It might be because I listened on audio as a casual read, but wow did those plot twists hit hard! In hindsight there was great setup, but I never thought about what Captain Blunt's past could entail until it was revealed.
I definitely liked this installment better than Siren of Sussex just for the sheer amount of drama, but the pacing seemed off. The last 25% of this book was phenomial, but in contrast to that the first 75% seemed rather slow.