It's been more than a decade since I read An Eye of the Fleet, the first book in Richard Woodman's Nathaniel Drinkwater series. Fittingly enough, I find at the start of the second book in the series, A King's Cutter, that about the same period has passed for the eponymous hero, Nathaniel Drinkwater.

Despite his successes in An Eye, Drinkwater was passed over for promotion and ended up working as a mate for Trinity House. Now married, he finds himself engaged once again by the Royal Navy, this time as an acting lieutenant on a 12-gun navy cutter, the Kestrel. The cutter's commander is Lt. Madoc Griffiths, an older Welsh officer who has likewise not been promoted over the years but has been active in the service for most of his adult life.

Meanwhile, war is brewing in Europe. The French Revolution is still in its infancy but is already a deadly threat to England. Spies are operating on both sides of the Channel. The Dutch fleet is mobilizing.

And Drinkwater is in the middle of it -- in a very small ship. The Kestrel's mission might not seem glorious, but it plays a vital role in the greater movements of ships and men -- passing messages, transporting agents of the crown, keeping an eye on enemy ships, and more. To make matters worse, mutiny is breaking out on British ships, as sailors fight for better conditions.

In my review of the first book in the series, I noted Woodman's habit of taking readers out of the story by throwing tidbits of history that had not yet occurred into his narrative. He doesn't seem to have that problem any more, which is a relief!

But readers will quickly realize that Woodman, who had a 37-year-long career at sea, knows his jibs from his halyards. His command of the jargon is excellent, and he writes like someone who knows exactly what maneuvers are necessary to work a vessel of wood, rope and canvas.

It all comes together at the great fleet battle of Camperdown, where Drinkwater faces a foe who has dodged all of his previous efforts to capture him.

I am glad I overcame my initial reluctance to continue this series. Woodman is a far more polished writer this time around, and Drinkwater's adventures make for excellent reading.