First published 2002
William Kidd sets sail from New York in 1696 with a royal commission to hunt pirates in the Indian Ocean. The Scottish sea captain commands the Adventure Galley, backed by powerful English lords who expect him to return with captured treasure. But the mission goes wrong from the start. His crew grows restless without prizes to claim. Kidd faces impossible choices between his legal mandate and his men's demands for plunder. When he seizes the Quedagh Merchant, a richly laden ship, the line between pirate hunter and pirate blurs beyond recognition. Political winds shift in London, leaving Kidd without protection. His former sponsors abandon him as public opinion turns. The captain who sailed out as England's weapon against piracy returns to face trial as the very criminal he was sent to destroy.
Genres: historical, historical-fiction, adventure, true-crime
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: deception, enemies-to-lovers
Setting: New York, Indian Ocean
Period: 1696
Paperback · Hyperion, NY