Inferno has land battles and diplomacy, a bit of treasure hunting, some deft naval maneuvers, subterfuge, primitive scuba diving, a daring rescue and a fairly horrific attack by the British military on civilians in a neutral nation. What it doesn't have a lot of is Tom Kydd, the eponymous hero of the series.

Set in 1807, the novel features Britain on the ropes, as Napoleon makes peace with Russia and solidifies his control of most of Europe. Britain rightly fears that, if France seizes the battle fleet of neutral Denmark, it will be unable to resist the coming invasion.

Does that justify the destruction and slaughter unleashed by British forces on the people of Copenhagen? Probably not. Did it help them win the war against Napoleon? Almost certainly.

Author Julian Stockwin doesn't blink when presenting the horrors inflicted on Copenhagen during a relentless naval bombardment. He brings it home by stranding Nicholas Renzi and his wife, Cecilia -- Kydd's best friend and his sister, respectively -- in the city after failed negotiations with the Danish crown prince. They, hiding in an abandoned mansion and unable to flee, witness much of the city's destruction.

Stockwin also gives readers an eyewitness view of the land battle by introducing Francis Maynard, an ensign in the 52nd Regiment of Foot and brother of a warrant officer on Kydd's frigate, HMS Tyger. Expecting glory, Maynard instead faces the grim realities of war.

The book certainly touches on a dramatic chapter in British history -- one that does not reflect well on the British. To tell the story, Stockwin focuses on a number of ancillary characters -- some real, some fictional -- but that leaves Kydd himself out of much of the book. To give him at least some portion of ink, Stockwin includes a light-hearted treasure-hunting expedition at the beginning of the novel and the rescue of the exiled King Louis of France from French assassins near the end, but that still leaves Kydd a side character in his own book.

It's still a very good read, and fans of British naval fiction will find themselves unsure how to react as the Brits cause so much death and devastation in a neutral city. You can't look away, and it's not easy to forgive -- nor does Stockwin ask you to. Instead, he tells the story powerfully, even if it means making his heroic protagonist sit most of this one out.