Pirates. Jacobite rebels. Economic crisis. England in 1721 is a good time to be skilled with a blade.Unfortunately for Michael McNamara, wrongfully discharged from the Royal Navy, not even his expert swordsmanship can secure him employment. With nothing for him in England, he sets sail for Jamaica to find new opportunities. His capture of a gang of brigands makes him a local hero, earning him all … earning him all sorts of attention. Among his new admirers are the lovely Dona Catalina Moore and – much to McNamara’s disappointment – her fiancé, Captain Stephen Reynard, a former pirate. To earn his pardon, Reynard has sworn to capture seven pirate captains, and he only needs one more.
Seeing this adventure as a ticket to fortune and glory, McNamara earns his place on Reynard’s crew thanks to his his fencing prowess, despite his new captain’s odd reluctance. The hunt pits him against treacherous seas, untrusting shipmates, and bloodthirsty pirates…and ensnares him in a conspiracy that threatens thousands of lives, including his and Catalina’s.
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McNamara as he begins a new phase of his life.
The story travels from Bristol to Jamaica, Lisbon, and back again as McNamara takes to the high seas, sword in hand and ready to meet whatever challenges life holds in store for him.
This is an action-packed and highly engaging story full of turns and twists that surprise Michael as much as they do the reader. The author makes great use of suspense, both at key moments where the reader finds their heart in their throat and their breath being held, and in the development of the storyline as a whole.
The characters are lifelike and vividly drawn, presenting fascinating contrasts in human nature and reminding the reader that it is impossible either to determine integrity by appearances or to truly know what is concealed in a person’s heart.
‘The Brotherhood Of The Black Flag’ is a most enjoyable read.
Fab swashbuckling adventure that sweeps you along. If you are familiar with the stories of Black Beard and Charles Vane or if you’re looking for a book to keep you entertained in the spirit of Black Sails, then you need to read this! I wish someone would adapt this for the big screen.
I’m pretty much a stranger to pirate novels, but was very pleased to rediscover my fondness for old-fashioned hack-and-slash, morality-style swashbuckling just like the good old days of Captain Blood. Although the Errol Flynn look-alike in this novel was the pirate captain rather than our protagonist, our hero Michael McNamara had enough gumption to prove himself the most resourceful firebrand amongst a gang of reprobates. What was the real motivation behind Captain Reynard’s proposed voyage? Along with McNamara, we want to believe that Reynard is everything he claims to be, but something just keeps getting in the way—for instance when they discovered the wretched survivors of a defenseless port city after a bloody attack by their antagonist. McNamara objects to just sailing away and leaving the unfortunate victims to their fate, but Reynard callously puts him in his place:
“You will not challenge me on this or any other matter, or by God, I will make you suffer for it. Do I make myself perfectly clear?”
McNamara swallowed nervously, terrified by the fury of Reynard’s gaze. “Yes, Captain.”
“Good. Now get back to the ship.” McNamara nodded silently, his heart still pounding in terror. It was not the threat itself that terrified him as much as the venom in Reynard’s eyes and tone as he had spoken. Good God, no wonder his men fear him so. Still, he could not take his eyes off the surviving residents of Ciudad d’Esperanza huddled together trying in vain to comfort each other, or prevent himself from hearing their cries of anguish. With a heavy sigh, he followed the rest of Reynard’s men back to the beach.
This is a difficult book to review without giving the story away, but suffice it to say that the action is nonstop and quite gratifying. The characters are believable, the threat is potentially catastrophic, and McNamara gets himself out of a fix with some quick thinking—and a little help from his friends, both male and female. The hint of a romance with a damsel in distress who can actually take care of herself is icing on the proverbial cake.