This weekend we bring your our with @Tonisenior , book critic, writer, podcaster and journalist. We had a great time chatting about #historicalfiction, what makes #PatrickOBrian such a standout, and which other authors come close. With a little chat about #espionage on the side!

David and Goliath: The Capture of El Gamo, 6 May 1801: On 6 May 1801, a naval engagement occurred between the 14-gun brig HMS Speedy, commanded by Lord Cochrane, and the much larger 32-gun Spanish xebec-frigate El Gamo, commanded by Don Francisco de Torres. Despite El Gamo being four times the size of Speedy, with more than seven times its firepower and six times its crew, Cochrane achieved a feat that secured his place in the annals of naval history as one of the boldest commanders the seas had ever known: he captured the Spanish vessel through daring and cunning.