Set during the Napoleonic War, when twelve-year-old John Barr and his father are falsely accused of murder they are forced to run for their lives through the streets of Edinburgh. At Leith harbour they are pressed into the Navy and posted to different ships. John is sent to join HMS Fearless where a chance discovery thrusts him and his shipmate Kit into the shadowy world of secrets, spies and adventure.

Now I should point out that I'm at least 40 years past the true target audience for this book but a friend who knows I'm a sucker for naval yarns sent it to me saying that I should give it a try. I wasn't disappointed. It's a quick read with a plot that rattles along at a decent pace and whilst it requires a bit of a leap of imagination it is at least credible; John and Kit's characters are reasonably developed; the historical details are interesting without being too detailed as are the on-ship elements. So, whilst this book probably won't live that long in the memory it did provide me with a decent piece of escapism, that I can imagine younger readers enjoying. ( )