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Shadow of the Rock: A thrilling naval adventure set in Gibraltar...
Rip-roaring capers in a classic Royal Navy adventure! Perfect for fans of Dewey Lambdin, Patrick O’Brian, John Winton, and Douglas Reeman.
A new posting and new challenges on land…
January 1934
Paul Dexter is spending a gloomy Christmas at home in England with his parents when word reaches him of his promotion to the rank of Commander in the Royal Navy, making him the youngest ‘brass-hat’ in the service.
He finds himself posted to Gibraltar under legendary Rear-Admiral ‘Nutty’ Castle’s command.
Dexter arrives on the ‘Rock’ full of optimism, revelling in his new rank, but daunted by the prospect of Nutty as his master, a man thoroughly unsuited to diplomacy and a sedentary life ashore.
Gathering intelligence leads to more unpleasant experiences than Dexter ever bargained for, and falling in love with Nutty’s much younger wife only makes life harder.
Exhausted and thoroughly demoralised by Gibraltar and the people around him, he contemplates where his future lies… Can he escape the island with his career intact?
SHADOW OF THE ROCK is the fourth book in the Paul Dexter action-packed historical naval adventures.
PAUL DEXTER
BOOK 1: Chinese Poison
BOOK 2: All Stations to Malta
BOOK 3: An Explosive Situation
BOOK 4: Shadow of the Rock
BOOK 5: Second-in Command
BOOK 6: Redoubtable Dexter
BOOK 7: Dexter at War
A new posting and new challenges on land…
January 1934
Paul Dexter is spending a gloomy Christmas at home in England with his parents when word reaches him of his promotion to the rank of Commander in the Royal Navy, making him the youngest ‘brass-hat’ in the service.
He finds himself posted to Gibraltar under legendary Rear-Admiral ‘Nutty’ Castle’s command.
Dexter arrives on the ‘Rock’ full of optimism, revelling in his new rank, but daunted by the prospect of Nutty as his master, a man thoroughly unsuited to diplomacy and a sedentary life ashore.
Gathering intelligence leads to more unpleasant experiences than Dexter ever bargained for, and falling in love with Nutty’s much younger wife only makes life harder.
Exhausted and thoroughly demoralised by Gibraltar and the people around him, he contemplates where his future lies… Can he escape the island with his career intact?
SHADOW OF THE ROCK is the fourth book in the Paul Dexter action-packed historical naval adventures.
PAUL DEXTER
BOOK 1: Chinese Poison
BOOK 2: All Stations to Malta
BOOK 3: An Explosive Situation
BOOK 4: Shadow of the Rock
BOOK 5: Second-in Command
BOOK 6: Redoubtable Dexter
BOOK 7: Dexter at War
246 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 29, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 10, 2026
3.5 stars
This is the third book I sought out and read only because it happens to be set in Gibraltar, which I may be visiting later this month or in October.
By coincidence (?), two of the three books have had the same title (Shadow of the Rock) though they are very different in tone and storyline. I believe the author of the other book I read with this title adapted it from a line in Eliot’s “The Wasteland” (“There is shadow under this red rock/Come in under the shadow of this red rock”), and, of course, Gibraltar is nicknamed “The Rock” (not to be confused with Dwayne Johnson 🙂).
The cover says this one is a “thrilling Naval adventure”, but it is far from that. Though it’s often amusing and entertaining, it’s never thrilling nor an adventure –except perhaps a little in the chapter detailing our hero’s journey in a submarine with its rather bonkers, religiously fanatical captain.
It’s really more a comedy of manners. In the twixt-Wars 1930s, Paul Dexter is promoted to Commander of the Royal Navy (after a series of events mostly narrated in the three prior books of this series that are not set in Gibraltar and so which I did not read). He is sent to Gibraltar to be the assistant to Rear-Admiral “Nutty” Castle, whose life Dexter saved after a mid-ocean plane crash.
There, while mostly moving through his days in an alcoholic stupor, he falls in love with the Rear-Admiral’s much younger wife, struggles with the often silly Naval bureaucracy, and tries to keep his job from being too tedious or demeaning.
An intelligent and wry writing voice elevates what might otherwise feel like a rather slight book. I enjoyed the bits of Gibraltar it depicted, especially a couple descriptions of Dexter hiking up the famous Rock, seeing the indigenous apes, the beautiful view, etc.
A pleasant read, though perhaps one that could use a more meaty plot.
This is the third book I sought out and read only because it happens to be set in Gibraltar, which I may be visiting later this month or in October.
By coincidence (?), two of the three books have had the same title (Shadow of the Rock) though they are very different in tone and storyline. I believe the author of the other book I read with this title adapted it from a line in Eliot’s “The Wasteland” (“There is shadow under this red rock/Come in under the shadow of this red rock”), and, of course, Gibraltar is nicknamed “The Rock” (not to be confused with Dwayne Johnson 🙂).
The cover says this one is a “thrilling Naval adventure”, but it is far from that. Though it’s often amusing and entertaining, it’s never thrilling nor an adventure –except perhaps a little in the chapter detailing our hero’s journey in a submarine with its rather bonkers, religiously fanatical captain.
It’s really more a comedy of manners. In the twixt-Wars 1930s, Paul Dexter is promoted to Commander of the Royal Navy (after a series of events mostly narrated in the three prior books of this series that are not set in Gibraltar and so which I did not read). He is sent to Gibraltar to be the assistant to Rear-Admiral “Nutty” Castle, whose life Dexter saved after a mid-ocean plane crash.
There, while mostly moving through his days in an alcoholic stupor, he falls in love with the Rear-Admiral’s much younger wife, struggles with the often silly Naval bureaucracy, and tries to keep his job from being too tedious or demeaning.
An intelligent and wry writing voice elevates what might otherwise feel like a rather slight book. I enjoyed the bits of Gibraltar it depicted, especially a couple descriptions of Dexter hiking up the famous Rock, seeing the indigenous apes, the beautiful view, etc.
A pleasant read, though perhaps one that could use a more meaty plot.
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October 12, 2025A hero with obvious personal problems, probably should see a shrink. That said ,I enjoyed the book, but as soap opera for men.
October 16, 2025
Thrilling? Not really.
Amusing? Definitely.
Good reflection of the incredibly class related aspects of the British Navy.
Well worth the read.
Amusing? Definitely.
Good reflection of the incredibly class related aspects of the British Navy.
Well worth the read.
March 9, 2026
Interesting
A good read, witty, entertaining, a lot of different episodes to keep the reader entertained. Looking forward to the next edition of the adventure of Paul
A good read, witty, entertaining, a lot of different episodes to keep the reader entertained. Looking forward to the next edition of the adventure of Paul
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews