The Harbor of Betrayal - Patrick O'Brian - book

Jack Aubrey is a resounding success in the Ionian Sea in the Royal Navy's relentless—and sometimes fraught—war against the ogre Napoleon. But the ships and men have suffered. Here is the captain on enforced rest in Malta, and his favorite frigate, "La Surprise," in dry dock. He discovers an island rife with intrigue, poorly governed, infested with rebels and French spies. Female spies too. For whom exactly is the exquisite Laura Fielding, promoted to Her Majesty's secret agent, working, whose audacity and Neapolitan origins raise fears of betrayal? As for this supposed treasure, held by the French retreating to the African coast, it's a trap, of course.