Cindy Vallar's Blog - Posts Tagged "spies"

Nathan Fox: Seas of Blood by L Brittney

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


At fifteen, Nathan Fox has led a most interesting and diverse life. Not only is he an actor in the same theatre company as William Shakespeare, but he’s also an agent in Sir Francis Walsingham’s Secret Service. Nor has he lived in a more fearful time. It’s 1588 and King Philip of Spain has vowed to send his great Armada against England. All of England is abuzz with rumors of the approaching invasion fleet, and everyone must defend queen and country to the bitter end. There is one chance to thwart Spain, but Walsingham has been unable to unlock the secret code that will reveal the identities of the Spanish agents who have infiltrated Queen Elizabeth’s court. Only one man, the astrologer who devised the code, can identify these infiltrators, but he has lost his mind after dabbling in alchemy and sorcery. It’s up to Nathan, his sister Marie, his partner John Pearce, an ex-soldier and expert swordsman, and Walsingham’s best cryptographer to unravel the code before it’s too late. To that end Nathan and the others sail to western Ireland where the pirate O’Malley may protect them from prying eyes and add the final touches in Nathan’s training before he and John embark on a dangerous assignment that could brand them as either traitors to the queen or English spies facing a Spanish executioner.

Aside from Grace O’Malley, readers meet several other people from history as Brittney skillfully brings to life the likes of Sir Francis Drake, Francis Walsingham, and Richard Bingham. Her fictional characters are equally well drawn and the humor and drama she weaves into her story’s tapestry compel readers to emotionally respond to what’s happening. She also provides vivid glimpses into the fear permeating England, the dangers of war and seafaring in the sixteenth century, and the deplorable conditions aboard the Spanish ships. While portions of the second part of Nathan’s mission seem slightly less plausible, she contrives these scenes with the same aplomb as the others, which lends them an air of credibility that a less-gifted writer would have difficulty achieving.

Seas of Blood is the third entry in the Nathan Fox series. Previous titles are Dangerous Times and Traitor’s Gold, but readers need not have read those stories to enjoy and understand this one. For those who want to know more about the history behind this tale, Iris Books also offers a companion book, Elizabethan World of Nathan Fox: Fact Book Three, which includes articles on Irish pirates, Grace O’Malley, English Sea Dogs, and much more.

The intended audience of this series is pirate apprentices – teens and young adults in landlubber speak – but this thrilling adventure rich in historical details will also appeal to older pirates. As Nathan himself thinks, “A mad magician; a secret code book; Ireland and pirates – who could want for more?” (33)




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The Sugar Inferno by Lyle Garford

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


With little information divulged in his orders, Commander Evan Ross arrives at the Admiralty in London for a meeting in February 1798. He finds himself amid august men – the First Lord of the Admiralty, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and former Prime Minister, and the Foreign Secretary – as well as his immediate superior and spymaster, Captain Sir James Standish, and General Thomas Maitland of the Royal Army. Something must be done regarding the volatile situation in Saint Domingue and Evan provides vital firsthand knowledge of what he and his men have learned in dealing with the many factions on the island.

The British first intervened in the chaos there five years before, but they have yet to achieve any of their three goals: stop the flow of money to France, prevent Spanish intervention, and gain a trading partner that will fill their own coffers. The British have invested too much to simply walk away, but the war with France impedes their ability to provide additional funding and troops. In short order Evan explains that yellow fever, the sheer numbers pitted against them, and devious and intelligent leaders, who ally when necessary and betray each other when not, make it extremely difficult to forge the necessary alliances. Further complicating the situation are those who wish the status quo of slavery to continue and those who do not. Then there’s the question of who governs Saint Domingue – those who live there or men sent from France’s Directory? The two principal leaders are Toussaint L’Ouverture, a mulatto who wants to end slavery yet allows it to continue, and Andre Rigaud, a mulatto who cares little for whites or blacks and believes mulattos should govern not only the island but also the world. Adding to this volatile mix are the Spaniards who live on the other side of the island (Santo Domingo) and would like to control the whole island. France has no intention of abdicating control; sooner or later a new administrator will arrive and he may not come alone. Then there are the Americans who also want a piece of this lucrative pie.

News also arrives that the black armies have attacked two key British forts; the loss of one could allow these armies to reach Port-au-Prince. With all this knowledge, the men in power decide that the original objectives will stand, but General Maitland has final say in how he achieves them once he arrives at Saint Domingue and assesses the situation. Evan will assist him in that regard, especially with the assistance of his best friend, Lieutenant James Wilton, who currently spies on the Spanish side of the island, and Midshipman Baptiste, who has infiltrated Toussaint L’Ouverture’s inner circle to become a trusted advisor.

Of course, the best laid plans of the British do not coincide with those of the French. Theodore Hedouville has been sent by the Directory to take control of the island with the help of 300 soldiers, with additional troops being supplied by the governor of the Spanish side of the island. Accompanying him are two spies, Hubert Montdenoix and Flemming Linger, who return to the Caribbean to once again stir up trouble, in hopes that the French will control not only Saint Domingue, but also Jamaica. Montdenoix also searches for his British counterpart, a one-armed man whom he intends to put out of business.

Once again, Garford deftly weaves a gripping tale of a complex situation in a way that makes it easy for readers to understand the many diverse historical threads. The Sugar Inferno is the fifth book in the Evan Ross series, and while it includes details about the workings of the Royal Navy, its primary focus is on the important tasks that naval spies did and how they did it. Populated by many rich characters, some real and others fictional, each is diverse and multifaceted with human foibles and frailties. This fan looks forward with eager anticipation to the next and final adventure in the series, The Admiral’s Pursuit.




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Sailors & Spies by Jane Glatt

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The machinations of the former Grand Freeholder of the Fair Seas Treaty Alliance (FSTA) have left their world in chaos. All but two ships have been destroyed and, with winter soon upon them, there isn’t enough food to sustain everyone. Worse, the evidence suggests that someone else was behind Tarmo Holt’s failed attempt and the danger remains.

Dagrun Lund and Calder Rahmson, both Intelligencers, are sent to find much-needed supplies before the seas freeze. That is their primary mission, but Dag has a second. She pursues Holt in hopes of reuniting with her twin, Inger, whom Holt manipulated into doing things that have labeled her just as much a traitor to the FSTA as he is.

Nadez Norup is forced to become the new Master Intelligencer. It’s impossible to know who to trust, since Dag and Calder are away, and clues suggest that someone has been acquiring some of the Intelligencers to work against the FSTA. Some do so freely, but at least two – Janni and Jarri Breck, who should never have been trained as spies in the first place – are held against their will and compelled to use their Traits to do unspeakable things.

The last thing Lauma Strauskas wanted was to become the Grand Freeholder, but Calder’s mother has accepted the interim position. Somehow, she must lead the FSTA out of the mess left behind, but not everyone agrees that she is the best person for the job. The more she and Nadez work together, the greater the danger – a fact that is soon reinforced when assassins try to kill her. Both women, however, are determined to unearth the mastermind and help everyone survive the coming winter. If necessary, Lauma will dissolve the treaty, a dire step that might be the only available option, but doing so will also disband the Intelligencers.

The journey to purchase supplies provides Dag and Calder with essential clues that eventually necessitate they separate to accomplish their missions. Before then, they interdict a ship in distress. Dag’s Unseen Traits warns that the pirates aboard are merely playacting and Calder knows one of them. That man is Rahm, Calder’s father Rahm. He pretends to be a pirate, but Dag figures out that he is actually a spy and a man whose secrets have secrets. He can’t be trusted, but her pursuit of Holt and Inger necessitates his help. It also brings her into the realm of the Resolutes, the most feared of all assassins. Nor is she alone in pursuing Holt. A rich, powerful, and ruthless pirate seeks him and will kill anyone who gets in his way.

While Sailors & Spies may seem anticlimactic, the sleuthing connects dots that provide invaluable clues for the two volumes yet to come. It serves as a way-stop in answering two key questions: How and Why. The many single threads in this third book in The Intelligencers series are intricately woven into an unfinished tapestry yet to be resolved. After the last chapter, readers will crave the next installment.



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The Lion and the Fox: Two Rival Spies and the Secret Plot to Build a Confederate Navy by Alexander Rose

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


When civil war comes to the United States, the Union possesses forty-two warships of various sizes. The Confederate States of America have one. Their attorney general, Judah Benjamin, wants to change this and he knows just the man to accomplish this, James Bulloch is not your run-of-the-mill sea captain; in addition to the usual skills of an officer, he is knowledgeable about the latest nautical technology (steam) and has helped to build ships. More importantly, he is least likely to be seen as someone the Union should be leery of. He works for a Northern steam company. He’s a civilian. He has no land in the South. He seems innocuous, because he keeps personal opinions to himself. In reality, he is Southern born and bred and he possesses just the right traits to make him the right man for the job: guile, cunning, restraint, and obscurity.

Late in 1861, Thomas Dudley and his family arrive in Liverpool, England. It is a city with a vicious and volcanic reputation, teeming with people of ill repute. It is the last place the devout Quaker wants to be, but he has little choice. He is the new American counsel and is determined to do whatever he can to abolish slavery. One of his tasks is to doggedly pursue Bulloch and prevent him from carrying out his mission for the Confederacy.

Lacking the necessities to build their own navy, the Confederacy must go overseas to gain a fleet of modern, deadly vessels. To that end, Bulloch and Benjamin devise a three-point plan. Bulloch’s first objective is to purchase blockade-runners that will smuggle in needed weaponry and ammunition. Then he will acquire commerce-raiders capable of harassing Union merchant ships to such an extent that President Lincoln will have to reassign vessels currently on blockade duty to hunt down enemy ships. Finally, Bulloch will design and have built two ironclad warships capable of causing untold damage and confusion to the United States Navy. The ultimate goal is to gain British support as a Confederate ally. He and Benjamin think these are highly achievable outcomes. There is just one flaw: the Union knows the who and what. They just don’t know where Bulloch is. But Dudley is determined to thwart them no matter what.

This book contains a few pictures of key people and ships, as well as a double-page spread showing 1860s’ Liverpool. Notes, a bibliography, and an index are also included. Readers get to see how Bulloch operated and how Dudley finally pierced his “wall of secrecy.” The final chapter explains what happened to each principal player.

Readers familiar with the history of the Confederate navy may know about some of the ships that Bulloch acquires. After all, one of them is the most famous and successful commerce raider CSS Alabama, captained by Rafael Semmes. What may be both new and illuminating are the behind-the-scenes sly scheming and artful trickery, or the Union’s diligent pursuit of Bulloch. Rose deftly weaves together characters and elements to craft a true account of espionage and counterespionage: a quintessential maverick, a lace-and-chandelier front man, a private investigator, a mole in the Foreign Office, a drunk captain who runs into a coal brig, a rooster that crows at a critical moment, legal manipulation, arms trafficking, racism, phantom ships, mutiny, a sea duel, bigamy, and betrayal.


(This review originally appeared at Pirates and Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/adultpirat...)




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