Free of the machinations of the U.S. intelligence service, Riley Fitzhugh wants nothing more than to return to his ship, PC475, an anti-U-boat vessel called Nameless because, well, it has no name. But the Office of Strategic Services has other plans for Fitzhugh; after his recent undercover mission to the Casablanca region, during which he helped determine the suitability of the Sebou River for part of a three-pronged invasion into North Africa, he is deemed the perfect candidate to help shepherd the SS Carlota, a merchant ship carrying aviation fuel and explosives, across the Atlantic.

His role on Carlota is both as a naval officer and a one-time OSS operative; the latter capacity is to ferret out any potential agents on the ship who might seek to destroy the cargo and, with it, the ship, its crew and any nearby vessels in the massive convoy. At the end of the voyage, he's told, he will be sent back to PC475 to participate in the attack, known to history as Operation Torch.

Fitzhugh at least is able to bolster Carlota's crew with six of his men from Nameless, a welcome addition to a crew made up largely of ex-cons. Unfortunately, a late departure from port puts Carlota a few hours behind the convoy, and a surprise attack by a German submarine delays the ship even longer. Lucky to survive the encounter, Carlota is damaged enough to need overnight repairs. The convoy leaves the ship behind, with orders to make its way to the rendezvous alone.

Both the long voyage and the operation in North Africa make for exciting reading. Terry Mort, who has written a varied assortment of detective and historical novels as well as nonfiction, certainly seems to know his way around 1940s-era ships, and his knowledge of history is impeccable.

If you're like me, you'll also delight in his characters and dialogue. Mort crafts some pretty incredible banter, full of wit and sly literary references, that adds a sense of fun to the story. I'll admit, I keep expecting to grow tired of the banter -- it's not just Fitzhugh, all of Mort's characters are adept at verbal repartee, and the bon mots fly as thick as bullets. But I never do ... the writing is too darn clever.

I am somewhat disappointed to find myself all caught up with Riley Fitzhugh, whom I first discovered less than a year ago in Hunters in the Stream, the fourth book in the series. I never read the first three, which focused on Fitzhugh's previous career as a private investigator in Hollywood, but now that I'm hooked on his World War II naval adventures, I can't get enough.

[ visit Terry Mort's website ]