Opening in London, as a a gang of crack burglars, led by the mysterious and aristocratic "Captain," carry out their latest job, this engaging work of historical fiction for children soon shifts focus from the narrative of the master thief to that of William Carey, the younger son of a poorer branch of the noble Carey family. After a frightening experience in which William encounters and barely escapes the clutches of the thief (real name: George Hampton), and an incident in which he is sent down from Cambridge after a disastrous horse race, William finds himself shipped off to India, there to serve in the Bengal Army. Here he once again confronts Hampton, before finding himself caught up in the events of the Sepoy Rebellion…

Originally published in 1976, Ensign Carey is the eleventh title in the thirteen-volume Carey Family series, devoted to the adventures of a Welsh land-owning family over the course of many centuries of British history, from the time of the Crusades to World War I. Although now organized by historical chronology, the series was not written in that same order, and this was the twelfth to be published—the last title in the series to be published in author Ronald Welch's lifetime, as the thirteenth (The Road to Waterloo) was published posthumously from his papers. However that may be, I found this entry in the series quite engaging, enjoying both the brief burglary story and the narrative of William's experiences. As with some of Welch's others, I did find myself feeling that the two storytelling strands didn't entirely fit together, and wishing that either one had been chosen, or both had been expanded upon. George Hampton was such a fascinating character that I could have read an entire book about his crimes, while the section devoted to William's experiences during the Sepoy Mutiny were so gripping that I felt they deserved a book-length treatment of their own. The conclusion of the book was unexpected, not because William dies—after all, Welch has done this before with his stories—but because a less-than-noble construction is put upon his death by his relative.

Whatever my critiques, I did enjoy this one, and finished it with a desire (as always) to pick up more of the author's work. Recommended to young historical fiction fans, or to anyone seeking stories that address the Sepoy Rebellion. ( )

The wonderful Carey novels could be described as Flashman without the naughty bits, and Ensign Carey is the most Flashman-like of the series. William Carey is a black sheep in the virtuous dynasty, giving Ensign Carey a rougher, grittier mood than some of the previous volumes. As with Flashman, the book starts with the protagonist getting embroiled in a misadventure at home, though surprisingly the fallout from this episode has little bearing on the main action of the story. The Indian Mutiny, which is William Carey's theatre of war, occupies only the final quarter of the book. Much time is spent on some brilliant scene-setting, first in Victorian London and then in Imperial India. Ronald Welch is a master in evoking the minutiae of a time and place, and this is one of his most evocative novels. Ensign Carey is one of the strongest volumes in a series that rarely disappoints. Highly recommended. ( )