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This sequel to Ransom opens a year later in Portsmouth, England. It is 1801, and Britain is still at war with France. Our heroes Will and Davy are two naval officers on the frigate Calypso. In the first scene, they go down to the ship's hold to dig out a box of textbooks that a shipmate needs to study for an exam. But that's not their only motive for retreating from public view. Alone at last, they come together in a quick sexual encounter. They've been secret lovers since the events of Ransom, and they must balance their sexual frustration and craving for one another with extreme caution. In this time period, homosexuality is a capital crime; if found out, they could die on the gallows. To make matters worse, they have heard rumors that Captain Smith (a terrific minor character in Ransom) is about to be transferred. A naval officer's life is far from predictable; all Will and Davy know is that they will probably be split up any day now to serve on different ships, and then be transferred onwards from ship to ship, never to see each other again. In fact, they now have to tidy up their clothing and report to a meeting to learn the facts about Captain Smith's new appointment. Yes, Captain Smith is moving on up: to a third-rate vessel, the Valiant. ("Third-rate" sounds kind of funny like it's not exactly an honor, but the author provides some interesting historical detail that third-rate ships are the highest commands a captain can receive while still having autonomy; second-rates are only used in battle, and the very few first-rates in existence carry admirals.) In a tremendous stroke of luck for our heroes, the Captain announces his plan to take Will and Davy with him. In the meantime, they get to enjoy themselves (and each other) on a few days of shore-leave. When they return (after a hot sex scene and some amusingly playful dialog), Captain Smith explains the unique situation of the Valiant: increasing incidents of what may be sabotage have colored its history. In fact, British naval intelligence suspects that Irish nationalists are aboard, working to erode the efficiency and seaworthiness of the Valiant so as to help the French. Since Davy and Will impressed Captain Smith during the time the trio suffered captivity by pirates in Ransom, he wants them to go undercover to help him flush out the saboteurs. What's truly startling about their assignment is that Captain Smith asks them with a straight face (and some embarrassment) to pose as lovers! Apparently, most of the past sabotage occurred in conjunction with a now-transferred officer rumored to be gay. Naval intelligence thinks that the officer may have been blackmailed into committing sabotage. So they want Davy and Will to look blackmailable. They hope that the saboteurs will target them and make contact. Needless to say, Davy and Will are appalled. As real-life lovers, the last thing they want to do is attract even the slightest tarnish to the hard-won purity of their reputations. However, they must follow orders. This sets them on a path that carries the reader to some unexpected places, including to Jamaica and a sea-battle which heralds a 90-degree plot turn away from the shipboard espionage. Here, Will emerges as the true breakout character with more depth and complexity than the almost-equally fine Davy. Also, you get a sense of each man's completely different views on the place of the British navy within his destiny. Because of its shifts in locale and agenda, Winds of Change is not as strongly plotted as Ransom, but that would be expecting a lot. Plus it's 143 pages shorter. But it is a good read, and in some places, it cuts deeper than Ransom. Here at ObsidianBookshelf.com, I'm not sure if we readers will get a further adventure featuring Davy and Will, but one can always hope.
Relevant Links: (titles without links will be reviewed soon!) Ransom by Lee Rowan Captain's Surrender by Alex Beecroft Winds of Change is available at Amazon:
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