Although this book is not the first book of the "Bolitho" series, it is was my introduction to this author and this serial character. Since then, I have acumulated 23 of the 26 novels in this series.
The author's character takes part in many historical British naval battles. The author's description of ships, arms, and fortifications are very well researched and descriptive. I only wish that there were detailed maps with the books. I have had to get my own maps, and that's ok too.
I recommend this book to everyone and encourage everyone to collect the whole series.

In this, the twelfth book of the Richard Bolitho series, Bolitho has risen to the rank of Commodore and is dispatched to the Mediteranean to try and figure out what the French navy is up to. England's Admiralty is rivetted on this question as the deployment of the whole British Fleet depends on the answer to that question. So, who better to send than ... Nelson! Oh, but there is a problem you see. Nelson just lost his arm in an engagement and is still recovering. Hmmm... Who is the next most trustworthy commander on the seas ... Aha! Richard Bolitho!

Bolitho assumes command of a squadron that is surprisingly populated by most all of the characters that have survived the previous eleven novels. The Captains of the 74 gun ship of the line are Thomas Herrick (Bolitho's closes friend), Charles Farquhar (who was a Lieutenant under Bolitho), Charles Probyn (served as a Lieutenant senior to Bolitho), Inch (was a midshipman in one of Bolitho's ships), etc. In addition, Adam Pascoe, Bolitho's nephew is on the flagship serving as a Lieutenant. I suppose the British navy of that time was quite closely knit, and perhaps it was not surprising to have all the senior officers having served with one another in the past, but it seemed too convenient and pat to me.

Bolitho starts on his mission and almost immediately finds out that his real struggle will be the petty jealousies and serious disruptions caused by the relationships of his subordinates to each other. As the book narrative continues, most of the senior commanders make decisions that affect the outcomes of complete naval battles based purely on how they view their colleagues and what possibilities for advancement these actions might have on their careers. This is quite different than Richard Bolitho's own experiences as a Captain of his ship and he is quite taken back by it. In addition, some of these officers have reached the end of their abilities and may even be cracking under the strains of command - even some who are quite close to Bolitho which makes it trebly difficult for the Commodore.

As far as naval action goes, there is something going on non-stop. From cutting out expeditions, to shore attacks, to handling storms, to pitched battles among large ships, they are all there. Bolitho is not handling the individual ship but is trying to focus on the strategic direction he's been given as well as rule his unruly crew and that provides its own set of challenges to our hero. He comes through it with flying colors even though he tries to do a bit too much fighting in the front lines to what one would expect of senior officers. Of course, this is noted across the squadron and appreciated by the typical seaman who responds by putting out much more than is expected of them including doing some very outrageous actions which change the course of battles. (The subtheme of having the officers treat the men decently so they do better is a general one in this whole series)

As Bolitho figures out what the French intentions are, he immediately moves to counter them. So, one of the subplots in this story is how Bolitho's actions changed the course of history. As the book progresses, you read about what he is doing and at the end realize that one reason why Nelson was able to win the decisive Battle of the Nile and thereby change the course of world history was because Bolitho and his small squadron took risks and gave their blood and lives for England.

With so much going on and so much happening in the book, it was also nice to see how well written the book is. Although there is much technical jargon associated with the art of sailing ships in the late 18th century, that same jargon is a key element of the story and adds, rather than distracts, from the pleasure of it. the characters that are regulars in these books continue to develop - sometimes in surprising ways. Since this book is happening almost completely at sea with the British Navy, it is not surprising that there are not many elements of sexual relationships (with the exception of Bolitho's recent escapades in London) or romantic involvement. Therefore it is kind of jarring when the author introduces a woman to Herrick who falls in love with Herrick after speaking with him for one hour (ONE hour!). This has been a significant failing of many of these books in that the man - woman relationships are being portrayed in a completely unrealistic manner. But, never mind, these are minor matters for this kind of book.

A further disappointment for me was that Bolitho and Nelson manage to be at the same place and time for only the second time in this series in this book. According to the Epilogue, Bolitho and his squadron fought in the Battle of the Nile. That is glossed over in a few paragraphs and then Bolitho is sent back to Gibraltar and England. Since the last two books were all gearing up to this point in history, it was kind of deflating to not have at least a complete chapter devoted to that famous battle. I suppose that since Bolitho and his mates are all fictional, it was kind of difficult to place him in any kind of context that made sense in a famous battle like this one. It also brings to mind a question: How will Bolitho participate in the Battle of Trafalgar?