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Richard Bolitho #10
With All Despatch
Let multi-million copy seller Alexander Kent transport you right to the heart of the action in this high-octane, pacy and gripping naval adventure. Fans of Patrick O'Brian and C. S. Forester will not be disappointed.
'One of our foremost writers of naval fiction' - Sunday Times
'As a former naval officer, Alexander Kent knows what it is like to be at sea' -- The Times
'Engrossing' -- ***** Reader review
'Great action, great characters, great adventure' -- ***** Reader review
'Unexpected twists and turns, fascinating plot lines and gripping descriptions of naval battles' -- ***** Reader review
'A difficult book to put down!' -- ***** Reader review
*****************************************************************************************
1792: A troubled peace with France means that the English royal fleet has been left to rot.
Even a frigate captain as famous as Richard Bolitho is forced to swallow his pride and visit the Admiralty daily to plead for a ship. As the clouds of war begin to rise once more over the Channel, he has no choice but to accept an appointment to the Nore.
With his small flotilla of three topsail cutters, Bolitho sets out to search the coast for seamen who have fled the harsh discipline of His Majesty's Navy for the more tempting rewards of smuggling. But the 'Brotherhood' he comes up against are brutal and dangerous with a secret, sinister trade in human misery.
So when a King's ransom is in peril and Bolitho is ordered to proceed 'with all despatch' to recover it, he has no choice but to rely on the loyalty and courage of his three gallant cutters.
If anyone fulfil this mission, it's Bolitho - but he'll need all his wits, wisdom, might and mettle to succeed...
Bolitho's adventures continue in Form Line of Battle.
'One of our foremost writers of naval fiction' - Sunday Times
'As a former naval officer, Alexander Kent knows what it is like to be at sea' -- The Times
'Engrossing' -- ***** Reader review
'Great action, great characters, great adventure' -- ***** Reader review
'Unexpected twists and turns, fascinating plot lines and gripping descriptions of naval battles' -- ***** Reader review
'A difficult book to put down!' -- ***** Reader review
*****************************************************************************************
1792: A troubled peace with France means that the English royal fleet has been left to rot.
Even a frigate captain as famous as Richard Bolitho is forced to swallow his pride and visit the Admiralty daily to plead for a ship. As the clouds of war begin to rise once more over the Channel, he has no choice but to accept an appointment to the Nore.
With his small flotilla of three topsail cutters, Bolitho sets out to search the coast for seamen who have fled the harsh discipline of His Majesty's Navy for the more tempting rewards of smuggling. But the 'Brotherhood' he comes up against are brutal and dangerous with a secret, sinister trade in human misery.
So when a King's ransom is in peril and Bolitho is ordered to proceed 'with all despatch' to recover it, he has no choice but to rely on the loyalty and courage of his three gallant cutters.
If anyone fulfil this mission, it's Bolitho - but he'll need all his wits, wisdom, might and mettle to succeed...
Bolitho's adventures continue in Form Line of Battle.
340 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1989
About the author
Alexander Kent
235 books207 followersA pseudonym used by Douglas Reeman.
Series:
* Richard Bolitho
* Adam Bolitho
Series:
* Richard Bolitho
* Adam Bolitho
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
August 4, 2020
Creo que es el noveno libro de la saga Bolitho. En esta entrega la trama se desarrolla en periodo de entreguerras, por lo que es muy difícil para un capitán tener un barco asignado. A nuestro protagonista le entregan el mando de unos cuters para la lucha contra el contrabando en el que tendrá que ir desmadejando una serie de intrigas y conspiraciones con implicaciones de personas poderosas.
April 19, 2022
A story dealing with smuggling in the English Channel while France reels under the Reign of Terror and eventually executes her king and queen. 3 and 1/2 stars.
July 14, 2017
Bolitho is still reeling from the death of Viola Raymond and his bout with fever. But he is coming back strong to solve a problem of vicious smugglers, who were some of them sailors from the Royal Navy. Then to top it off he and his coxswain, John Allday have to deal with treachery from within in the Navy. By the end of the book Bolitho has solved most of the smuggling problem and dealt with a traitor to England. But he has lost command of a squadron of cutters and now has command of a large ship not a frigate, but this will not stop Bolitho and his friend, John Allday from bringing havoc to hear on the French as war has begun.
August 28, 2008
Spring, 1792, and Richard Bolitho is seeking to return to the active duty. He has recovered from the fever that he contacted in his Pacific adventures. He is given command of three top sail cutters to combat rampant smuggling between England and the continent. The situation is complicated because of the influencial people involved in the smuggling as well as the developing situation in France during the Revolution and nearing war between England and France.
Not as much naval action as others in the series, but more clandestine involvement and dealing with shady influencial British aristocrats. Also a bit different in that the story jumps a few times from situation to situation without much explanation how Bolitho got from from thing to the next.
Not as much naval action as others in the series, but more clandestine involvement and dealing with shady influencial British aristocrats. Also a bit different in that the story jumps a few times from situation to situation without much explanation how Bolitho got from from thing to the next.
January 20, 2010
I wish I knew where the wooden-ship kick came from. Maybe it's the appeal of running away to a simpler life. Maybe it's the clarity - your life was on the ship, the people you knew were on the ship, your death was likely on the ship. Maybe it's the lack of options - many sailors were press-ganged. Maybe it's the history major buried down below the geologist and the compsci major. Either way, I find myself getting drawn into these series.
April 16, 2023
Better than the previous book in the chronological series, but not a patch on the books written much earlier in Kent's career.
I like the change of locations away from ships, for a bit more land action, but found the story rather fragmented because of the individual adventures of Bolitho, Allday, and the captains of each of the ships in his flotilla.
Whilst this worked well in part, the final action of HMSs Snapdragon, Telemachus and Wakeful was confused and difficult to follow. And certainly that battle was not described as convincingly as actions are portrayed in Forester's Hornblower books.
One of the weakest aspects of Kents writing, for me, is the continual portrayal of Bolitho as a touchy-feely "one of the team", continually touching his colleagues arms, calling them by their first names, being viewed by his men as their friend, harping on and on about Viola in this volume. That doesn't ring true to me, or to Kent's oft-repeated concept of a ship's Captain as being next to God. Yes, a Captain can be respected as well as feared - and indeed should be - but being his crew's "best mate" makes a jarring note.
For me, I'm afraid, Forester is the benchmark by which I judge Alexander Kent's Bolitho novels. And AK, whilst good when writing at his best, remains a not-very-close second to the Master.
Ah well, onto the next one (Enemy in Sight! for me) written early on in the series. Let's hope this one is closer to my benchmark!
I like the change of locations away from ships, for a bit more land action, but found the story rather fragmented because of the individual adventures of Bolitho, Allday, and the captains of each of the ships in his flotilla.
Whilst this worked well in part, the final action of HMSs Snapdragon, Telemachus and Wakeful was confused and difficult to follow. And certainly that battle was not described as convincingly as actions are portrayed in Forester's Hornblower books.
One of the weakest aspects of Kents writing, for me, is the continual portrayal of Bolitho as a touchy-feely "one of the team", continually touching his colleagues arms, calling them by their first names, being viewed by his men as their friend, harping on and on about Viola in this volume. That doesn't ring true to me, or to Kent's oft-repeated concept of a ship's Captain as being next to God. Yes, a Captain can be respected as well as feared - and indeed should be - but being his crew's "best mate" makes a jarring note.
For me, I'm afraid, Forester is the benchmark by which I judge Alexander Kent's Bolitho novels. And AK, whilst good when writing at his best, remains a not-very-close second to the Master.
Ah well, onto the next one (Enemy in Sight! for me) written early on in the series. Let's hope this one is closer to my benchmark!
April 5, 2023
I 've read almost all the Bolitho series and as I saw this one had been written out of sequence, I thought I would have a look at it. Of course I knew that nothing earth shattering would happen to Richard as he was the hero of another 8 books, but I was interested to see how the author would deal with the smuggling problem at the time of the French revolution. Well, I was disappointed.
The story is very convoluted, full of double dealing, and I was often unclear as to who was supporting who, who was a double agent or a traitor. A lot of the story takes place on land and there is no doubt that A.Kent is at his best describing naval battles and strategy. Richard, as usual is struggling to believe in himself. The shadow of his love for Viola and the bout of fever which crippled him for 2 years do not help.
The disappearance of Allday for a large section of the book is a rather unexpected development which I did not find very convincing for the smooth running of the story. However, as a counterpoint Young Matthew, the trusted coachman's son, so eager to please his master, is heart warming.
So if you are reading the whole series in strict chronological order, fine, but if not then you might consider giving this one a miss without losing anything of the development of the main characters or of Bolitho's career.
The story is very convoluted, full of double dealing, and I was often unclear as to who was supporting who, who was a double agent or a traitor. A lot of the story takes place on land and there is no doubt that A.Kent is at his best describing naval battles and strategy. Richard, as usual is struggling to believe in himself. The shadow of his love for Viola and the bout of fever which crippled him for 2 years do not help.
The disappearance of Allday for a large section of the book is a rather unexpected development which I did not find very convincing for the smooth running of the story. However, as a counterpoint Young Matthew, the trusted coachman's son, so eager to please his master, is heart warming.
So if you are reading the whole series in strict chronological order, fine, but if not then you might consider giving this one a miss without losing anything of the development of the main characters or of Bolitho's career.
October 4, 2021
Spoilers ahead:
I'm on book 12 at this time so my memory of the book is a little hazy. To be honest I've been so caught up in the series that I've been just binging on it like a TV series and reading the next one as soon as I finish one.
I enjoy this series because the writing is easy to read and follow. Kent spends a lot of time on his characters so they are always interesting to read. And the action sequences are all very good but like the show The Walking Dead, no one is safe and anyone can get killed in action.
The reason why I didn't give this book more stars is because I just didn't like the way the plot went. It's between the wars and Bolitho is given command of 3 cutters which are used to patrol the English channel. I'd expect a lot more action but the narrative is split between the 3 cutters, which means there are a lot of people to cover.
Whatever action there is is quite satisfactory and well written but I just thought this book was a bit boring because of the subject matter. There's also a bit of secret service work involved (shades of the Nathaniel Drinkwater series). I mainly read this book just to get to the end.
I'm on book 12 at this time so my memory of the book is a little hazy. To be honest I've been so caught up in the series that I've been just binging on it like a TV series and reading the next one as soon as I finish one.
I enjoy this series because the writing is easy to read and follow. Kent spends a lot of time on his characters so they are always interesting to read. And the action sequences are all very good but like the show The Walking Dead, no one is safe and anyone can get killed in action.
The reason why I didn't give this book more stars is because I just didn't like the way the plot went. It's between the wars and Bolitho is given command of 3 cutters which are used to patrol the English channel. I'd expect a lot more action but the narrative is split between the 3 cutters, which means there are a lot of people to cover.
Whatever action there is is quite satisfactory and well written but I just thought this book was a bit boring because of the subject matter. There's also a bit of secret service work involved (shades of the Nathaniel Drinkwater series). I mainly read this book just to get to the end.
June 8, 2021
In a period when the loss of the American colonies was dearly felt, you find here a dispirited country and a British people mired in crushing poverty and hunger. The poverty of the people, despair and a political situation fueled a massive smuggling enterprise filling the needs of the common people.
The needs of the people were great and so was the charge to the British Navy to stop the illegal enterprise. We find our hero stationed on a revenue cutter with orders to infiltrate and break up the illegal trade. This story is full of intrigue and double-dealing. While we get very little naval action until the very end, there is plenty here to satisfy any reader of British history during this very difficult period in their history.
The needs of the people were great and so was the charge to the British Navy to stop the illegal enterprise. We find our hero stationed on a revenue cutter with orders to infiltrate and break up the illegal trade. This story is full of intrigue and double-dealing. While we get very little naval action until the very end, there is plenty here to satisfy any reader of British history during this very difficult period in their history.
February 1, 2020
The 10th Bolitho book takes place just prior to the Napoleonic Wars. The terror has started following the French Revolution and England is furiously trying to bring their navy back up to fighting shape before the inevitable conflict begins. Bolitho is sent out to take charge of a trio of cutters trying to stop smugglers. Interesting interlude between the two major conflicts, American Revolution and Napoleonic Wars that Bolitho will take part in.
December 10, 2019
An interesting change of pace
Set just before the resumption of war, Bolitho finds himself commanding a squadron of cutters. Trying to stop smugglers, fight corruption and apathy, he has many challenges. But as usual, he never gives up and eventually succeeds on all fronts. There is also political intrigue galore. Another fun and exciting read.
Set just before the resumption of war, Bolitho finds himself commanding a squadron of cutters. Trying to stop smugglers, fight corruption and apathy, he has many challenges. But as usual, he never gives up and eventually succeeds on all fronts. There is also political intrigue galore. Another fun and exciting read.
December 31, 2021
I enjoyed the book and was gripped by the story. This was my first Bolitho and maybe not my last. Having spent many years reading Patrick O'Brien several times over I was ready for something new. There were some significant gaps in the timeline and this was unfortunate because it was puzzling. Perhaps I should have started at #1.
Overall I give it 8 out of 10.
Overall I give it 8 out of 10.
August 9, 2023
Summer
As I read on my back patio with temperatures in the upper 80's, the sailors in my book are barefoot, not dressed properly to face the frigid North Sea winter, and are climbing around on icy braces. On slip and they will fall to their death. Time to take another drink of my icy gin & tonic 😉
As I read on my back patio with temperatures in the upper 80's, the sailors in my book are barefoot, not dressed properly to face the frigid North Sea winter, and are climbing around on icy braces. On slip and they will fall to their death. Time to take another drink of my icy gin & tonic 😉
August 18, 2024
With All Dispatch
So good to read a well written book once again. So much dross out there and this author writes a great story so well that the time just slips away. And so our traumatised hero survives to fight another day. The battles at sea are quite superb and the story develops at high speed. I loved this book and highly recommend it.
So good to read a well written book once again. So much dross out there and this author writes a great story so well that the time just slips away. And so our traumatised hero survives to fight another day. The battles at sea are quite superb and the story develops at high speed. I loved this book and highly recommend it.
December 28, 2020
Given this isn’t a particularly long book a lot of plot is packed into it. I liked the political intrigue and the thoughts it provoked around how people were treated. I also really appreciate how the characters grow and develop throughout these novels
June 13, 2022
Not a great one...one gets the impression that Kent ran out of inspiration but didn't want to jump straight ahead into the Revolutionary/ Napoleonic Wars. Nevertheless, readable and I cracked through it pretty sharpish, so you can tell that it wasn't bad by any means.
March 29, 2026
Cutters
A fast breed of ship, fair equipped for most smuggling in these days, but against the likes of a corvette or frigates, they are miniscule, but fast. It would take speed and a lot of luck for Bolitho to get past these and treachery from on high.
A fast breed of ship, fair equipped for most smuggling in these days, but against the likes of a corvette or frigates, they are miniscule, but fast. It would take speed and a lot of luck for Bolitho to get past these and treachery from on high.
October 31, 2026
Another enjoyable Bolitho book with different ships and different problems, this time smugglers. Alexander Kent really makes you feel you are there in the midst of battles and suffering. Onto the war with France again next time.
February 12, 2019
pretty good
August 6, 2019
Love this series...this particular volume in the series is really well written and a great read!
April 21, 2020
Masterful!
July 23, 2020
The stress associated with the coronavirus pandemic has affected my addled brain, apparently. I couldn't follow all the ships, their actions, and the intrigues in this episode. Still, a good tale.
July 25, 2020
Probably the best, to-date, in the series.
March 30, 2021
Second time of reading, I am re-reading all this author's books in order - it was OK, but not a 'smooth' as his others books. Perhaps due to the story not being as exciting as the previous books.
July 24, 2023
Not a bad book but definitely not the first Bolitho to read. It’s almost a filler but does advance and mature the characters.
September 25, 2025
A slightly different take on the usual Bolitho formula.
December 23, 2025
Six-word Review: A melodramatic story providing much action.
Longer review later.
Longer review later.
July 4, 2026
Very Good
Could do without your mercurial jumps from character to character. But you use much fewer antiquated words and phrases than others in this genre.
On to the next ……
Could do without your mercurial jumps from character to character. But you use much fewer antiquated words and phrases than others in this genre.
On to the next ……
October 17, 2026
Not my favorite of the series.
February 17, 2010
My first exposure to an Alexander Kent book and it was a fairly enjoyable experience. The story is short and there are many scenes of seafaring action which the author writes with aplomb. We watch as ships of war tear each other apart and villains are dispatched gruesomely. All through this, the stern and darkly brooding Bolitho and his faithful companion Allday manage to overcome all manner of adversity.
The plot is fairly complex with many peripheral characters. There's conspiracy afoot, with many of the enemy on the same side, as in a Cornwell book. I found Kent's style to be inferior to that of my favourite authors. He has a sketchiness about him that can be difficult to read at times, although his grasp of the sea and seafaring is spot on, having come about from years of real-life experience.
There are a couple of unforgivable proofing errors in the text in which main characters's names are transposed. This totally throws the reader out of the story. It's a shame.
Elsewhere, there are highlights, including Allday's adventure as a would-be smuggler and a climatic battle about two thirds of the way through the book that serves as a natural ending - although we have extra stuff going on after that.
I enjoyed the book as a light read, but it hasn't grabbed me in the way a Gemmell or Cornwell might. I'd read another in the series, although I'm not in a great hurry to do so.
The plot is fairly complex with many peripheral characters. There's conspiracy afoot, with many of the enemy on the same side, as in a Cornwell book. I found Kent's style to be inferior to that of my favourite authors. He has a sketchiness about him that can be difficult to read at times, although his grasp of the sea and seafaring is spot on, having come about from years of real-life experience.
There are a couple of unforgivable proofing errors in the text in which main characters's names are transposed. This totally throws the reader out of the story. It's a shame.
Elsewhere, there are highlights, including Allday's adventure as a would-be smuggler and a climatic battle about two thirds of the way through the book that serves as a natural ending - although we have extra stuff going on after that.
I enjoyed the book as a light read, but it hasn't grabbed me in the way a Gemmell or Cornwell might. I'd read another in the series, although I'm not in a great hurry to do so.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews