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Captain Kelly Maguire #2
The Dangerous Years
Battle is joined...Hero of Jutland in World War I, Kelly Maguire progresses rapidly through Navy ranks during the dangerous post-War years.
Amidst the Russian Civil War, British forces must rescue thousands of terrified White Army men from rampaging Communist militias. Maguire gets stuck in, risking everything.
From Russia, he moves on to China, and a gunboat incident on the Yangtze. His resolve is tested when he must choose between his childhood sweetheart to a wealthy aristocrat.
From old enemies to old flames, Maguire will once again have to risk it all to prove his worth.
An awe-inspiring tale of adventure and war, The Dangerous Years has a thrilling historical sweep, and showcases a classic storyteller at the very peak of his powers.
Amidst the Russian Civil War, British forces must rescue thousands of terrified White Army men from rampaging Communist militias. Maguire gets stuck in, risking everything.
From Russia, he moves on to China, and a gunboat incident on the Yangtze. His resolve is tested when he must choose between his childhood sweetheart to a wealthy aristocrat.
From old enemies to old flames, Maguire will once again have to risk it all to prove his worth.
An awe-inspiring tale of adventure and war, The Dangerous Years has a thrilling historical sweep, and showcases a classic storyteller at the very peak of his powers.
356 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 31, 1978
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
August 5, 2024
This reminded me a lot of Patrick O’Brian’s 20 odd books series featuring the adventures of Captain Jack Aubrey and ship’s doctor Stephen Maturin, the Master and Commander series. O’Brian’s chronicles ran to at least 6,000 pages and upon reading seemed to be written as a single piece of work, sliced up like bread for the convenience of the reader. O’Brian’s books chart the changing fortunes of Jack Aubrey through various commands, adventures and scrapes. While Max Hennessey’s series runs to three books only, it too charts the progress of a promising young Naval officer, George Kelly Maguire through the years from World War 1 to World War 2.
I started with the middle book of the series (don’t ask why…) and this covers the period from the surrender of the German fleet at Scarpa Flow through to the mid 1930’s.
It would be easy to think that the inter-war years were a time of peace, when of course much was going on in the world that required the support or intervention of the British navy. George Kelly Maguire is a dedicated, highly competent and ambitious naval officer who happened to be sent to many dangerous places: including rescuing white Russians following the Russian revolution, doing similar work supporting British interests in dangerous places in China as the civil war unfolds. All this is set against a background of government cuts to the navy – not least because of the UK’s poor post-war economic situation, but also because the navy was just too big and comprised too many of the wrong sorts of vessels, but also as the importance of airpower was increasingly recognised. These challenges presented as many problems for the Navy as any external force at the time and are covered well.
The book is described on the front cover as ‘a Kelly Maguire thriller’. On some levels this is true, but modern thriller readers will be disappointed by the apparently slow pace. The book takes us through many challenging and dangerous situations but does so in a very calm and measured way. I suspect this reflects the author’s view of how the navy operates: calmly going about its duties and not making too much of a fuss. Pretty much how Patrick O’Brian viewed the Royal Navy covering the years about which he was writing, though he featured rather more blood and battle.
Oh, and then there’s Kelly’s love life which can only be described as - unsatisfactory.
It took me 50-60 pages to get into this book but when I did, I enjoyed it very much.
If you read it, I recommend you start with the first in the series.
I started with the middle book of the series (don’t ask why…) and this covers the period from the surrender of the German fleet at Scarpa Flow through to the mid 1930’s.
It would be easy to think that the inter-war years were a time of peace, when of course much was going on in the world that required the support or intervention of the British navy. George Kelly Maguire is a dedicated, highly competent and ambitious naval officer who happened to be sent to many dangerous places: including rescuing white Russians following the Russian revolution, doing similar work supporting British interests in dangerous places in China as the civil war unfolds. All this is set against a background of government cuts to the navy – not least because of the UK’s poor post-war economic situation, but also because the navy was just too big and comprised too many of the wrong sorts of vessels, but also as the importance of airpower was increasingly recognised. These challenges presented as many problems for the Navy as any external force at the time and are covered well.
The book is described on the front cover as ‘a Kelly Maguire thriller’. On some levels this is true, but modern thriller readers will be disappointed by the apparently slow pace. The book takes us through many challenging and dangerous situations but does so in a very calm and measured way. I suspect this reflects the author’s view of how the navy operates: calmly going about its duties and not making too much of a fuss. Pretty much how Patrick O’Brian viewed the Royal Navy covering the years about which he was writing, though he featured rather more blood and battle.
Oh, and then there’s Kelly’s love life which can only be described as - unsatisfactory.
It took me 50-60 pages to get into this book but when I did, I enjoyed it very much.
If you read it, I recommend you start with the first in the series.
October 20, 2024
Really quite boring tbh. The story takes place in the 20 years of peace between the two world wars which, for a book based on a naval seaman’s career, seems a peculiarly boring period of time to focus on. The most interesting part of the book is his on/off relationship with his love interest- that should tell you all you need to know
July 24, 2021
This is the second volume in a series telling the story of an up and coming British naval officer form WW1 through WW2. It is a series that I have enjoyed immensely especially as the author relates histroical happenings during the period that I was unfamiliar with. In essence the combination of a good story teller combined with excellent period history results in a very pleasing read.
March 6, 2021
The second instalment of the Kelly Maguire series saw him going to Russia in the post war years before turning to China. There were elements of the story that lacked the drama but the story followed through very nicely. There were some outstanding moments which very nearly give it the full marks. In particular, how the financial crisis affected the Navy, that was beautifully told. Can’t wait to read the final chapter of the trilogy.
April 26, 2024
Hard to believe, but the bloody war’s over. Lieutenant Kelly McGuire distinguished himself as much as he was able, but it wasn’t much of a naval war, the Great One. But while the big war might be over, peace isn’t quite the word for parts of the world at the moment, especially the bit around the Black Sea. Russia is killing millions of its own in a civil war, and the government of Turkey is about to fall to Ataturk, who like the shah of Iran decades later will decide that Progress and Modernity depend on mandatory rules about the hats people are allowed to wear. Worse yet, Kelly’s girl back home has stopped writing him, apparently frustrated by the fact that he still doesn’t want to get hitched — worried that the admiralty will decide that an officer married to anyone but the service doesn’t merit promotion. With so many young officers being dumped into civvie life, it’s a chance he can’t take, even knowing he might lose the woman he’s known all his life. Charley’s a fine girl, but his life, his love and his lady is the sea. Sure enough, he’s assigned to a new posting, but between hurricanes and another war in China, there’s no shortage of threats to life and limb on offer, including a man-eating widow in Shanghai who is especially dangerous to young officers nursing broken hearts and bruised egos. Kelly is no more the young lad he was in The Lion at Sea: his relationship with Charley is especially complex here, and interestingly his old antagonist from academy days becomes practically a comrade-in-arms here, and Kelly matures from an ambitious young man to an officer whose shoulders are burdened not just with epaulets, but concern over his crew — either in battle or in the pay line, since struggling economies make it hard for working-class sailors to keep their families fed. All this growing up makes since when a reader sits back and realizes that this volume is covering the entire inter-war period, beginning with the surrender of the High Seas Fleet (Hochseeflotte) at the end of the War, and ending with the rise of Hitler. I liked that Hennessey made it episodic, and this novel was particularly interesting because so many of the incidents it covers are bits of history I’ve never heard of, like the Invergorden mutiny. China in this era is extremely chaotic: not united, but on the path to being so with nationalism fueling different figures like Kai-Chek. This was thoroughly enjoyable, and I’m sorry it’s been four years since I visited Hennessy: he’s good with characters, dialogue is snappy, and the action is always solid.
June 11, 2024
I wasn’t as excited about The Dangerous Years as I was about The Lion at Sea. Of course, the very title of the novel suggests that the events in the book will take place between the world wars. Indeed, Kelly Maguire is a lot like Dirty Harry in that he always gets the excretory end of the stick (not that their methods or vocations are in any way similar). The Dangerous Years deals with mutiny, evacuations, a fascinating “cutting out” expedition, and the facing down of angry mobs.
The Dangerous Years features protagonist Kelly Maguire racking up a few new “gongs” (service medals) and adding to his reputation. It also uses this period between the wars and leading up to Hitler’s breakout as a way to demonstrate Maguire’s relationship problems—both too easy and too hard. He makes a huge mistake that still has consequences in the third volume of the series (though I’ve barely started it). Like many other fighting naval protagonists, Maguire is better at command decisions than personal ones.
Early on, a Russian aristocrat counsels Maguire about spotting potential troublemakers. “’I hope you have taken his name, Kelly Georgeivitch,’ Vera said quietly. ‘In Holy Russia we have discovered that men who make speeches are also the sort who stir up disaffection.’” (p. 59) That foreshadowed one series of events. The latter part of the book sets the stage for the final events in this volume and the start of the next one: “…he had long since come to the conclusion that battleships were an expensive luxury, too slow to do much damage yet too valuable to be risked, expensive monuments to the idea of a fleet in being that had held sway throughout the Great War.” (p. 246) Take that “Jackie” Fisher!
For those who think that my lower rating is a slam on the series, let me just do a little foreshadowing myself. Early on, Back to Battle is already more intense and I’m already a fourth of the way through it and heading for Dunkirk. That means I’ll be looking at more Max Hennessy novels in the future.
The Dangerous Years features protagonist Kelly Maguire racking up a few new “gongs” (service medals) and adding to his reputation. It also uses this period between the wars and leading up to Hitler’s breakout as a way to demonstrate Maguire’s relationship problems—both too easy and too hard. He makes a huge mistake that still has consequences in the third volume of the series (though I’ve barely started it). Like many other fighting naval protagonists, Maguire is better at command decisions than personal ones.
Early on, a Russian aristocrat counsels Maguire about spotting potential troublemakers. “’I hope you have taken his name, Kelly Georgeivitch,’ Vera said quietly. ‘In Holy Russia we have discovered that men who make speeches are also the sort who stir up disaffection.’” (p. 59) That foreshadowed one series of events. The latter part of the book sets the stage for the final events in this volume and the start of the next one: “…he had long since come to the conclusion that battleships were an expensive luxury, too slow to do much damage yet too valuable to be risked, expensive monuments to the idea of a fleet in being that had held sway throughout the Great War.” (p. 246) Take that “Jackie” Fisher!
For those who think that my lower rating is a slam on the series, let me just do a little foreshadowing myself. Early on, Back to Battle is already more intense and I’m already a fourth of the way through it and heading for Dunkirk. That means I’ll be looking at more Max Hennessy novels in the future.
September 19, 2019
Hastings continues the saga of Kelly Maguire through the difficult and challenging years between the world wars.
Interesting and relatively unknown accounts of the British fleet rescuing Russian nobility from waters near or around the Crimea during the Russian Revolution cast a unique perspective on post the World War I era.
Maguire is then transferred to China Station in Hong Kong where the Royal Navy tries to hold back the tide of revolution growing steadily in that country.
All the while his on-again, off-again romance with his childhood sweetheart Charlie competes strongly with his desire to advance in the Royal Navy. The courtship ends in disaster when both marry other suitors.
England suffers economically in the post war era and the suffering is passed down to the military in the form of budget reductions including pay cuts. Work stoppages and near-mutinies almost shatter the Royal Navy as Kelly, and his new-found friend James Verschoyle, navigate through the difficult times.
Hastings’ use of British vernacular and idioms is often distracting to those not familiar with the jargon. It made following the story line somewhat more difficult at times. However, it’s worth the effort.
John E Nevola - Author of The Last Jump, The Final Flag and Revenge of the Pearl Harbor Survivors.
U.S. Army Veteran – SP/5
Military Writer's Society of America
Interesting and relatively unknown accounts of the British fleet rescuing Russian nobility from waters near or around the Crimea during the Russian Revolution cast a unique perspective on post the World War I era.
Maguire is then transferred to China Station in Hong Kong where the Royal Navy tries to hold back the tide of revolution growing steadily in that country.
All the while his on-again, off-again romance with his childhood sweetheart Charlie competes strongly with his desire to advance in the Royal Navy. The courtship ends in disaster when both marry other suitors.
England suffers economically in the post war era and the suffering is passed down to the military in the form of budget reductions including pay cuts. Work stoppages and near-mutinies almost shatter the Royal Navy as Kelly, and his new-found friend James Verschoyle, navigate through the difficult times.
Hastings’ use of British vernacular and idioms is often distracting to those not familiar with the jargon. It made following the story line somewhat more difficult at times. However, it’s worth the effort.
John E Nevola - Author of The Last Jump, The Final Flag and Revenge of the Pearl Harbor Survivors.
U.S. Army Veteran – SP/5
Military Writer's Society of America
May 31, 2022
I don’t know why I didn’t write a review of the first book because I really enjoyed, it told us of the young Kelly Maguire’s exploits in the battles on the sea during the World War 1, a really excellent read.
The second book tells of how the navy rescued Russian Nobility in the Crimean sea and then on to China and help relieve the troubles there. During all this there are the goings on in his personal life, his prowess with a rich Russian Baroness and then his affair with the beautiful, arrogant and also rich daughter of a British diplomat and all the while leaving the love of his life Charley, back home in England (will he rue the day that he never proposed to her?) Then there was the government cuts in pay that would leave sailors almost penniless, which led to calls for ‘strike’ and ‘mutiny’. Also there was the overhanging threat that Hitler was gaining power in Germany which could easily lead to another war.
An enjoyable, sometimes exciting and very entertaining read. Well paced and easy to read, I look forward to the last part of this thrilling trilogy. 4/5
The second book tells of how the navy rescued Russian Nobility in the Crimean sea and then on to China and help relieve the troubles there. During all this there are the goings on in his personal life, his prowess with a rich Russian Baroness and then his affair with the beautiful, arrogant and also rich daughter of a British diplomat and all the while leaving the love of his life Charley, back home in England (will he rue the day that he never proposed to her?) Then there was the government cuts in pay that would leave sailors almost penniless, which led to calls for ‘strike’ and ‘mutiny’. Also there was the overhanging threat that Hitler was gaining power in Germany which could easily lead to another war.
An enjoyable, sometimes exciting and very entertaining read. Well paced and easy to read, I look forward to the last part of this thrilling trilogy. 4/5
April 5, 2021
The second book in the series. This is actually a better book (much better indeed) as it focusses on less well known events rather than mostly well known battles or events in WW1, where it is inconceivable that a single officer would be present at all of them and in a ship which was highly involved.
The description of the chaos in Baltic Russia during the Soviet revolutionary war in the the Kuomintang revolution in China are both very interesting tov read and are fascinating eras in history in their own right. indeed both episodes really ought to have made a book in their own right, although they would have taken a bit of wider perspective to achieve.
As for the rest of the book, his relationships outside his sea life, little historical context detail is really provided and his "love" life goes from merely a little bit strange (from a modern perspective) to pretty bizarre and quite unbelivvable (at least how it is written). For me this really spoils the book.
The description of the chaos in Baltic Russia during the Soviet revolutionary war in the the Kuomintang revolution in China are both very interesting tov read and are fascinating eras in history in their own right. indeed both episodes really ought to have made a book in their own right, although they would have taken a bit of wider perspective to achieve.
As for the rest of the book, his relationships outside his sea life, little historical context detail is really provided and his "love" life goes from merely a little bit strange (from a modern perspective) to pretty bizarre and quite unbelivvable (at least how it is written). For me this really spoils the book.
July 14, 2019
This was a good book but surprisingly complicated. It’s the story of the aftermath of World War I from the British point of view. While modern readers are probably aware that the war not only destroyed the economy of the victors and devastated the culture and prosperity of the losers, the fact that it also triggered terrible massacres among the survivors of the Russian and Turkish empires is less well known. It’s a fact that several factions tried to hold back the Bolshevik tide only to give up the hopeless project later on.
This book shows us the horror of that time period in its true dimensions.
What is little known today is that even the victors of wwi were perilously close to an economic collapse as the Great Depression ground its way through wealth that had taken a century to build up. A cautionary tale!
This book shows us the horror of that time period in its true dimensions.
What is little known today is that even the victors of wwi were perilously close to an economic collapse as the Great Depression ground its way through wealth that had taken a century to build up. A cautionary tale!
January 12, 2026
A romance novel for action men
As like the 1st book (a must read), this book did not disappoint, it was full of action and loads of drama, but also a room full of romance, lust and broken hearts, but it did not take away any of the adventure and thought provoking willingness to make it an all out action story.
I loved this book cause you feel the characters emotional turmoil and thoughts, and look forward to getting stuck into the next and final installment of Captain Kelly Maguire
As like the 1st book (a must read), this book did not disappoint, it was full of action and loads of drama, but also a room full of romance, lust and broken hearts, but it did not take away any of the adventure and thought provoking willingness to make it an all out action story.
I loved this book cause you feel the characters emotional turmoil and thoughts, and look forward to getting stuck into the next and final installment of Captain Kelly Maguire
June 11, 2019
Continuing The Story
The second of the series and every bit as good as the first. You feel that you know Jelly Maguire well and this helps nice the story along at a fast paced.
In the first two books of the trilogy virtually e wet date and place of importance has been covered from pre WAY up until the lull before WWII.
Very much looking forward to the third and last in the series
The second of the series and every bit as good as the first. You feel that you know Jelly Maguire well and this helps nice the story along at a fast paced.
In the first two books of the trilogy virtually e wet date and place of importance has been covered from pre WAY up until the lull before WWII.
Very much looking forward to the third and last in the series
January 14, 2021
Excellent second book, in the Trilogy about the adventures of Kelly Maguire and the Royal Navy. this book takes us from the end of the First World War to the RN mutiny in the '30s. It covers the problems in Russia after the end of the war and China. Great story teller. I think he does for the RN in the first half of the 20th Century what CS Forrester did for the RN during the Napoleonic Era. Highly recommended.
February 24, 2021
A difficult read but then I’m not from the UK. I’m not at all familiar with many of the locations mentioned and totally unfamiliar with the colloquial UK expressions of the WWI era. It became quite distracting trying to look up unknown words in the dictionary or Wikipedia. However an in depth look into the world of Britain in post WWI was educational and entertaining. Overall a well written good read.
May 10, 2021
Low marks for aweful relationships with women. High marks for interesting history, with details that are set in fiction which rings uncomfortably true to the brutality and stupidity of human nature.
Main character's reaction when his girlfriend reports being raped by soldiers: "She seemed remarkably in control of herself for a woman who'd recently been assaulted by Chinese soldiers and he decided she was lying to impress him." Ugh.
Main character's reaction when his girlfriend reports being raped by soldiers: "She seemed remarkably in control of herself for a woman who'd recently been assaulted by Chinese soldiers and he decided she was lying to impress him." Ugh.
August 10, 2024
The Captain Kelly Maguire Trilogy Book 2
This is a real history lesson told in a most interesting way. The hard fact shot life for British naval men after the first World War were something that I had n
ever heard about, but the story about how Commander Kelly Maguire saved his men from the hardship that they would have had had it not been for his actions to prevent trouble. It also told about the results of his disastrous marriage and what happened to the two of his classmates and their roles in the troubles.
If
If you like history, you will enjoy this book.
This is a real history lesson told in a most interesting way. The hard fact shot life for British naval men after the first World War were something that I had n
ever heard about, but the story about how Commander Kelly Maguire saved his men from the hardship that they would have had had it not been for his actions to prevent trouble. It also told about the results of his disastrous marriage and what happened to the two of his classmates and their roles in the troubles.
If
If you like history, you will enjoy this book.
June 16, 2019
The Royal Navy warts and all. A very good read.
A well researched book. Set in a time of recent history it was as informative and educational about the times as it is enjoyable to read. Right up there with the best of books about serving in the Royal Navy in the first half of the 20th Century, in war and between.
A well researched book. Set in a time of recent history it was as informative and educational about the times as it is enjoyable to read. Right up there with the best of books about serving in the Royal Navy in the first half of the 20th Century, in war and between.
January 2, 2022
A very good read with some interesting bits about British involvement in World affairs during the Twenties prompting me to do some research. As for the story itself it was totally absorbing for most of the book, but spoiled, for me, by a rather slow ending during the last two or three chapters. Looking forward to the third and last entry in the Kelly Maguire trilogy.
May 25, 2019
Dangerous for Kelly.
5 stars for the way it was written & the characters within it, opened a door into the pre WW1 Royal Navy also the strange relationship twixt China & the rest of the world as well as the run up to WW2.
5 stars for the way it was written & the characters within it, opened a door into the pre WW1 Royal Navy also the strange relationship twixt China & the rest of the world as well as the run up to WW2.
May 16, 2020
Interesting and different
What at times could have fell into a romantic novel managed to involve that part of the tale in a way that added to the storyline which in itself was extremely entertaining
What at times could have fell into a romantic novel managed to involve that part of the tale in a way that added to the storyline which in itself was extremely entertaining
July 30, 2020
Good bit of Naval Fiction
I enjoyed following more of Kelly’s adventures. I always enjoy book that are fiction, but based in fact. I would recommend this to any fan of Naval and Historical Fiction.
I enjoyed following more of Kelly’s adventures. I always enjoy book that are fiction, but based in fact. I would recommend this to any fan of Naval and Historical Fiction.
Read
May 24, 2021Difficult to put down. Interesting reading for anyone interested in naval affairs and warships.
SECOND BOOK OF A TRILOGY. Looking forward to reading the last of the series as the first two were fascinating.
SECOND BOOK OF A TRILOGY. Looking forward to reading the last of the series as the first two were fascinating.
February 4, 2022
Excellent description of naval life and battles
This very well written series describes British naval life and battles in a realistic manner. I felt as if I were there as the events unfolded.
This very well written series describes British naval life and battles in a realistic manner. I felt as if I were there as the events unfolded.
April 30, 2022
A rare fictional treatment of the Royal Navy between the world wars, from evacuating diplomats and civilans in post-WWI Russia, Turkey, and Greece, to protecting or evacuating colonialist "concessions" in China, to the 1931 Invergordon Mutiny.
July 7, 2022
The navy and Maguire suffers a difficult time
World and British events make navy life almost unbearable jeprdizing both Kelly Maguire's career and marriage leading to much personal distress.
World and British events make navy life almost unbearable jeprdizing both Kelly Maguire's career and marriage leading to much personal distress.
October 5, 2024
Naval life
Although written as a novel I particularly found the historical content fascinating,particularly the Invergordon political situations the reminders that all seamen sacrifice home life.
Although written as a novel I particularly found the historical content fascinating,particularly the Invergordon political situations the reminders that all seamen sacrifice home life.
June 8, 2021
The characters in this series are getting to me great writing
November 5, 2021
Kelly Maguire's story continues and there is still plenty of action to be found in the inter-war years.
September 6, 2022
Well written but a little disappointing in that there was very little sea action. Major plot parts involved rescuing people from Russian revolution and dealing with a threatened mutiny.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews