by David Grann
First published 2023
In 1742, a battered ship limps to Brazil, its thirty emaciated crew members bearing an extraordinary tale. They were the sole survivors of the HMS Wager, a British vessel that wrecked off Patagonia. Stranded for months, the crew descended into chaos, with factions battling for control of the barren wilderness. When another boat arrives, the men tell conflicting stories - of mutiny and murder. Now a court martial must determine who's telling the truth, as the stakes are life and death. This gripping true story blends the high-seas drama of Patrick O'Brian with the legal intrigue of a Scott Turow thriller.
Genres: historical-fiction, adventure, non-fiction, true-crime, legal-thriller
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: court-case, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Brazil, Patagonia
Period: 1742
329 pages · Hardcover · Doubleday