Book Review: Hoare and the Headless Captains

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Hoare and the Headless Captains     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Wilder Perkins
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Historical   Amateur Sleuth
Series: Bartholomew Hoare # 2
St. Martin's, Jan 2000, $22.95, 256 pp.

Napoleon totally controls France and threatens to do likewise with the rest of Europe. A desperate England declares the Emperor an enemy of the state. The nation's militia engages the forces of Napoleon on land and at sea. British Royal Naval Officer Bartholomew Hoare remains on land because an injury that occurred while fighting for his country has left him mute. Though he has accepted his fate, he is pleasantly shocked when his superior names him as the Captain of the Royal Duke.

The entire crew of the Royal Duke is different from what normally sails the seas. This group consists of special men and women with mental abilities that enable them to break the French secret codes as well as other specialized tasks. When two naval captains are found dead inside the Nine Stones Circle, a Stonehenge-like edifice, he begins to investigate what happened.

HOARE AND THE HEADLESS CAPTAINS is a historical maritime mystery that showcases the Navy's role in the war with Napoleon. Wilder Perkins examines their tasks in minute detail, but aptly fits this inside his main story line. The hero is a fascinating person who has overcome the handicap of a crushed vortex and the depression that followed. With this novel and HOARE AND THE PORTSMOUTH ATROCITIES, Mr. Perkins, who passed away last year, proves that he was a talent who entertained yet educated his audience.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner