Cindy Vallar's Blog - Posts Tagged "opium"

A Return to Duty by William C. Hammond

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Separated when their ship wrecks, followed by desperate struggles to survive, Richard and Anne Cutler reunite in New South Wales in the fall of 1845. The reasons that originally brought them to this part of the world have been successfully concluded without them. The British Royal Navy will work with the United States Navy to suppress piracy in Asian waters with Imperial China’s approval. Now, the Cutlers return home to family and friends, and to decide what course their lives will take after their ordeals.

Richard secures leave from the Navy, while he and Anne work on a joint writing venture that will share their story with American readers. He also steps into the role of director of Cutler & Sons, after his predecessor was lost at sea while in the Far East. In his new role, he agrees with the older members of the family that under no circumstances will Cutler ships import opium into the United States. Some younger family members don’t agree with this since the importation is legal.

Before he decides whether to resign his commission and take full control of the family business, Richard needs to return to the Far East and confer with their agents there. He will also work with the American and Royal Navies in their attempt to stop the pirates from seizing merchant ships and to rescue their captives, many of whom are American sailors. His journey reunites him with two of his men from the shipwreck, both of whom played crucial roles in their survival after the disaster. One is Lieutenant Jonathan “Jonty” Montgomery, who now serves aboard Columbia. He’s become smitten with Daisy Cutler, whose father is the director of the Asian segment of the company. An encounter with pirates leads to a severe injury, but Jonty is determined not to let it end his naval career. He’s just as certain that he and Daisy will marry one day.

The other survivor is Jack Brengle, Richard’s former executive officer and now a captain in his own right. He commands the steamship that will take Richard to the Far East. First, though, the pair must track down Richard’s niece, Lucy Seymour, who has mysteriously disappeared. It’s possible that her disappearance is connected to Harlan Sturgis, who was romancing Richard’s mother until she realized all he wanted was information about the company to use to his advantage.

A Return to Duty is the eighth offering in the Cutler Family Chronicles. It centers around the lucrative trade of the highly addictive opium that resulted in war between China and Great Britain, and the brutal and persistent marauding of Chinese pirates on foreign shipping. The characters are expertly drawn and they pull you into the story with a full gamut of emotions. Hammond deftly weaves his research into his tale without ever allowing you to notice that he’s done so. Instead, he breathes life into a world that no longer exists and yet seems real enough to touch. He masterfully crafts unsettling action involving sharks, fire ships, bomb vessels, and boarders in a gut-wrenching climax that is tempered with love and reunion.

(Review originally appeared at Pirates and Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/WHammond.h...)



View all my reviews