"Relentless Pursuit" represents something new in Alexander Kent's work--the moral questions raised here are just as powerfully engaged as the action-crammed, continent-spanning narrative. As the prime contender for the most accomplished practitioner of naval fiction, Kent is at his commensurate best. His vividly written, pungently characterised tales are amazingly consistent--few authors are such reliable purveyors of historical fiction (or fiction of any kind, for that matter)
The year is 1815, and Adam Bolitho has received some equivocal orders. His duties as captain of His Majesty's frigate "Unrivalled" have led him into some dangerous waters before, but he is now required to take his ship's company to Freetown, Sierra Leone and "assist the senior officer of the patrolling squadron". But what does this mean in practice? Bolitho's worst fears are realised when he finds that British anti-slavery patrols are failing to halt a ravening trade in human misery, crippled by unsuitable ships and government indifference. And compounding the problems is the belligerent Dey of Algiers, looking for nothing less than total war. As Adam goes about his thankless work, he is dealing with the grief of his uncle's death and his own loneliness--and, ultimately, a reckless assault on a massively fortified stronghold may be his only way of coming to terms with his problems.
Kent makes Adam's conflicts acutely personal, with the historical panoply around him perfectly dovetailed with these personal elements. He is almost an existential hero--existing most fully when he does his job: as a man of war, as an adventurer in dangerous nautical encounters.--"Barry Forhaw"