The Dangerous Years (Captain Kelly Maguire, #2) by Max Hennessy

The Dangerous Years (Captain Kelly Maguire, #2) Reviews

• 
  David Snape

  The second instalment of the Kelly Maguire series saw him going to Russia in the post war years before turning to China. There were elements of the story that lacked the drama but the story followed through very nicely. There were some outstanding moments which very nearly give it the full marks. In particular, how the financial crisis affected the Navy, that was beautifully told. Can’t wait to read the final chapter of the trilogy.
• 
  John Nevola

  Hastings continues the saga of Kelly Maguire through the difficult and challenging years between the world wars.
  
  Interesting and relatively unknown accounts of the British fleet rescuing Russian nobility from waters near or around the Crimea during the Russian Revolution cast a unique perspective on post the World War I era.
  
  Maguire is then transferred to China Station in Hong Kong where the Royal Navy tries to hold back the tide of revolution growing steadily in that country.
  
  All the while his on-again, off-again romance with his childhood sweetheart Charlie competes strongly with his desire to advance in the Royal Navy. The courtship ends in disaster when both marry other suitors.
  
  England suffers economically in the post war era and the suffering is passed down to the military in the form of budget reductions including pay cuts. Work stoppages and near-mutinies almost shatter the Royal Navy as Kelly, and his new-found friend James Verschoyle, navigate through the difficult times.
  
  Hastings’ use of British vernacular and idioms is often distracting to those not familiar with the jargon. It made following the story line somewhat more difficult at times. However, it’s worth the effort.
  
  John E Nevola - Author of The Last Jump, The Final Flag and Revenge of the Pearl Harbor Survivors.
  U.S. Army Veteran – SP/5
  Military Writer's Society of America
  
• 
  Steven Toby

  This was a good book but surprisingly complicated. It’s the story of the aftermath of World War I from the British point of view. While modern readers are probably aware that the war not only destroyed the economy of the victors and devastated the culture and prosperity of the losers, the fact that it also triggered terrible massacres among the survivors of the Russian and Turkish empires is less well known. It’s a fact that several factions tried to hold back the Bolshevik tide only to give up the hopeless project later on.
  This book shows us the horror of that time period in its true dimensions.
  What is little known today is that even the victors of wwi were perilously close to an economic collapse as the Great Depression ground its way through wealth that had taken a century to build up. A cautionary tale!
• 
  Mr Michael R Stevens

  Continuing The Story
  
  The second of the series and every bit as good as the first. You feel that you know Jelly Maguire well and this helps nice the story along at a fast paced.
  In the first two books of the trilogy virtually e wet date and place of importance has been covered from pre WAY up until the lull before WWII.
  Very much looking forward to the third and last in the series
• 
  Lorna

  Low marks for aweful relationships with women. High marks for interesting history, with details that are set in fiction which rings uncomfortably true to the brutality and stupidity of human nature.
  
  Main character's reaction when his girlfriend reports being raped by soldiers: "She seemed remarkably in control of herself for a woman who'd recently been assaulted by Chinese soldiers and he decided she was lying to impress him." Ugh.
• 
  Richard

  A very good read with some interesting bits about British involvement in World affairs during the Twenties prompting me to do some research. As for the story itself it was totally absorbing for most of the book, but spoiled, for me, by a rather slow ending during the last two or three chapters. Looking forward to the third and last entry in the Kelly Maguire trilogy.
• 
  david p finlay

  Interesting and different
  
  What at times could have fell into a romantic novel managed to involve that part of the tale in a way that added to the storyline which in itself was extremely entertaining
• 
  Jody Bowie

  Good bit of Naval Fiction
  
  I enjoyed following more of Kelly’s adventures. I always enjoy book that are fiction, but based in fact. I would recommend this to any fan of Naval and Historical Fiction.
• 
  David Megginson

  A rare fictional treatment of the Royal Navy between the world wars, from evacuating diplomats and civilans in post-WWI Russia, Turkey, and Greece, to protecting or evacuating colonialist "concessions" in China, to the 1931 Invergordon Mutiny.
• 
  Jack Rieger

  The characters in this series are getting to me great writing
• 
  John

  3.5
• 
  Tom

  Did not like this as well as the first book.
• 
  Viva

  A continuation of Kelly Maquire book one. As with Hennessy's writing, they are all easy to read and get into.
  
  Spoilers ahead:
  WWI has ended and the first bit is a bit boring if you came here for action because it focuses on demob and what happens after the war. There's also rather a lot of on Maguire's personal and romantic life. I'm glad the romance part isn't too intrusive because I didn't come here for a romance book.
  
  Anyway part 1 is most about the Russian Civil War. KM is sent to try to protect British interests in the fast deteriorating conditions in Russia and help evacuate Russian royals and White Russian officers and families (which he does multiple times). Due to his perceived knowledge of French he is sent ashore many times, including one time to gun an armored train. I think Hennessy did a fantastic job or writing about the chaotic conditions in Russia at that time and the down and dirty parts of executions and killings.
  
  Part 2 is when Kelly is sent to the East Asia station where he visits HK and Shanghai. Again he does a great job of describing the situation in China during those times when the Qing dynasty and the first republic had collapsed and the Nationalists and Communists were fighting over the spoils. I did not actually know that the Kuomintang or the regular citizenry were against Westerners (according to the book) since they relied on or needed Westerners to help them with arms, money and other support. KM spends most of his time evacuating British or Western nationals from the nearby hinterland where they had business interests or were proselytizing.
  
  Part 3 is when he gets back to England. Most of this deals with the time when the government was in a severe monetary deficit and the Admiralty and government were penny pinching and trying to cut the ratings pay 25%. The ratings flirt with socialism(?) or striking and Kelly dashes back and forth trying to put out the fire. This whole part was quite depressing and sad, especially to those who had put their trust in the government who were supposed to look after their interests.
  
  Throughout the book there is a romance subplot where Kelly has several romances with beautiful women that he meets during his naval assignments and also his unsatisfactory relationship with Charley. Eventually Charley submits to Kimister's undying devotion and Kelly is tricked into marriage by a rich, calculating and beautiful heiress.
• 
  Mr Michael R Stevens

  Middle Of Three
  Great trilogy the interweaving of the characters into history lends authenticity, the middle of three is normally the weakest but not this one.
  They stand alone, each a great story