Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies is a series of five novellas that cover three chronological years at the end of Hornblower's naval career. His title is now "Rear Admiral Lord Hornblower" and he has quite a small squadron which is mostly engaged in stopping pirates and the recently outlawed slave trade in the West Indies. Each story involves some apparently impossible problem, which Hornblower or someone close to him solves.

The first story involves trying to stop an American ship, while the two nations are at peace, with a smaller, slower vessel. The second story addresses a fast slave ship in neutral waters that Hornblower wants to capture. The third tale touches on Hornblower becoming embroiled in the problems of an escaped pirate crew. The fourth entry looks into trying to remain neutral during the wars of liberation in South America. The final story is an adventure tale involving Lady Barbara and Hornblower and considers the problems of a marine who refuses orders to play his music the way it is written.

Part of the appeal of this book is that it shows the messy way that the challenges of life often evolve. So, what's the best thing to do? It's hard to tell, and circumstances are often different from what they seem. Even though taking action may have long-term negative consequences for oneself, what is the right thing to do? That's the focus here.

What opportunities did you have today to do the right thing? How did you do?