When the Tide Rises

At most recent rereading, I've decided to raise this from 3 to 4 stars, because it seems one of the better entries in the series. Perhaps it's really a 3.5 kind of book, but I seem to reread it quite frequently, so some generosity is in order.

It's mostly military, which is not usually my favourite thing; but at least Drake is good at military. I can read about Hornblower's military adventures, so I can read about Leary's, although they're not similar characters. (Yes, I know that Drake prefers Aubrey to Hornblower, but I've read little of Aubrey and currently still prefer Hornblower.)

The adventures here are quite engaging if you're in the mood for that kind of thing, and we get into the interaction between war and politics.

The regular characters of the series continue to develop in their own ways, and Rene Cazelet is introduced as a new character.