There aren't a lot of authors whose books instantly upon arrival leap to the top of my to-read pile. Chris Durbin is one such author, and Red Gold is one such book. However, I'll admit I was slightly worried; the first 16 books in this series took place during the Seven Years War, which ended in 1763, while Red Gold is set mostly in 1764. Would the outbreak of peace result in less dramatic fiction?

I needn't have worried.

In his last adventure, Virginia-born Edward Carlisle -- a post-captain in the Royal Navy -- lost his ship Dartmouth on shoals off the American coast. His court-martial for the loss brings an unexpected outcome, and Carlisle retires to his estate in Williamsburg with his wife, the Lady Chiara, and their growing family. But news soon arrives of the death of the viscountess, Chiara's wealthy and -- let's be honest here -- greedy and malicious aunt in Sardinia, and with it comes word of the crippling debt she left behind that is, by law, now the responsibility of her heirs: Chiara (and, by extension, her husband) as well as her cousin, Enrico Angelini, who has often served with Carlisle on his various ships.

However, good news follows bad, and Carlisle soon learns that Chiara's late father -- whose death came under suspicious circumstances -- may have left a substantial fortune for his daughter. It was hidden years ago on an island in the Mediterranean and, if it's real, it could solve the Virginia couple's financial woes for good.

But they can't just sail to the island and dig it up. The government there might take a dim view of the plunder, and the viscountess left behind a powerful legal team that is still grasping for any fortune that might remain.

So, guess who's going to Sardinia?

Carlisle, who operates a trading business in addition to his naval career, outfits a merchant vessel, the Sea Venture, with an unusual number of cannons and a cargo of off-season tobacco, which is highly prized in Europe when the previous year's supply runs thin. With several officers and men from the Dartmouth onboard to supplement the crew, Carlisle, his wife and Enrico depart for points east. They will certainly find adventure, but will they find a treasure, too?

Well, I'm not going to say, obviously. But readers will be with him every step and sea mile of the journey.

And, along the way, look for enough Barbary corsairs, intrigue and treasure hunts to satisfy the most diehard pirate fanatic. And, as much as Carlisle is acting as a private businessman in this venture, his instincts as a seasoned naval commander certainly kick in when required.

Any fears that the series would lose steam with the end of the Seven Years War have been thoroughly dispelled! I am curious, though, how Durbin will fill the time between this book and the onset of the American Revolution ... and how Carlisle and George Holbrooke, Carlisle's English-born protege who also captains a vessel in the Royal Navy, will react if they find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict. Since Durbin produces, on average, two novels each year, we shouldn't have too long to wait to find out.

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