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Matthew Loftus #2
Devil of a Fix
Lawlessness prevails on the high seas at the start of the 18th century, with privateers and pirates vying with the English Navy for control of sea routes, commerce and plunder. Young captain Matthew Loftus, in command of a fast, well-armed three master, tries to trade honestly but quickly finds that self-serving merchants, his own, greedy, mistrustful crew, and even Abigail - the girl from the Whitby of his youth - harbour deep doubts. Cast down from his captaincy, he meets a deranged old astronomer with a secret almanac, the supposed solution to finding the longitude. To redeem himself, Matthew embarks on the quest of saving the lives of the hundreds of seamen who drown in wrecks simply because no ship can find its position at sea. Pursued by duplicitous merchants, ruthless privateers and the English Navy, Matthew's passage is strewn with the rocks and shoals of treachery and falsehood and the clashing currents of political trickery and ambition.
- GenresFiction
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 7, 2017
Questionable Writing
It is obvious that the author has a strong vocabulary and yet he insists on using unknown words and perhaps seeks to provide some semblance of terms and spelling from the sixteenth century! In addition, there are quite a few typos. The nautical references are mostly accurate and the sailing descriptions are well-written. The plot is reasonable though strung out too much. I expected more from this author.
It is obvious that the author has a strong vocabulary and yet he insists on using unknown words and perhaps seeks to provide some semblance of terms and spelling from the sixteenth century! In addition, there are quite a few typos. The nautical references are mostly accurate and the sailing descriptions are well-written. The plot is reasonable though strung out too much. I expected more from this author.
December 3, 2018
Review of devices of a fix
Well written and good story line however confusing during parts of the story where good or bad sets of documents were at. Principals were very well classified for the roles. Good read to the end..
Well written and good story line however confusing during parts of the story where good or bad sets of documents were at. Principals were very well classified for the roles. Good read to the end..
May 5, 2021
Navigation lessons
Very good story, with some clever plots. Although I am a trained Navigator, the navigation details where beyond me, in the end I started to by pass them.All in all a good book.
Very good story, with some clever plots. Although I am a trained Navigator, the navigation details where beyond me, in the end I started to by pass them.All in all a good book.
February 5, 2017
Had problems with navigation
The books that I enjoy most are at least remotely believable. This is way short of that. Seems like there are big holes in the story, somewhat hard to follow and I own the Set and will not read the rest. 3 stars only because I read it all. Not recommended.
The books that I enjoy most are at least remotely believable. This is way short of that. Seems like there are big holes in the story, somewhat hard to follow and I own the Set and will not read the rest. 3 stars only because I read it all. Not recommended.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews