Dockyard Dog takes place between June 1784 and June 1785, and is the first volume in the Evan Ross series. Although the majority of the action takes place on land, readers who like tales of nautical and historical fiction will enjoy this story. 

In spite of the 425 pages, Dockyard Dog is a fast-paced read filled with action and intrigue. I look forward to reading Evan's next adventure, The Sugar Revolution.

I have read many books which feature Horatio Nelson as a character, particularly based around his victories at the Nile and Trafalgar. In an interesting departure Dockyard Dog focuses on a much earlier period of his career, when his efforts to reduce smuggling in the Caribbean made him an unpopular figure unlike later.

The novel follows the exploits of Lieutenant Evan Ross who, after loosing an arm whilst boarding a smuggler, has little prospect of further employment at sea. Nelson uses the young man as his liaison officer ashore in his efforts to get the dockyard working properly and gather intelligence on the smugglers.

The narrative spends very little time at sea instead concentrating on the shore side activities but for all that it was a well written novel with a good well paced plot line based on factual events. Despite this lack of sea time it fitted the genre well and I found it hard to put down.

This is a book I recommend, and I look forward to the sequel.