Since the action of The Gun Ketch, the fifth volume in the Alan Lewrie saga, our once-roguish hero has settled down to a life on the land, serving as a gentleman farmer with his wife and young children. Only sometimes does he yearn for his old life at sea ... but he's pretty excited when he's summoned once more into service, this time against the revolutionary French in 1793.

The novel unfolds in several parts: his return to active duty, his unrewarding tenure with the Impress service, his appointment as first lieutenant on Cockerel under a brutal and paranoid captain, his ill-fated defense of (and evacuation from) Toulon, and his return to England at the helm of a captured French frigate.

Each part of the story has its share of excitement, including a dalliance with Lady Emma Hamilton (perhaps whetting her appetite for married naval officers), meeting a young Napoleon on the field of battle outside Toulon and taking up with a young French lady of the evening while under siege. (OK, so he's still pretty roguish after all.)

Perhaps his encounter with three French warships at the end is the most thrilling part of this novel. It's a desperate battle with no hope of victory, and yet Lewrie has a few surprises in store.

Dewey Lambdin peoples his tale with a host of interesting, although not always likable, characters. Lewrie continues his growth as a bold, competent naval officer, and I look forward to more adventures to come.

My only complaint in this book is Lambdin's overuse of French (and heavily accented English) dialogue in Toulon, which makes deciphering some of the narrative difficult.