Having skipped from book 6, The Turn of the Tide, straight to book 11, Clay & the River of Silver, it was time to step back in time and pick up where I left off with Philip K. Allan's Alexander Clay series. Book 7, In Northern Seas, picks up after the loss of Clay's ship, the frigate Titan, with tense court martial proceedings that end, as one might expect, with his acquittal and reinstatement as a ship's captain.

Clay is given the frigate Griffin, along with most of his officers and crew from Titan, for a diplomatic mission to Denmark to forestall war over British trading rights in the Baltic Sea. Under pressure from the French, several northern nations -- Denmark, Sweden, Prussia and Russia -- could deny British passage through the Baltic, which would have a devastating effect on much-needed supplies. Griffin is assigned to take diplomat Nicholas Vansittart (and his mysterious valet, Josh Rankin) to try and persuade Denmark to reject the alliance. However, political maneuvering ends up sending the ship and men to Russia, where the mad tsar is doing his utmost to crush British interests.

Don't worry, the Griffin will be back in Danish waters in time for Admiral Nelson's descent on Copenhagen.

The mission will have political intrigue, manipulation, subterfuge, secret plots and even a bit of assassination before it's all done. (For the record, Clay -- who doesn't balk at ordering his men to mow down countless enemy combatants with canister shot, is a bit squeamish when it comes to standing by while a single person is assassinated ... even if that one death could save countless British lives.) There's an effective nighttime stratagem to get a French warship off their tail. And there's also plenty of ice in the water, an unwelcome change for a ship and crew accustomed to a slightly warmer climate.

And, through it all, there's also time for a bit of romance, as Clay's one-armed lieutenant Edward Preston pitches some woo at the daughter of a merchant captain who was rescued from an attack by a French privateer. Preston may find the girl's father to be more intimidating than a crew of French seamen.

While not adhering strictly to the exact details of history, Allan has written Clay and the Griffin into several key events at the turn of the century, a key period in England's ongoing war with France. As always, the book is thoroughly enjoyable, a delightful chapter from the era that will keep readers turning pages until, oh no, we're at the end! At least I have a few more books in the series to read ... and, by the time I've caught up, perhaps Allan will favor us with his next novel.

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