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Rating: 
Summary: Book 2 of a trilogy
Review: It is necessary to read book 1 of the trilogy, "Hoare and the Portsmouth Atrocities," before reading this novel in order to understand the storyline. This story is set in October and November 1805. Hoare has been promoted to commander and finds himself in command of an unusual ship, the Royal Duke, with an unusual crew (including several women - women were not unusual in a crew, see John Nicol's biography). He is in charge of "special investigations" which includes naval intellegence services.The discovery of two murdered Royal Navy captains plunges Hoare into intrigue involving British traitors and unknown French agents. Hoare is still handicapped by an inability to raise his voice above a loud whisper, but he can whistle and he can pass commands through a loyal lieutenant aboard the Royal Duke. He has an unfortunate encounter with H.R.H. the Duke of Cumberland, a desolute rogue (the royal family receives some unflattering descriptions). Events lead to the disposal of some enemies, but the continuation of the story is left to the third novel of the trilogy, "Hoare and the Matter of Treason." The author has a bad tendency to forget details as the story proceeds. In the previous novel, Lieutenant Kingsley is shot while in confinement. In this novel, it is stated he was hanged. Also, four roughs captured in the novel become two in number by the time they are turned over to authorities. The gratuitous mention of James Aubrey is out of place. The ficticious Aubrey is referred to as a "successful frigate captain," but in O'Brien's series of novels Aubrey's early success (prior to 1805) was as a commander in a sloop - as was the real life Commander Lord Cochrane who served as the model for the fictional Aubrey. The novel lacks a map which would have been helpful.
Rating:
Summary: Book 2 of a trilogy
Review: It is necessary to read book 1 of the trilogy, "Hoare and the Portsmouth Atrocities," before reading this novel in order to understand the storyline. This story is set in October and November 1805. Hoare has been promoted to commander and finds himself in command of an unusual ship, the Royal Duke, with an unusual crew (including several women - women were not unusual in a crew, see John Nicol's biography). He is in charge of "special investigations" which includes naval intellegence services. The discovery of two murdered Royal Navy captains plunges Hoare into intrigue involving British traitors and unknown French agents. Hoare is still handicapped by an inability to raise his voice above a loud whisper, but he can whistle and he can pass commands through a loyal lieutenant aboard the Royal Duke. He has an unfortunate encounter with H.R.H. the Duke of Cumberland, a desolute rogue (the royal family receives some unflattering descriptions). Events lead to the disposal of some enemies, but the continuation of the story is left to the third novel of the trilogy, "Hoare and the Matter of Treason." The author has a bad tendency to forget details as the story proceeds. In the previous novel, Lieutenant Kingsley is shot while in confinement. In this novel, it is stated he was hanged. Also, four roughs captured in the novel become two in number by the time they are turned over to authorities. The gratuitous mention of James Aubrey is out of place. The ficticious Aubrey is referred to as a "successful frigate captain," but in O'Brien's series of novels Aubrey's early success (prior to 1805) was as a commander in a sloop - as was the real life Commander Lord Cochrane who served as the model for the fictional Aubrey. The novel lacks a map which would have been helpful.
Rating: 
Summary: Hoare and the Headless Captains
Review: Napoleon totally controls France and threatens to do likewise with the rest of Europe. A desperate England declares the Emperor an enemy of the state. The nation's militia engages the forces of Napoleon on land and at sea. British Royal Naval Officer Bartholomew Hoare remains on land because an injury that occurred while fighting for his country has left him mute. Though he has accepted his fate, he is pleasantly shocked when his superior names him as the Captain of the Royal Duke. The entire crew of the Royal Duke is different from what normally sails the seas. This group consists of special men and women with mental abilities that enable them to break the French secret codes as well as other specialized tasks. When two naval captains are found dead inside the Nine Stones Circle, a Stonehenge-like edifice, he begins to investigate what happened. HOARE AND THE HEADLESS CAPTAINS is a historical maritime mystery that showcases the Navy's role in the war with Napoleon. Wilder Perkins examines their tasks in minute detail, but aptly fits this inside his main story line. The hero is a fascinating person who has overcome the handicap of a crushed vortex and the depression that followed. With this novel and HOARE AND THE PORTSMOUTH ATROCITIES, Mr. Perkins, who passed away last year, proves that he was a talent who entertained yet educated his audience. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Darker & more involved than first book of series
Review: This is worth a read if you enjoy the Patrick O'Brien/Hornblower/Alexander Kent genre. My
only real problem with this book is that the
heroes of all 3 of those series either make
appearances or are mentioned here, along with
a Capt. Marryatt. It just seemed a cheap sort
of ploy to me. Still, it's not a BAD book,
it just appears as if the author gleaned most
of his info from reading other authors' work.
Rating:
Summary: Hoare and the Headless Captains
Review: Though better paced and written than the prequel, the second Hoare book still had problems. The author created a character with an interesting disability: the incapacity to speak above a whisper. Unfortunately, throughout the book, Hoare spoke. It would have been intriguing to see him resort to gestures and so on. Instead, the disability was basically ignored. The rather nebulous plot involved some hard-to-believe-in Satanists and a threat to the British Navy which Hoare had to defuse with the help of an unseaworthy crew of intelligence agents and bluestockings. The plot seemed to wander, and though it was better paced than the first book in the series, it still lacked focus. Perkins, in this book, essentially paid an homage to Patrick O'Brian -- mentioning one of his characters by name and repeating a joke (the one about the weevils). I trust that Perkins' editors took care of any legal issues there may have been. I was uncertain how I felt about this. On the one hand, I like homages and the sense that books by different authors somehow take place in the same world. On the other hand, I like it better when it's done less blatantly. Overall I would say that this book, like the one preceding it, had some interesting points but did not attain a very high standard.
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