Blue Water: the Instant Times Bestseller (Laurence Jago)

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Not to mention the cormorant which began the voyage on the ship, much to the horror of the crew as it is a bad omen. Jago is assisting a civil servant to safely carry an important Treaty to Congress that will prevent the Americans from joining with the French to wage war against Britain. If you enjoy historical fiction weaved in with mystery and murder then you should add Blue Water to your tbr.

Intrigue, tension, memorable characters and shipboard life depicted in all its reeking authenticity add up to a truly gripping read. Having narrowly escaped London with his life at the end of “Black Drop”, unfairly disgraced former Foreign Office clerk Laurence Jago is once again surrounded by enemies and intrigue.

This presented plenty of opportunities for the kind of challenges present in historical ocean voyages, including threats from other ships and the weather. Fans of Patrick O’Brian’s historical naval stories will find much to enjoy here, while crime fiction lovers looking for something well plotted, absorbing and a little different to their usual fare will enjoy Blue Water too – I know I did! I had no idea who all the characters were, and even as the plot progressed it was confusing as mostly they lacked any real distinctions.

The style of writing took a little while to get used to but I think helped to add to the story as it helped draw the reader into the period more. A possible clue is hinted at very strongly in the beginning, but it’s not understood by the main character until very late in the book. It’s an enjoyable historical account and good reading material while I was travelling on the US east coast, learning about the young republic and its founding fathers.This sequel to 2021's Black Drop, charting the adventures of reluctant spy Laurence Jago at sea, introduces a colourful cast of characters, a real sense of place and some delightful one-liners. When the civil servant meets an unfortunate ‘accidental’ end, Laurence becomes the one person standing between Britain and disaster.