The Baltic Gambit:AnAlan Lewrie Naval Adventure by Dewey Lambdin (Thomas
scoundrel and womanizer, catch up with him. Not only does he have to deal with old adversaries, but also with fo rmer lovers who also "cross his wife's hawse." Meanwhile, a rendezvous with Napoleon Bonaparte to ret urn captured swords ends badly, causing assassins to set upon him. Lewrie manages to escape to the coast but at great personal cost. Once the peace ends, our captain goes back to sea to seek vengeance agai nst the French. In the frigate Reliant, he uses leadership and strategic mane uvering to defeat his enemy. Since most of King, Ship and Sword takes place with our naval hero ashore and recollects many earlier actio ns and characters, it is primarily recommended fo r longtime fo llowers of the series rather than for newcomers. In fact, both books have less naval action than usual. But for those who are fans of the Alan Lewrie series and relish the characters and their interactio n, yo u will find both books entertaining reading. ROBERT BROWNING D umfries, V irgin ia
Dunne Books, St. Martin's Press, New York, 2009, 353pp, ISBN 978-0-312-60348-9; $15.99pb) and King, Ship, and Sword:An Alan Lewrie Nava/Adventure by Dewey Lambdin (2010, 358pp, ISBN 978-0-31260348-9; $25.99hc) Dewey Lambdin's Baltic Gambit and King, Ship, and Sword are the author's fifteenth and sixteenth books in the fictional series about the roguish and charismatic Captain Alan Lewrie. In Baltic Gambit, Lewrie initially finds he must deal with the ramifications of an incident that had occurred years before, when he liberated (or stole, depending on one's perspective) a dozen slaves to man his friga te. The subsequent trial draws the interest of the public and gives him unwanted notoriety. Acquitted, he then is stuck on half pay "on the beach," awaiting another command. Much of the story takes place in London, while Lewrie awaits orders to go back to sea. Always a philanderer, Lewrie embarks on a quest for affection and becomes involved Commodore Abraham Whipple of the in a disturbance in a brothel. The shadowy Continental Navy: Privateer, Patriot, Foreign Office spy-master Zachariah Twigg Pioneer by Sheldon S. Cohen (University of reappears in this novel and shortly thereaf- Florida Press, Gainesville, FL, 20 10, 232pp, ter Lewrie is summoned to the Admiralty illus, notes, biblio, index, ISBN 978-0-8130and later ordered to command the frigate 3433-1; $69.95hc) Of the twenty-seven men who were Thermopylae. Sent into the Baltic to deliver a peace delegation, he discovers that one of commissioned as captains in the Continenhis charges, an impertinent young Russian tal Navy, only two are remembered today: count, was involved in the earlier incident John Paul Jones and yes, Benedict Arnold at the brothel. After delivering the pair, not of the Bartle of Lake Champlain fame. A without incident, his ship is pressed into few have distinguish ed reputations, like service at the Battle of Copenhagen. John Barry, Josh ua Barney, and perhaps Lambdin's latest book, King, Ship, Silas Talbot, but others wh o fo ught fo r and Sword, begins with Lewrie on blockade the Revolutionary War's maritime cause duty off the Dutch coast. For those familiar have largely been forgotte n. Sheldon Cowith the naval adventures of "Ram-Car" hen's book focuses on one of the latter in Lewrie, we know that he longs for action a brilliantly penned biography of Captai n rather than the fundamental nature of most Abraham Whipple. This is a scholarly, denaval activiLy-routine duty. Lewrie learns tailed work illuminating the early histo1y of that England and France have negotiated the Rhode Island colony; the Continental a peace at Amiens, and he is ordered to Navy's recruiting and maintenance of crew decommission his ship. Ashore again on challenges; the siege of Charleston, SC; the half-pay, Lewrie returns home to his wife. financial dealings of the nascent US governHere, Lewrie is out of his element: no deck ment; and the settling of eastern O hio. ¡ under his feet, no men to command nor conWhipple entered his maritime career as flicts to resolve. For a change of scenery, he a merchantman to take advantage ofAmeriagrees to travel to Paris to reconcile prob- can colonial needs; he becam e a privateer during the French and Indian War. Later, lems in his relationship with his wife. In Paris, his days as a naval officer, disenchanted with British imperial politics, enemy to the French, fifth columnist, he played a role in the 1772 burni ng of SEA HISTORY 132, AUTUMN 2010
IN BRISTOL FASHION W1111•\M
f
BtJR,,[\\.
JR
"Th e book's title, In Bristol Fashion , is the sea man' s uni ve rs al expression of the highest mark for a job done in tru e seamanly fashion. (The book) is a well-earned tribute to the peopl e from va ried walks of life who saved an abandoned treasure, to a spirit that shines through this book." -Peter Stanford , NMHS President Emeritus Hardcover $17.99, Paperback $13.40, + s/h Sales phone : 1-888-280-7715 www.authorhouse.com
At Sea with God Owen Hardage with Jeanette Hardage Retired USN chaplain presents nautica l facts, photos, stories, and quotes fro m literature and the Bible. A great gift book fo r those fasc inated by the sea.
5" x 8'', 10 1 pages, ISBN 978-1 - 11 03-2
Order from amazon.com and elsewhere or winepressbooks.com (877-421-7323) discount code:
ATS EA
MARITIME
BOOKS 1806 Laurel Crest Madison, Wisconsin 53705- 1065 (608) 238-SAIL FAX (608) 238-7249 Email : tuttlemaritime@charter.net http://tuttl emaritime.com
Books about the Sea, Ship & Sailor Catalogue Upon Request
53