The sixth in the adventures of the spirited heroine, who turns 16 during the course of the novel. At breakneck pace, she’s taken from America back to England and pressed into service as a spy, finds herself first a dancer and then a member of the demimonde in Paris and finally, once again disguised as a boy, a messenger for Napoleon’s troops. As always, the erstwhile urchin either saves the day or slithers out of trouble thanks to her wits and larger-than-life heroics. Meyer’s first-person tale recalls the energy and historicity of Patrick O’Brian’s seafaring tales and delights in a variety of sly references (in France, for instance she uses the nom de guerre Jacqueline Bouvier, or Jacques, when disguised as a male cadet). Amusing nomenclature, historical and cultural in-jokes and colorful locales are strewn with abandon throughout the long and tireless narrative. Both the stirrings of love and the horrors of war are as vivid as the descriptions of victuals and raiment. Teens who have followed Jacky will be happy for another ride. (Historical fiction. 12 & up)
