On Basilisk Station - David Weber

Commander Honor Harrington of the Royal Manticoran Navy has been exiled by a superior officer who she made look foolish. Now, she is in charge of an overage light cruiser, patrolling a godforsaken quadrant, blamed by her crew for their exile. And the local system's aborigines smoke homicide-inducing hallucinogens.
Her troubles don't stop there - the local industry is smuggling, so the merchants' cartel want her head when she starts investigating. And the ever-greedy 'Republic' of Haven has plans of its own for the area. Harrington's head is on the block...
On Basilisk Station is the first volume of a major space opera series, which has sold hundreds of thousands of copies in the USA. Compared to C.S. Forester's Hornblower novels, it and its author are major names in the SF field. Earthlight will publish more Honor Harrington adventures in coming months. Look out for: The Honor of the Queen and The Short Victorious War.