The wacky accents are still annoying to read.

But Jester's Fortune manages to overcome the tedium of trying to interpret various pidgin English narratives with a thrilling account of the British navy's brief, ill-conceived plan to use Serbian pirates against the French and their allies in the war-torn Adriatic Sea.

Pirates aren't trustworthy, by definition. And when things go awry -- well, it makes for some very tense moments -- and one exceedingly long, bloody scene -- in this chapter of Alan Lewrie's adventures at sea.

I'll confess, one portion of the book was almost too much for me to keep reading. It was, however realistic for the time, so bloody and cruel it was hard to turn the page.

But it was certainly worth it. Dewey Lambdin pulls no punches but gives Lewrie a lot to overcome in his rise in rank and prominence.

Among the bumps in his way are a couple of old school chums, an annoying subordinate sloop captain, a former lover and a new romantic interest who catches his eye (despite his wife and children back home). Other problems to contend with include a moody superior officer -- at times his best friend, at others his harshest critic -- and the commodore of their tiny fleet, whose reach sometimes exceeds his grasp.

The Hungarian translator attached to their fleet is also an issue, mostly because of Lambdin's distracting use of accented dialogue.

Meanwhile, Napoleon is extending his conquest of Europe, and the mighty Austrian army proves an unreliable ally. Matters between England and France are beginning to boil.

I'm eager to see where things go next.