The tale of The Fastest Ship by Larita Arnold takes place during the 1800s and covers a wide range of global territory, including Spain, England and the Caribbean. Using popular elements of revenge, romance, travel, sailing and treasure, the author has worked hard to ensure readers will enjoy the 220-page novel.

Colonel James Whitworth is forced to charge his old friend, Christine, for thievery; she was in possession of goods from a ship that her husband, Captain McGwyer, had taken over in battle. Sadly, Christine dies during childbirth. Consumed by hate and madness, McGwyer abducts Whitworth’s fiancé during their engagement party in 1860. Haunted by her loss, Whitworth searches the seas for her until he discovers that his fiancé was rescued by her new husband, Admiral John Ashby, and he relays her past to her. Slowly her memory returns, and her loving husband takes her on a treasure hunt where he hopes to seek revenge on Captain McGwyer.

While most of the story is purely fiction, the author does refer to ships that once existed. The author describes a tour of one of the ships so that readers will understand how shipping vessels were once constructed and uses historically accurate nautical technology in the development of this book.

The Fastest Ship is not the best-written book that I have read recently. The author attempts to flash back and forth in time from one scene to the next, and while some authors employ this writing style effectively, Arnold could use more experience in this regard. There are parts that are implausible, sections that are rushed through, and the cover design itself seems poorly done. However, due to the storyline alone, I’ve decided to rate this book 3 out of 5 stars.