Dudley Pope, Ramage at Trafalgar

Antepenultimate( * )

volume of the series about a wily, nobly-born sea-captain and his frigate and crew, finding fame and fortune in the Napoleonic wars with the help of a lot of luck/authorial fiat.

( Spoilers! )

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More action and less obvious research-dumps than some in the series; enjoyable, but not recommended as a standalone for those not familiar with the earlier books.