Gentleman Captain

June 28, 2010
After losing his first ship to a storm, Matthew Quinton, the 21-year-old gentleman hero of this promising 17th-century English nautical saga, is given a second chance when newly restored King Charles II names him the captain of the frigate Jupiter and orders him to Scotland to stop a potential rebellion. The novice captain has to deal with warring clans, the temptation of a beautiful countess, Dutch intervention, allegations that the Jupiter's previous captain was murdered, and, eventually, a surprising foe. The author does a creditable job of dramatizing life in Samuel Pepys's navy, and by the explosive climax, Quinton has developed into a hero worth rooting for and meeting again in further exploits.