For readers unfamiliar with Jack Absolute, he is the quintessential adventure hero: a dashing, quick-witted ladies’ man and adept codebreaker who’s always ready for a fight. Jack Absolute originally appeared in Richard Sheridan’s 1775 play The Rivals, the plot of which Vancouver writer C.C. (Chris) Humphreys has borrowed for Absolute Honour. Though not originally Humphreys’ creation, over the course of three novels Absolute has certainly become Humphreys’ character.

Arriving in England after surviving a battle with a French frigate and fighting off an illness that brought him near death, Jack is thrown into a farce of epic proportions. Falling for Laetitia, the rich cousin of a fellow passenger, Jack poses as a poor cavalryman. Jack’s courting of Laetitia twists and turns through hidden identities and lies. Where The Rivals ends with the lovers sorting themselves out, Absolute Honour takes a deadly twist that sets up the second half of the story, leading Jack to Rome, Spain, and Portugal as he chases down a charismatic villain who may just prove his better.

Humphreys has a deep connection to Jack Absolute, a character he has played on stage in his other career as an actor. The story moves from romantic farce to tragedy, but Humphreys fills it with enough colourful characters and humour to keep it in the realm of light-hearted adventure. Humphreys is careful never to overdo the jargon of sea voyages and military manouevres – it is not necessary to know how to sail a tall ship or parade as a member of the cavalry to ride along with Jack, which can sometimes be a problem in other historical military novels.

Jack’s luck and timing seem at times a little too good to be believed, but it is easy to forgive Humphreys for this because the journey is just so much fun.