Pity poor Captain Alan Lewrie, Royal Navy! He's been torn away from a warm shore bed--and the viscount's daughter who shared it with him--and ordered by Admiralty to the Bahamas, into the teeth of ferocious winter storms. At least his new orders allow Lewrie to form a small squadron and style himself a commodore. He is to scour the shores of Cuba and Spanish Florida in search of French and Spanish privateers that have been taking British merchantmen at an appalling rate, and call upon neutral American seaports to determine if privateers are getting aid and comfort from that quarter. The mission will put Lewrie in touch with old friends, old foes, and more frustration than a dog has fleas. As usual, though, Captain Alan Lewrie will find his own unique way to fulfill his duties, and in the doing, find some fun in his own irrepressible manner! Reefs and Shoals marks the eighteenth adventure in Dewey Lambdin's acclaimed naval series.