Hoare and the Portsmouth Atrocities
A Maritime Mystery Featuring Captain Bartholomew Hoare
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
Although Bartholomew Hoare has acquitted himself nobly on shipboard and battle, and worked his way up to lieutenant in King George III's Royal Navy, he cannot count his present life a satisfactory one. For one thing, he and his brother (as his father before him, all of them descended from Vikings) have always had to use their fists to defend their name and its implications from schoolboys, shipmates, and generally impolite Britons at every social level. That Bartholomew can handle. But a spent musket ball in the throat put a halt to a promising career at sea, and Hoare was left with a glowing recommendation and exclusively shore duties. Obviously, a captain whose orders could not be issued above a whisper could never command a ship.
To Hoare, who loves the sea, it is a tragedy, as he is forced to do the land-based tasks assigned to him. His present mission is to discover what has happened to the ship that disappeared in nearby waters, and whether the strange contents of a small keg found in the sand are involved in the mystery. And it is a quest that begins Hoare's acquaintance with the extraordinary Mrs. Eleanor Graves--by his saving her from attacking ruffians, with her active and enthusiastic assistance. It is a meeting that starts a dramatic train of events. For one thing, Hoare is asked to put his talents to work on behalf of a young officer charged with the murder of his captain, a fellow of questionable probity and brutal temper. Hoare's investigation leads to evidence of criminal activity beyond the captain's murder. It's a chance for the lieutenant to further distinguish himself--if he isn't killed first.
But life is not all trouble. Hoare becomes close friends with Eleanor Graves and her retired, and much older, physician husband. He meets a rather suspect visitor from abroad, and encounters assorted townspeople, both high and low--including the Graveses' dinner guest his first night in town, one Miss Jane Austen.
With its strong period atmosphere, its unusual and colorful characters, and its nautical focus, Wilder Perkins's first novel, Hoare and the Portsmouth Atrocities, will entice readers who love historic naval fiction. And many others as well will be delighted to discover this author and his book, and will wait impatiently for Bartholomew Hoare's next adventure.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bartholomew Hoare, an officer in His Majesty's Royal Navy during the reign of George III, has been removed from active duty at sea. He now works under Sir George Hardcastle, Port Admiral at Portsmouth. In mid-June 1805, Hoare meets Eleanor Graves, the wife of Dr. Simon Graves of Weymouth, when she is attacked by two ruffians--who prove no match for the diminutive but exceedingly able woman. The next day, one of the attackers is found dead, the other has disappeared and Hoare's ship has been ransacked. There seems to be no connection between these events and Hoare's own investigation into the provenance of a keg full of clockwork parts. Subsequently, however, Hoare is asked to assist in the case of Arthur Gladden, a sailor accused of murdering his captain, and eventually he connects the mysterious happenings and brings all to a satisfactory conclusion. Perkins salts his tale with plenty of naval lore (there's a glossary of naval terms included), lots of action and numerous eccentric characters, including Jane Austen and, in some ways, Hoare himself. This unusual man, whose larynx has been crushed by a musket ball, can speak only in a whisper, and that affliction, plus his unfortunate surname, often makes him the butt of ridicule. While no swashbuckler, he proves himself competent and chivalrous, a nifty hero who may appeal not only to mystery fans but to lovers of naval historical fiction.
