SEA-faring adventures have seen something of a revival over the past few years, with the huge success of Master and Commander and The Pirates of the Caribbean at the cinema and Ioan Gruffudd starring in the TV series of the famous Hornblower.

Author Jonathan Lunn's hero, Kit Killigrew, follows in this tradition of swashbuckling adventure on the high seas. But the author also likes to give his books a modern feel - Killigrew is as much inspired by James Bond, Dirty Harry and 20th century action films as the heroes of the 19th century.

Killigrew's Run is the fifth novel in the series and is set during the Crimean War. It sees Killigrew sent to the Crimea to rescue Viscount Bullivant and his family, who have been captured by the Russians. They are not part of the army though, Viscount Bullivant is a "war tourist", one of the most intriguing phenomenon of mid-19th century warfare.

Aristocrats who had time on their hands would travel on their luxurious yachts to witness the war first hand. What's more incredible is that they would also take along their families, maids and other staff to follow the fleet. This seems a rather ghoulish spectacle, but viewed in the time before TV news reporters could beam the latest pictures from conflict around the world, maybe it's more understandable. Although there is nothing to suggest that in reality any of these bystanders were ever captured, as they are in the book, there is evidence of one boat that sailed too close to the Russian action and had to be rescued by the British Navy. Bet it made an interesting insurance claim for the Victorian travel agent when they got back...

Killigrew's Run by Jonathan Lunn (Headline, £18.99)