Peter Wicked

July 21, 2008
Nautical adventure fans will welcome Campbell’s third novel to feature intrepid Matty Graves (after The War of Knives
). In 1800, the 17-year-old Graves, “a bastard and a Negro” despite both parents being white, is recalled to Washington City, where his rank is reduced from acting lieutenant to midshipman, and he’s questioned about his role in a duel between his friend Peter Wickett and another officer. Graves’s fortunes later turn after he’s promoted to lieutenant and given his first command, the schooner Tomahawk
. On joining the American squadron in Santo Domingo, he’s ordered to capture an American officer who’s stolen a naval vessel and turned pirate—Peter Wickett. Graves proves equally brave and resourceful at navigating the bureaucratic minefield of the U.S. navy and at steering a steady course through the treacherous politics of various nations—Spain, France, England, Denmark—vying for power in the Caribbean.

September 1, 2008
The third novel in the Matty Graves series (after "The War of Knives" and "No Quarter") takes place during the Quasi War of 1798 to 1800, an undeclared naval conflict between France and the United States. Recovering from his ordeal during the slave rebellion on the island of Saint-Dómingue, naval officer Matty Graves is summoned to Washington for questioning about his role in the death of his captain and the sinking of a ship. While not formally accused of wrongdoing, Graves is removed from command and ends up "on the beach." As a result, there is little action or plot development in the novel's first half, aside from a flirtation with a friend's sister, which holds little interest for the reader. The narrative speeds up when Graves gains command of a ship and an opportunity to redeem himself by catching a notorious pirate. Patient readers will be rewarded with a novel that proves to be eventful and enjoyable. What distinguishes this series from other naval adventure novels is its mixed-race protagonist. This situation is historically accurate (20 percent of all seamen in the American navy were African American at the time) and gives the book an unusual, if somewhat jaundiced, perspective. Recommended for public libraries, especially where Patrick O'Brian and other naval authors are popular.Douglas Southard, CRA International, Inc., Boston

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2008
The seafaring saga of American naval lieutenant Matty Graves moves into a third readable volume with Graves recovering from his ordeal during the Santo Domingo rebellion. Now he must join in the investigation of the relief from command of his previous captain, in which he played a somewhat equivocal part. At the same time, romance beckons, and so does the prospect of a sea command of his own that could make him a fortune in prize money, though at the price of grossly violating his principles. Graves is an entirely plausible character for this era of the American navybetween the Revolution and the War of 1812when it faced many tasks and a shoestring budget. Campbell, an erstwhile crew member on a contemporary tall ship, the restored Lady Washington, writes a seawise prose and compensates in skilled characterization his tendency toward slow pacing.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)