Stockwin is a master at recreating exotic locales that transport readers back to past places and times. Nowhere is this more evident than in Betrayal. . . . While stories set during the Napoleonic era are many, Stockwin selects lesser-known aspects of it to provide readers with uncommon undertakings where the risks and the rewards are high.
Description
In the 13th volume in the popular high-seas nautical adventure series featuring naval hero Thomas Kydd, Cape Colony is proving a tiresome assignment for Kydd's daring commander-in-chief Commodore Popham, as South America's Spanish colonies are in a ferment of popular unrest. Rumors of a treasure hoard of Spanish silver spur him to assemble a makeshift invasion fleet and launch a bold attack on the capital of the Viceroyalty of the River Plate in Buenos Aires. Navigating the treacherous bars and mud flats of the river, the British invasion force wins a battle against improbable odds, taking the capital and the silver. But the uprising that promises the end of Spanish rule never arrives, and the locals begin to see dark conspiracies behind the invader's actions. Now Kydd's men must face resistance and the betrayal of their closest allies. Can they save themselves and their prize?
Reviews
High-seas adventure, ocean battles, bloody melees, and general villainy. . . . Stockwin, who based this tale on a factual debacle easily overlooked by history, is a master of Napoleonic-era atmosphere and rich descriptions of the military, politics, and society. Stockwin's series is approaching the level of C.S. Forester's Hornblower books.
A rousingly exciting and delicious full-immersion in the perils of seafaring and society during the great Age of Sail!
Comparable to C.C. Humphreys’s Jack Absolute series and the naval tales of the great Patrick O’Brian.
