The Montevideo Brief

June 1, 2023
Gelernter returns with the third installment in his Thomas Grey series. The year is 1804. Capt. Thomas Grey, former British Royal Marine and dutiful agent of His Majesty's Secret Service, must complete an urgent mission: intercepting a Spanish armada full of gold and other valuable metals before it reaches Europe. Why? A secret treaty between France and Spain pledges that the two countries will unite in war against Britain as soon as the riches have arrived. This premise is established in the first quarter of the book, which also contains stretches describing the niche pursuits of the British aristocracy, literature, social convention, and the mechanics of sailing ships. Grey "had always assumed, with so many fewer yards and much less rigging, the process would be essentially trivial, and indeed, none of his past sloop passages had impressed him particularly with the working of sails...." But once he embarks and bands together with a detachment of the recently independent American military, the turgid prose evolves into a swashbuckling tale of adventure, piracy, and international intrigue. The genteel language still occasionally gets tiresome, as does the fawning attitude toward the dignity and glory of the British Empire. Some dialogue may also prove too clever by half; one dueling repartee contains multiple allusions to Shakespeare. But the bulk of the story moves crisply and propulsively, with short serial-esque chapters providing clear, high-stakes action. The middle chunk, in which Grey is compelled to undertake a series of side quests en route to Montevideo, delivers particularly thrilling sequences. Although Thomas Grey is an invention, most other names, events, and details spring straight from the historical record; Gelernter's work draws inspiration from Patrick O'Brian, whose Master and Commander series similarly takes place during the Napoleonic Wars. A treat for spy novel junkies and devotees of British history alike.

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