While there are several other story lines in this book, at heart it’s an account of Nelson’s April, 1801, assault on Copenhagen–and of Hyde Parker’s shortcomings as a fleet admiral. Our protagonist, Nat Drinkwater, is (fairly literally) at the heart of the action, and has more contact with both admirals than seems plausible. It’s a nicely done book.
This is the first of the Drinkwater novels where Woodman’s “found his voice,” as it were; while the earlier books were interesting and competently told, this one is more generally readable and the characters are more convincingly drawn. Well worth a read.
This short review was originally published on LibraryThing.