Heart of Oak, the penultimate title in Alexander Kent's long-running Bolitho saga, is still heavy with memories and emotions -- a trend that has dogged the last several books in the series. Every character, it seems, is burdened with some weighty past trauma that is constantly at the edge of their thoughts.

As has been the case since Admiral Richard Bolitho's Horatio Nelson-like death by marksman on the deck of his flagship, his nephew Captain Adam Bolitho is the book's protagonist.

It's 1818, and the long wars with France are over. In a gesture of their newfound peaceful relationship, the Royal Navy sends Bolitho and HMS Onward, a new frigate, to escort the French ship Nautilus on a diplomatic mission to North Africa. Of course, there are still animosities to contend with, and not everyone has peaceful intentions.

Some are even downright hostile. So don't be concerned about naval action, you'll see plenty.

Besides Bolitho, readers will get to know (or know better, in many cases) supporting characters such as the coxswain Jago, midshipmen Napier and Huxley, lieutenants Vincent, Squire and Monteith, and various other members of the crew. A few old favorites from past novels will reappear on occasion to let readers know how they're getting along.

Meanwhile, at home, Adam's betrothed -- the former artist's model Lowenna -- is getting used to the life of a navy "widow," whose man spends more time at sea than ashore.

There is also a pointless below-deck murder that doesn't rise to the level of mystery because no one seems bothered enough to try and solve it. It's a meandering plot point that seems like it was supposed to go somewhere but never did.

As always, Kent's nautical books are an excellent read, and his descriptions of shipboard life are as realistic as you're likely to see in printed form -- as are the historical details in his plots. There's not as much action here as in some earlier books in the series, but then again, France and Spain are allies now, and the perils from North Africa aren't quite on the same keel as those earlier wars.

There's only one more book in this series to go, and I know I will miss these characters when that last page is turned.