Treason's River

I am one who loves the O'Brian naval historical novels. While this one was good, it does not come up to the five star level of O'Brian. Nonetheless, it fills a certain void in a genre that I enjoy. It is really a "mystery" story set in the Napoleanic wars era. Enjoyable, and relaxing. Thomas is a very good writer and I sincerely hopes he keeps it going beyond the three published works with Martin Jerrold as the (anti)hero.

I love Martin Jerrold. He has all sorts of outrageous adventures, but is a normal guy, no super-hero. He, quite sensibly, doesn't want to risk his life. He'd rather have a good drink and a woman than fight battles. Sometimes the odd people in books who seem to have no fear and be willing to face death at the drop of a hat can pall. Who is really like that, after all??? This time out things are a bit more serious even though the task seems simple enough... Jerrold is to carry a letter-packet to the New World. After his last adventures, he's managed to annoy a number of powerful politicians and Royals and military folk, so getting out of the country for a spell is a good idea. Mr. Nevell of the Post Office has had the original messenger waylaid and the letter taken. They cannot open the letter since it's cleverly sealed, but Nevell says there's a possible conspiracy in the works and Jerrold just needs to deliver the letter and see if he can foil the plot. Jerrold find himself in sea battles against a Spanish ships, dealing with a beautiful but deadly young lady and her rich and powerful father, having agents out to steal the letter--or kill him-- along the way to Pittsburgh, and involved in a conspiracy that leads him into the wilderness and down the Mississippi, led by the charismatic Aaron Burr... This time out, Jerrold seems a bit more resigned to the adventures that keep him occupied, whether he wants them or not. He also seems to be growing a bit through the experience, also whether he wants to or not. Yet he's still very human, which is what I like about him. I sincerely hope the author manages to sell more books in this exciting and amusing series.

Finishing the last installment of Thomas' trilogy for the Misadventures of Martin Jerrold saddened me. I thought that all three were very good entertaining reads and actually found some aspects of this last volume better than the first two. I liked that this story was a bit more serious than the others and the unexpected diversion of the journey to America where this story mainly takes place was welcomed. Learning about that time period in America and of Aaron Burr was very helpful and interesting. I like too that there were not so many MISadventures for Martin as we saw earlier in the first two books where he was constantly being accused of this and thrown in jail for that and his every footstep bringing him peril. There was more history here and not so much a murder mystery to be solved. The one aspect that I didnt like was the author's choice to leave out Martin's lover Isobel. I thought that a big mistake but something tells me he might have intended to bring her back in future volumes before he was told by the publisher that they were unfortunately cancelling the series. Too bad, I thing more stories would have been welcomed among the fans and I for one would have read more. You cant help but love Martin Jerrold. He's not the hero a lot of fans want him to be which makes his character all the more unique and fun to read. I loved this book and really am upset that no more are to come. I will miss our Martin, he was very endearing and his escapades offered many hours of enjoyable reading entertainment.

Martin is not our typical hero. Misadventure and calamity abound and Jerrold comes out on top. Well worth the read. There should be more in this series. At the end of this book we find that Martin is someone whom respect should adhere to, and he is ever maturing as a naval officer.

In the first book of this series we are introduced to British naval officer Martin Jerrold who missed the Battle of Trafalgar by being drunk in his ship's hold ('The Blighted Cliffs'). With a character like that, how can you go wrong. In this book, he has offended some of the most powerful men in England. He is faced with two choices. He can stand his ground and fight. Or he can run away. No question in Martin's mind, and we find him on his way to America. Of course he has in his possession a mysterious package to be delivered to Pittsburgh. And of course some of his fellow passengers (a lovely lady who may be more than just beautiful) and her father who ... well you can guess. Martin Jerrold is certainly an unlikely hero as he goes from one exciting mis-adventure to another in a story told with humor mixed with a bit of history. Great Fun!