The Letter of Marque is the twelfth book in the Aubrey/Maturin series, and I don’t seem to be enjoying it any less as time – and the series – stretches on.
Here we catch up with Jack after he’s been struck off the list of post-captains for a crime on the stock exchange that he could never have understood enough to commit. But he’s not without a boat, The Surprise having been surreptitiously bought by his now rather minted best friend Stephen, and given a letter of marque to protect them from the Royal Navy in their new activity of privateering (piracy with its best manners on display).
No longer full of pressed men and marines, the men who now serve Jack are all those who want to be there, recommended either by their past experiences of his command or drawn by the lure of the flashy prizes he’s often been lucky to bring in. And in the background, the English authorities are laying out the necessary plans to reinstate Jack should he do enough damage to the French to justify their backpedalling.
Meanwhile, Stephen is still ministering to the ship in his role as doctor while gathering information about the enemy in his other, secret intelligence role. All while pining over Diana, his erstwhile wife, and completely failing to notice that his servant is pilfering and then diluting what remains of his laudanum supplies.
Picking one of these books up is like slipping into a soothing warm bath, no matter whether the book depicts one of the more successful or miserable outings for Jack and Stephen. Complete with a couple of rousing engagements, The Letter of Marque was a lovely catch up with my favourite literary couple.
