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1778: The American Revolution is in its fourth year, and even though France sides with the Americans, the issue is still very much in doubt. The Continental Congress is struggling to find money to fund the war. The British have turned their attention to the southern states, where Loyalists are numerous and influential. In December of 1778, Savannah falls to the British.
But on the high seas, Britain’s sovereignty is being challenged. Prize by prize, Jaco Jacinto and Scorpion are disrupting British commerce. Royal Navy captains fear any encounter with the small rebel frigate that outsails and outguns their ships of comparable size. A task force consisting of three ships, led by Dilletante, a two-decker armed with 50 newly cast 24-pounder carronades, is sent to bring Scorpion to heel.
In England, Jaco’s friend Darren Smythe is now captain of Gladius, a frigate armed with twenty 12-pounders. When Dilletante fails to crush Scorpion, Smythe is given command of a small squadron. His sailing orders: Sink or capture Scorpion.
If the seas are becoming dangerous territory for Jaco, land is no better. Southern Loyalists would like to see him captured and hanged. Further north, there is Edmund Radcliffe, a disgraced naval officer with a thirst for bloody vengeance.
In the midst of war, a quieter revolution in taking place. Reyna Laredo may not be allowed to attend medical school, but she is practicing medicine as a midwife and fighting alongside her city’s militia. Meanwhile, her best friend and Jaco’s younger sister, Shoshana Jacinto, is attempting to become the first woman to practice law in South Carolina. Merchants find creative ways to restart commerce, and farmers defy roving bands of British militia. The former colonists are redefining freedom.
What makes this book so delightful is the balance the author manages with the several factors of this genre…. This is a story of extraordinary boys becoming iron men on wooden ships. - Ralph Peterson, San Francisco Book Review
