The Malta Frigate

Captain Shuldham Peard (based on a real person) arrives at Malta in 1798 and with H.M. frigate Success helps bring food and supplies to the island fought over by the French and the English. The corrupt Knights have been ousted and Malta is ripe for a British takeover. The French, however, control Valletta after seizing its fort. Lord Nelson, for personal reasons, wants Naples as the Navy's Mediterranean base, but disinterested officers, including Peard, consider Malta preferable. After more than two years of strife, compounded by Admiralty snafu's, bad weather and treachery that almost costs Peard his life, the British win. Peard has typical English phlegm but is a crackerjack sailer, and the Success becomes a symbol of British beneficience and strength, a rally point for the Maltese. Rousing action and easy-to-take history will please Styles's (The Quarterdeck Ladder, etc.) fans. February 28