MIDSHIPMAN QUINN AND DENISE THE SPY

The adventures of Quinn start off at a ripping pace, with a capture, an exciting escape, and hard traveling but two-thirds of the way through, it comes to near stop, after Quinn (indeed, a miraculous lad for his 17 years -- to the point of annoyance) and Denise reach the French coast. Set in 1804 when the English and some French were struggling against Napoleon, the background is colorful and rugged. The author would have profited by ending his story sooner, and omitting a sickening last paragraph, in which the noble Quinn finds an adventure more exciting than all his others--a kiss from Denise.