This is book 15 in
the series featuring the rise of Thomas Kydd from pressed seaman to captain Sir
Thomas Kydd, Order of the Bath, all set in the glorious days of fighting sail
during the Napoleonic wars.
The book sees the
culmination of the careers of the two heroes in these books – one being Thomas
Kydd and the other is Renzi – his great friend and personal secretary.
They have both
returned from adventures in the Caribbean and Kydd is not sure how he will be
received by the Admiralty but is pleasantly surprised to find that he is a
national hero for exploits in Caracoa.
He is knighted and also given the Order of the Bath by King George III.
Renzi meanwhile
fell in love with Kydd’s sister, Cecilia, way back in the earlier books but he
has felt unable to propose marriage because he has no proper means of support
needed for a wedded couple. However,
when he gets back he discovers that his novel has been published much to his
surprise and his hated father, from whom he ran away to sea, has died and he is
now Lord Farnham, head of a large estate.
After all this,
the seagoing part of the story is set in Turkey, hence the title, and sailing
through the treacherous Dardenelles.
It does look as if
Kydd and Renzi have been finally split up but we learn this is not so as Renzi
has been appointed an unofficial ambassador and also has travelled to Turkey to
try and stop France taking over in Turkey and providing a gateway to the
British Indian continent. Turkey is an
ally of Britain and Renzi’s job is to keep it that way.
This is a
wonderful story and is especially heartfelt to those who have read previous
books in this series. Thoroughly
recommended. I look forward to seeing
how the author will bring our two heroes together again in following stories.
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