The U.S. Exploring Expedition was a real expedition led by the eccentric Charles Wilkes. Expert maritime historian Joan Druett had the perfect idea to use this as the basis of a mystery series that would travel the world. I really enjoyed the first two books in the series, A Watery Grave, and Shark Island, so it was well past time to move on to the third book. Run Afoul did not disappoint.

I've read Joan Druett's non-fiction, and this woman knows her stuff. Every time I pick up a Wiki Coffin mystery I learn something without ever feeling as though I'm sitting in a classroom. In one Wiki Coffin mystery, I learned about firing cannons and felt as though I had to duck and run for cover. In this one, I learned about one ship running afoul of another and the nasty but necessary procedure for ridding a ship of rats.

Run Afoul has an excellent mystery that kept me guessing, and I enjoyed watching Wiki trying to solve it. Speaking of the main character, he is a bit of a rogue. This is book three, and it looks as though the young man is going to have a woman in every port, but the romance is certainly not overdone. No, Run Afoul is about the mystery, the superb setting, the fascinating Wiki Coffin, and the sea. It's an unbeatable combination for any historical mystery lover.

(If you find yourself wanting to read more about the U.S. Exploring Expedition, one of my all-time favorite non-fiction books is Nathaniel Philbrick's Sea of Glory: America's Voyage of Discovery, The U.S. Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842.) ( )

This Wiki Coffin mystery finds him more on land, in Rio, than at sea, and he encounters his American father (a sea captain) and, indeed, saves him from a murder charge. The story starts with Wiki sent to the main ship of the Exploring Expeditions (against his will) and having to room initially with a scientist on who falls ill -- and suspects he's been poisoned (and others think he's been poisoned too, when he dies). Then the ship he was supposed to be on "runs afoul" of his father's ship. Various complications ensue, including inquests and romance, and Wiki develops a new relationship with his father who has complicated relationships himself with some members of Rio society. The scientists are sent on a land expedition, and there is quite a coincidence at the end. As before, the character of Wiki and the others and the setting, whether it be on sea or on land, make this series for me.

I haven't read the rest of the Wiki Coffin series of books, so I can't comment as to the whole of them, but I found this book to be entertaining yet predictable. It was a nice diversion for a little while, but the plot is somewhat ho-hum and the characters are mostly of the stock variety. The mystery isn't all that mysterious, if you ask me, and the main character frustrated me to no end. Blatantly obvious clues are dropped right in front of him, and it takes him the bulk of the book to figure it out.

That being said, however, the book was fairly decent overall. Even though the characters didn't have much depth to them, the book's real strength is the historical detail of the setting. Jane Druett is evidently a renown non-fiction author of maritime history, and it shows. She's got the setting and the history behind the story down pat, and it makes the novel much more enjoyable.

And while the characters and the plot might be run of the mill, the historical detail compensates enough to ensure that "Run Afoul" is a passingly enjoyable read. Just don't expect too much from it, and you won't be disappointed. ( )

Wiki is reunited with his father, and has to save him from a murder charge after an enthralling foray into the jungles of Brazil ( )