new lieutenant is sent to Red Sea against French

In A Brig of War, Nathaniel Drinkwater is promoted lieutenant of the brig Hellebore. He finds routine convoy escort duties end abruptly when Admiral Nelson, pursuing the French fleet to Egypt, sends Hellebore to the Red Sea with an urgent warning to the British squadron More...there. However, Nelson's apprehensions over French ambitions in the East are more than justified. Edouard Santhonax, Drinkwater's old enemy, is already preparing for a French descent on India.

The hunt for this elusive Frenchman and his frigate is combined with British naval operations on the flank of Napoleon's Egyptian campaign. It is during the attack on Kosseir that Drinkwater is left for dead. His escape and the subsequent desperate attack on Santhonax leads to a still more dangerous situation under Augustus Morris, former tyrant of the midshipmen's berth on HMS Cyclops.

Drinkwater's fight to bring a half-armed ship safely to the Cape of Good Hope is beset with personal enmity, the activity of the French and the violence of the sea.

In A Brig of War, Richard Woodman has hit his stride as an author. The rough edges of the first novel in the series have been smoothed in this accomplished second installment. ( )

'Twould be a better book without Lt. Morris. Except for that, an excellent tale of the Royal Naval's little war against Napoleon in the Red Sea. Based on fact, but only loosely so.

This short review was also published on a dabbler's journal. ( )

This book covers the period from February 1798 to January 1800. We follow 1st Lt Nathaniel Drinkwater as he sells on the War brig hawthorne to the Red Sea. I have not read any other book in the series and found this enjoyable. I actually felt like I was on the ship. This is a true action book. And the author must really know his seamanship and history of the period to develop his world. A fun read. ( )