Julian Stockwin - Treachery

Review by Brian Lowen on show 22nd April.
The ninth novel in the continuing saga of Thomas Kydd and his friend Nicholas Renzi.

Kydd has risen from the ranks and is now Captain of HMS Teazer – an unusual achievement in those glorious days of fighting sail when promotion was often based on who you knew rather than what you knew.

Kydd and his ship are sent to guard the Channel Islands from Napolean’s forces, but he is brutally betrayed off the Normandy coast (by a jealous fellow Captain we learn later) and he is removed from command and only his old friend Renzi is willing to stick by him.

Kydd falls on hard times but is determined to clear his name and get reinstated in his former position. His reputation as a fine seaman leads to him being offered the position of a privateer and he sails out of Guernsey to seek his fortune.

The difference between a pirate and a privateer is that a pirate was a member of a self-financing group of complete rogues who illegally attacked any ship they thought they could overwhelm and plundered the cargo, the crew and any passengers. A privateer was a sailor set up with a ship financed by a group of wealthy merchants and was issued with a letter of marque by the King which authorised him to attack any ship and confiscate the ship and cargo if it could be proved that they were trading with the King’s enemies.

Kydd’s first trip as a privateer was a failure, but he was given another opportunity by a different group of wealthy Guernsey merchants and he sets off again.

Renzi meanwhile travels to Jersey where he gets a job as Secretary to the Commander at Mont Orgueil castle where he becomes involved in an unsuccessful plot to kidnap Napolean and bring him to Jersey. He finally returns to Guernsey and manages to uncover the treacherous plot that removed Kydd from his command.

Kydd meanwhile has had great success as a privateer and is now a wealthy man with his honour restored.

Another great story from Julian Stockwin, full of local colour and information about those colourful days. A lot of the old English words are used but they do not prevent the enjoyment of the story. You do not have to have read the previous books in this series to enjoy this book but it would perhaps enhance your enjoyment of the tale as references are made to previous episodes in the careers of Kydd and Renzi.

It is good to see that Julian Stockwin has not yet run out of good stories after nine books unlike Alexander Kent seems to have done after 26 books about the Bolitho family.
Similar author to Julian Stockwin is James Nelson
Review by Brian