Mutiny

Thomas Kydd is now master's mate aboard the 64 gun Achilles, headed from the Caribbean to Gibraltar.   Word in Gibraltar is that the ports in the Mediterranean have been given up and the French fleet has sailed from Brest for England!  Unfortunately the Achilles is in need of repairs and stays anchored in the bay.  While there, Kydd is invited to join the company of Mrs. Mulvany. It isn't long before Kydd finds himself infatuated with her.  He hopes for more.

Frustrated by her response, Kydd happily joins the Bacchante, on which his good friend Nicholas Renzi is master's mate.   The ship is going on a special mission into the Mediterranean.  Kydd and Renzi become part of a four man mission to rescue the British ambassador from Venice before he can be taken by the French invaders.  However, the men find themselves trapped in Venice when France and Austria agree to a peace - which includes giving Venice to Austria.  Do Englishmen have any chance in Venice, now?

Fortunately they make their escape.  Once again Kydd and Renzi go their separate ways, the former headed home to England.  However, not far from port, they receive news that the fleet has risen in mutiny!  They must sail with discretion now and get further information.  The Achilles then sets sail for Sheerness.

It isn't long before Kydd finds evidence of a possible mutiny at Sheerness, too.  He is troubled by what he learns.  Which side should he take?  When he eventually decides to join the mutineers, he puts his life on the line.  When Renzi shows up in Sheerness, Kydd is shocked to find that he doesn't support the mutiny.  As the days progress, Kydd is drawn deeper into the mutiny; a mutiny that Prime Minister Pitt refuses to accept.

Kydd's fate lies in the hands of his friend, Renzi, who will attempt to save him from the noose once the mutiny fails.  Author Julian Stockwin has written an excellent historical novel based on the real events of the 1797 mutiny at Sheerness.  Although the northern fleet would join in, these mutineers were not treated in the same way that those who mutinied at Plymouth earlier.   An excellent read, which was hard to put down.