Captain Grey's Gambit pits the British captain against Napoleon's secret service in an attempt to bring a French chess master and his daughter over to the English at a chess grand master match in Germany. Participants include the doomed Louis, Duc d'Enghien and his mother Bathilde a Bourbon princess. The chess master is part of Napoleon's inner circles and knows state secrets of importance to the Bristish. G. H. Gelernter writes a rip roaring adventure from the Napoleonic wars.

Playing chess with derring do and danger! Captain Thomas Gray, a naval officer who has been deeply involved in the war between the UK and France, is surprised to find that he's been chosen to facilitate the defection of Joseph LeClerc, a top aide to Napoleon. It's 1804 and the plan calls for Gray to participate in an international chess tournament in Frankfurt which LeClerc will also attend. The challenge is in persuading LeClerc's daughter to come with him. Don't worry- this doesn't turn into a swoon fest (Gray is still mourning his wife who was killed when a French ship attacked one they were sailing on). The action is slowed down a bit, as is appropriate, but Gelernter introduces some interesting tools and weapons. This is a smart novel of espionage and devotion. It's also very clever and proves the adage that everything old is new again. Then there's the added benefit about learning about this period of time. The first book in this series (don't worry this is fine as a standalone but you'll want to go back and read it just for fun) surprised me. This one affirmed my view that Gelernter has created a terrific new hero in Gray. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Fans of historical fiction should pick this up asap.

Really good historical tale with action and chess. There's no fluff here, and the story is well-written with well-formed characters, plus an engaging plot, I think historical fiction fans will eat this one up. Recommended.

I really appreciate the the free ARC for review!!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher W. W. Norton & Company for an advanced copy of this historical naval and espionage adventure.

Naval warfare, swordplay, some unique tools, Napoleon, lots of derring-do and chess, lots and and lots of chess. J. H. Gelernter in his book Captain's Grey's gambit, book two in the eponymous series offers all this and more in a very tightly written story featuring two different kinds of great games, espionage and again chess.

Naval intelligence officer Captain Thomas Grey is chosen to aid in the defection of a close member of Napoleon's staff, in Frankfurt at an international chess tournament. After training with the best that England has to offer, Grey travels to the continent where he finds a new problem has developed. The French contact has a daughter, loyal to France and Napoleon, and he wants her to come with him, no matter her wishes.

The novel is very good, very well written and plotted with characters that all seem real and situations that a cinematic, but with consequences. Grey is a very interesting character, a widower not with a devil may care attitude, more of I am good at this, actually very good at this, so why not. There are probably a lot of James Bond comparisons, which makes sense, there is a certain coldness to the character, like in the novels, and some gadgets, a special rifle, and a grapple crossbow for two. However my thought is that character is more like the Adam Hall Quiller character, who spies not for Queen and country, but for the thrill and the boredom of everyday life. At one point a character points out that Grey's chess game is good, and could be better if he didn't sacrifice his pawns so much. Excellent summation of a character.

Definitely for fans of the Sharpe novels, or Dewey Lambdin and Alexander Pope. O'Brian also, but there might not be enough naval engagement, and more spying which I really enjoyed, along with the fact that this was a very good read. The chess games alone are some of the most exciting and interesting passages I have read in awhile. This is my first book by Mr. Gelernter, and I am excited to read more, and be at the beginning of a series I know that I will enjoy.

My favorite kind of history has a bit of fiction mixed in. Unlike many of today’s textbooks, this one is acceptable and even appropriate. The Napoleonic Wars can be boring, but if you mix in a James Bond type character, you get a very entertaining novel.