Robert N. MacomberReseñas

Macomber brings to life U S History rarely noted or taught during academic history courses. Well-researched with excellent sustaining characters, he creates interesting and intriguing stories out of very brief skeins of actual history.

More spying than sailing but still a good entry in this very good series. The author's research of locales and events is extensive and it really enriches an already good storyline. Lots of misery observed and felt by Peter in these interesting but seldom fictionalized events when the USN was a third rate sea power.

This series continues to explore the USN and one of its officers in a period of naval history rarely explored in the fictional world. Life for Peter stays a challenge personally and professionally in the ugly fever-ridden South Florida area during the Civil War. Blockade runners, incompetent senior officers and when all else fails; there is aiding the US Army in this era of glory hunting politically appointed commanders. As in most conflicts; men die or are horribly wounded with recovery always uncertain and then there is the"yellow jack". A good story told without much joy or happy endings.½

An excellent entry in this very good series. Peter Wake spends more time ashore than on ship in this installment But what shores: From the shadow of Mt Pelee in Martinique to the ruins and palaces of Morocco. All are well portrayed, historically, in their 19th-century glory and deshabille. These are stringent and perilous times for the American Navy but there are still reasons for them to show the flag and make their presence known. Peter does that by rescuing missionaries from slavery as well as meeting Jackie Fisher in his early days as an HMS commander and innovator.

Peter Wake is off to Central America as the executive officer on a steam warship. His alcohol and drug-addled captain is mostly absent as Wake takes command. His quarry is a vicious former American naval officer turned pirate who leaves no live witnesses to his crimes. Working in conjunction with the British and Spanish Navies, they search and finally find the pirate. Lots of action on land and sea and even undercover. A final chase is successful but his captain is killed and Wake is accused of mutiny.

A nice twist at his trial sends him off to his next adventure surveying Panama for a possible canal.

A good entry into this relatively obscure era of naval warfare. Eerily similar to the riverine warfare during the Vietnam War; it is a weary grind of boredom, brief action, and difficult logistics. The list of resources cited at the end are good choices to support the characters and the locale.

A promising start to an Age of Sail/Steam series. During the American Civil War, sea warfare changed dramatically for the US Navy. Steam was coming but sails were still predominate. Peter Wake is a merchant officer assigned as commander of a small one gunned sloop. His assigned area, Key West and its surrounding seas are being blockaded to prevent the Confederates from receiving trade and supplies. Lots of action, on a small scale, as we get a good look at the nascent US Navy and its problems and growth during this very noteworthy time in our history. Good characterization and a lively storyline drive this initial entry into a potentially good series.

3.5 stars The Assassin’s Honor is the 12th in the Honor Series with Peter Wake as the protagonist. The book is set in the last decade of the 19th century and much of the action takes place at sea. Peter Wake is the commander of the USS Bennington. As a member of US Naval Intelligence, his past includes many espionage assignments and once again, at the advanced age of 53, fate draws him into another spy caper.

When a first class passenger, Mr. Drake, is found dead on the Philadelphia, it is assumed he died of natural causes. His body is immediately embalmed and buried, per usual protocol for deaths in the tropics. Upon clearing his personal effects, a steward noted a piece of a map hidden in Mr. Drake’s pillow case with some German words written on it. It takes a while to decipher the 4-inch square of paper and they realize that it is not Venezuela or elsewhere in the Caribbean, but the Yucatan Peninsula. Using a German dictionary, Wake realizes the Germans are planning a political assassination on December 16, 1892, and assumes the target must be the leader of the Mayan warrior rebels in that region.

Wake and Walker get involved because Mr. Drake was an American citizen returning from working as a German civilian employee in South America. The hidden map seems to indicate there is more to Drake’s role in this situation and that his death may not have been so natural after all. The intended assassination is definitely the business of the US Naval Intelligence since it would have immense political repercussions for the United States and its president-elect, Grover Cleveland, set to take office in March 1893. Thus, the wheels are set in motion for the aging Peter Wake to embark on a voyage to thwart the German assassination attempt.

If you enjoy spy thrillers, you will find The Assassin’s Honor an enjoyable read. Once Commander Wake sets sail to abort the Germans’ assassination plans, things move at a heightened pace. There are many new developments and Wake realizes he got it all wrong in his initial assessment of the assassination target. The urgency grows after that and Wake pushes his vessel and its crew to their limits.

I am not a “nautical person” myself, although even I know the basic stern and aft, port and starboard, but that is not necessary in reading this story. Mr. Macomber conscientiously explains the sailing jargon, as well as characters introduced into the story along the way, so that the reader does not feel adrift if they have not read any of the previous Honor Series books or have no sailing experience.

The author covers a lot of territory in this story. Not only do we learn much about the ships of that time, but also communication, i.e., letters and telegraphs. In addition to his well-written descriptions of the furnishings, food, clothing, and etiquette of that era, he weaves prominent political and business figures into his story flawlessly. Since Commander Wake has been in Naval Intelligence for 29 years, dating back to his blockade days during the Civil War, his experiences have acquainted him with many of these people.

The book seems to be well researched. The only qualms I have are with the depiction of Wake’s lady love, a Spanish widow in her 40s and Wake himself. Not only is the lady well connected in political and social circles in D.C., Spain and Cuba, but she apparently is perfection itself, charms everyone she meets including Wake’s two adult children who accept her as their soon-to-be new stepmother immediately. The fact that she is Catholic, with Jewish roots, is quickly discarded by her and she agrees to a wedding before a Protestant minister. Given the role that religion has played throughout human history and how integral Catholicism was to the identity of Spaniards at that time, I found that too convenient. Then to top it off, she gushes to Wake that she is so happy that he asked her to his wife. A bit much. Wake himself seems to have no imperfections either.

However, the storylines involving the assassination are engrossing. The reader will believe he has it figured out when another loop is added to the maze. It is a very entertaining way to spend a few hours.

I was hesitant to start reading Honorable Lies when I discovered that it was the tenth book in a series; but, since I was obligated to review it, I decided to give it a go. I am very glad I did.

I found it to be a well researched adventure story that made me want to go back and read the rest of the series.

Unlike some of the other reviewers, I picked this title from the early review titles because I am a fan of Robert Macomber and have enjoyed each of the earlier volumes of this series. Honorable Lies did not disappoint me. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

Honorable Lies is number ten of the volumes in the Peter Wake series by Florida resident and naval historian Robert Macomber. The protagonist is a sailor from a Connecticut seafaring family, Peter Wake, who joined the navy during the Civil War. Each of the books includes the word “Honor” in the title, beginning with At the Edge of Honor. They then proceed from the Civil War years into the 1880’s and beyond. Wind powered ships are replace by coal fired ships.

Cuban revolutionist José Marti again appears in this adventure which takes place in Cuba in 1888. Macomber has a gift for making the history we read about in school much more accessible than the dry school texts ever did.

The books are based on meticulous research and first hand experiences by the author. When Peter Wake sails into Havana harbor on an intelligence mission, under the guns of a Spanish fort you know that Robert Macomber has sailed the same waters himself, studied charts and maps and accounts of the times, and gives as realistic a view of the experiences as possible.
I had the good fortune to meet Robert Macomber in December 2010. He explained the thorough research and experiences he goes through in preparing to write his books. He is typically working on three advance books at a time, planning his travels and research around the events he is to write about. At that time he mentioned an upcoming trip to Cuba, and I imagine he used that research in this book.

He is a very entertaining storyteller, and his books never get mired down in the details. His books are fast reads and very rewarding.

No fault to the author I do not like entering a series in the middle or most current book. That said this was easily a stand alone book that has encouraged me to read the whole series. Love the Masonic connections, spies, conspirators and heros. Easy to read, a great vacation book to sit back relax and enjoy the adventure.

WOW! A ‘grabber’ from start to finish – and beyond. It’s always a gamble when jumping into the middle of a well-developed series (this is the 10th book) but in the first few pages it was clear to me that what the reader would need to know about the ‘back story’ would be provided if necessary. My intuition proved correct as I was drawn into the fascinating world of Peter Wake, US Navy. Drawn to this book by the promise of spy fiction, naval matters and Freemasons, there was lots of potential for disappointment as a great amount of my reading focuses on these areas. The author was excellent in his character development but, more importantly, provided a plot that was unanticipated from page to page and yet entirely plausible. Upon reaching the ‘back matter’, I learned of Macomber’s writing methodology but don’t you skip to it first: it’s much more impressive after finishing the book. The ‘Forrest Gump’ aspect was well-done and the story of Freemasonry in Latin America is something that few books today (even the non-fiction ones) understand. The downside? I’ve now got nine more books to buy and read: this is a series that MUST be read entirely and this book is a great place to begin!

In an adventure novel, particularly a series, you don't really have to worry to much about character. This is going to be more about swashing the buckle than growing as a human being. All well and good, if the action and intrigue grab you. Neither did for me with this title.

A clever but unlikable protagonist followed around by his flagrantly stereotypical Irish brute trying fulfill a mission I didn't really care anything about wasn't enough to keep me reading past the first half. Perhaps if I had come into it with knowledge of the previous books in the series I would feel differently.

The book is a rousing good yarn, of course, an icon of its ilk. There. That about sums it up. Having said that, I should probably expound a bit further, since I love to be roused, good yarns are my bread and jam, and everyone one loves an icon. And yet I really didn't like this book atoll.

Everyone goes about swashing one another's buckles in due course. Our protagonist is not Eroll Flynn, however, swinging from the yardarms with sword in hand, throwing back his head and laughing heartily at the joys of life and death. Rather, he is Steven Seagal - bullying about when possible, sucking up skillfully (we must assume), and acting a sub-consummate bit of a boor. The kind of guy you'd never, ever, want to share a flagon with.

Whatever the ilk may be of which Lies is iconic, it's certainly not that of salt spray on your face as you battle upon the high seas. We finally get anywhere near the briny deep towards the very end of the tale. That bit of thrill lasts for about 15 minutes on the stolen gunboat pictured on the cover (cover designs seem to be approaching truth in the manner of American politicians these days – or maybe it's a play upon the book's title), followed by implications of a few hours on an excursion cruise on a late-19th century Princess Cruises liner from Havana to Cuba. Maybe that's where the rousing at last takes place.½

I have to be honest and say that when I requested Honorable Lies I did not realize it was part of a series. I was very surprised when I received the book and saw it was tenth in the series. I considered not reading it, but I decided to read the first fifty pages. Before I knew it I was on page 63 and had no desire to stop reading. The book stands well on its own.The characters of Peter Wake and Sean Rork are so strong and vibrant that the reader does not need to read the previous books in the series to get a feel for their characterizations. The setting of colonial Cuba was refreshing and interesting. The only way to make this book better is to read the first nine books in the series and that is my intention.

From the cover I thought this book was going to be a tale of nautical exploits in the Caribbean. I think one of the descriptive quotes on the back was this is Obrien of the Caribbean, yet they have not set sail yet and so far the plot revolves on Cuba. The book started off kinda slow like it was searching for a way to tell the story. One point has the book telling about the main character who is telling about his partner. It was kinda weird to read that way but was fine. Halfway through things are getting more exciting and it seems like less page filling and more good page turning plot.

This is a book I received free from LibraryThing's early reviewers program. Looking forward to discovering a new author in the realm of nautical fiction. This one is set in the Caribbean.

Things started off slow for me. I have not read any other on the "Honor" series and did not have any background on them, but it still worked as a stand alone book. Once the plot started to heat up the book read much better culminating in a great action packed end. I enjoyed the final half of the book and found myself wanting to read the other Honor books when the last page turned. Macomber had alot of info in the book on Cuba that really fit in nicely to the plot making the story more readable and "believeable".

Looking forward to the others in the series and more nautical stories. This book was mostly set inland on Cuba and only had shorts jaunts into the water.

Reasonably well written with a lots of action this novel delivers most of what it promises. That's if you were promised a historical novel of espionage. I was expecting a shipboard adventure - the dust cover promises "exciting sea stories" and "an American character the equivalent of Hornblower or Aubrey". NOT so in this novel. Despite our hero being an American Naval officer most of the action takes place on land in Havana, Cuba. This means that I approached the book expecting more than it was able to deliver to me. However the period of late 19th century leading up to the Spanish American war is evoked with elan, and appears well researched. Although the adventure, which is one of espionage,does become somewhat plodding at times, and the actions of the characters to progress the plot do stretch one's credulity. It therefore is an informative read and is probably a satisfying read if the subject matter is to your taste. I was hoping for something different and I quite often considered giving up and turning to a book more to my taste. This is the tenth novel in the series and can be read as a standalone - there is a great deal of background about what has happened in earlier novels that is provided in the early chapters, so reading this out of sequence may spoil the suspense of earlier novels. This is not a bad book - just not a book I could be enthusiastic about.. I won't be searching out any other novels in the series.½

Okay, let me say right at the outset that I really, really wanted to like this book. I mean, Macomber was apparently described by an earlier reviewer as being "the [Patrick] O'Brian of the Carribbean", and I've been a devoted fan of the Aubrey/Maturin series for years. Well, let me state for the record that Macomber may be a nice guy, and he may have his followers, but he is most definitely not in O'Brian's league.

For starters, his writing style reminds me of that of Clive Cussler. Perhaps that's not a bad thing, if you happen to like it. Personally, I don't. I was somewhat annoyed by the superfluous descriptions painted by Macomber, presumably in an effort to be historically convincing. We're told repeatedly that he met someone, or that something happened, for instance, "back in 1886" instead of "a few years ago"; we're informed that the weapon his sidekick uses is no mere shotgun, but rather a "Winchester 1887 12-gauge, five round, pump-action" one. This supposed Irish character, incidentally, sounds more British than Gaelic, to my ear. In a similar fashion, Macomber regularly refers to historical characters as being friends of his character Peter Wake. Another member of the company, for example, "did some scientific tinkering for my friend Tom Edison". I found such devices to be clumsy, rather than convincing.

Equally irritating to me is the author's use of language that I do not believe to be in the authentic tone of a 19th century naval officer - at least according to every thing else I've ever read, including novels written at that time - but one that strikes me as anachronistic. For example, would such a naval gentlemen refer to a lady of easy virtue, to her face, as "a whore" ? And, more particularly, record it in a written account?

Perhaps the character of Wake might have used such idiosyncratic speech. But the most jarring fault that I found with this book as I read it is the author's use of the English language. It is often tortured, and the evidence of a decent editor is clearly lacking. Consider these gems, chosen at random:

"The male gentry reposes in comfortable seating in the main arena near the stage, and from this crowd rises a cloud of cigar smoke. Lessers sit behind them, farther removed from the performance but no less pungent."

"I returned my concentration to the consul-general, who had my respect. I solicited and received his views on the various aspects of the political situation in Cuba. Williams dismissed the rabble as anarchists. He felt Cuban-American relations were exacerbated by American tariffs and Spanish taxes. The future of Cuba he foresaw was unsettled. Violently unsettled".

"But alas, sanity made an appearance, along with a disconcerting observation."

"By calling in some old quid pro quos, I was able to help Lafleur achieve his dream assignment, charge d'affaires at our embassy in Paris".

I won't be rushing out to read the earlier novels in this series, and I caution others against doing so, either.

Honorable Lies is a wonderful “James Bond” type novel circa 1888.A fast paced but believable story of intrigue and friendship, of friendship and lies. If you like fictional history that offers some view into the reality of the past you must read this book. A feel good book with a conclusion that leaves you wanting more.

This author has been said to be "the O'Brian of the Caribbean", referring to Patrick O'Brian of Master and Commander fame. My husband owns the entire series of O'Brian books and has just re-read them for the second time. I have scanned portions of the O'Brian books, so I was interested to familiarize myself with this author. I will have to say that I was disappointed with this book. While it dealt with an interesting period of time and with Cuba prior to independence from Spain, I did not find the detail that characterizes the O'Brian novels and the language appeared to be rather contemporary rather than 19th century. There was definitely some obvious research into Cuba of this period and into sword and saber dueling, but very little maritime detail in this particular volume. I did find the story interesting, but if you are an O'Brian fan, I believe you will be disappointed.

Recommended historical Civil War fiction with a naval theme. Great for lovers of Sanibel and Southwest Florida

good but an improbable list of things going so well. fast paced and enjoyable

It was ok but it was not one of those books that you can't put down like I said before more in the traditional British style of navy adventure. More like “Kent” than “Lambdin" It has some interesting historical perspective of the USA Civil War not covered very often.

"Wake thought about his life before the Navy, a life at sea to be sure but with the compartive freedom of the merchant service. Born and bred into a family of seafaring men and strong willed women Peter Wake had been at sea since the age of ten."
More like the classic sea story were the main character flaws are not so great... like Alexander Kent's Bolitho series... Capt Wake got his training and upbringing in New England and his character reflects the values. He loved a southern gal a definate no no during the civil war. But he does the right thing passes the tests and moves on to a bigger ship aka - Kent - Pope