The Jamaica Station pushed young Lt. George Holbrooke to the forefront of Chris Durbin's Carlisle & Holbrooke series of nautical adventures. Now in the fourth book of the series, Holbrooke's Tide, the eponymous Captain Edward Carlisle is merely an afterthought, mentioned only in passing on rare occasions in the book, as Holbrooke's star continues to rise.

It is 1758. Now master and commander of the sloop of war Kestrel, Lt. Holbrooke is ordered back to England, and en route his vessel runs briefly afoul of the French convoy he harried in the previous volume.

Beyond that brief spate of action, Holbrooke's Tide begins slowly. Holbrooke has dealings with the admiralty, learns his new orders, is apprised of the delicate diplomatic balance between Britain and Austria -- ostensibly an ally, but also allied with the French against Prussia, which places Britain and Austria at odds but not at war. And then Holbrooke goes off to home for Christmas, where he reunites with his widowed father and meets a girl....

The story doesn't begin in earnest until chapter eight, when Kestrel clears Portsmouth Harbor and sails for the fortified city of Emden, on the river Elbe, where Holbrooke has been ordered to survey the river's approaches and block shipping to the French. Again, there's a balance to be maintained -- there's a sizable Austrian presence in Emden as well, and the Dutch merchants who are trying to supply the French are not strictly enemies, either. That doesn't mean Holbrooke can't snag a few prizes, however, when they attempt to run his one-sloop blockade.

Holbrooke keeps busy on his station, chalking up a remarkable number of successes as he awaits the arrival of the British commodore who will assume command of the mission. While there, he must deal with an Austrian officer, who seeks an honorable means of retreat from a hopeless situation, and a first lieutenant with a dangerous attitude.

The Seven Years War is a fascinating era in which to set a series. Durbin has the luxury of exploring a period that's not as well-trodden as the French Revolution and Napoleonic wars, and it's also interesting at a time when the United States is still a colony, not a country of its own. That, too, has future story-telling potential, as Holbrooke is English born and Carlisle is a native Virginian; future events could set them on opposite sides of the conflict.

I am eager to see what happens next.

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