the navy, is indescribably fortunate to gain command of the frigate Medina, even temporarily, when the service has so many experienced officers eager for a ship.) Of course, he proves equal to the task, although getting there is an adventure in itself.

What this means for the future of the two protagonists is uncertain; The Jamaica Station ends with the careers of Carlisle and Holbrooke on potentially divergent paths. We'll have to wait for Durbin's next book to see what the Fates have in store for them. I know I will be there, as Durbin has me hooked on the series.