"The Lion of Sole Bay", by Julia Jones

Julia Jones owns and sails Arthur Ransome’s ketch Peter Duck.

The fourth novel in the "Strong Winds" series from Julia Jones, author of the Ransome-inspired original Strong Winds Trilogy, and a standalone story focusing on Luke, Anna's half-brother from the Strong Winds trilogy.

Expecting a half-term week with his dad Bill, aboard Bill's liveaboard fishing boat, things soon go very wrong, and Luke finds himself involved in a web of intrigue and plot, all related to a sea-battle that took place off the nearby coast 300 years ago. It's Hallowe'en, which lends the whole situation a spooky atmosphere. But some of the shenanigans are real, especially the plot to steal the ship's figurehead which has ended up as the sign on the nearby pub. It leads Luke and his new friend Angel into real danger out in the North Sea.

This is a taut and beautifully told tale that won't disappoint Julia Jones's many fans, and as usual is beautifully embellished by illustrator Claudia Myatt.