Stand into Danger

by Alexander Kent Book 4 in the Richard Bolitho series.

First published 1980

Amazon

4.5(2,687)

In 1774, newly promoted Third Lieutenant Richard Bolitho joins the frigate Destiny at Plymouth. Still grieving a personal loss, he must adapt to wardroom politics and to a captain who insists that his first loyalties are to commander, ship and Crown.

Destiny sails on a secret mission to Rio de Janeiro and the Caribbean, where conspiracy, treason and piracy threaten both the voyage and the men aboard. As fighting moves from broadsides to close combat, Bolitho is forced to accept responsibility for others and prove that his promotion has made him more than a gifted young seaman.

The peacetime date is important because the Royal Navy is not yet fighting the American Revolution or the later wars with France. A secret voyage therefore depends on discipline and discretion rather than the support of a wartime fleet. Bolitho’s first commissioned responsibilities show how naval officers were formed through navigation, hierarchy and independent judgement before battle made reputation easier to measure.