BRANDY, DAME OF THE CARIBBEAN

A famed English sea captain and his infamous pirate wife return in a new adventure set against the backdrop of the American Civil War in Hendrickson’s rollicking historical novel.

Captain John Edwards and his wife Brandy Erasmus Edwards have been using their ship, the Morning Star, to carry runaway slaves to safety. When Christopher Joshua, chairman of the board of the Joshua Shipyards, dies, Lady Adriana, Christopher’s greedy trophy wife, clashes with Terrence Edwards, the company’s manager (and John Edwards’ father). Control of the shipyard should fall to Christopher’s younger brother Arthur, but Vice Admiral Arthur Joshua—John’s former captain—has no interest in business, nor is he in much better shape physically than his brother. Arthur’s only male heir is Reggie, the young son of his daughter Davonte, who is the product of Arthur’s relationship with a former slave. The crew of the Morning Star must safely return Reggie to London to fight for his inheritance—but all is not smooth sailing as Adriana conspires with Lord Frederick, a member of the Joshua board who doesn’t want a commoner in charge of the shipyards (“With this new male heir in the equation, we have a real problem to deal with”). Hendrickson has assembled all the essentials for a seafaring yarn—adventure, romance, pirates, and even ninjas—delivering an entertaining, spirited chase around the Caribbean. He begins with appealing characters, especially the couple at the heart of this narrative, and the wise teacher Zhang (Brandy’s martial arts instructor). Hendrickson has also created detestable villains, such as Lord Frederick and the Empress (Zhang’s vengeful niece), who let petty grievances guide their actions. Readers will be intrigued by the story’s reminders of how much longer it took to travel long distances—and how communications were so much slower—during the era depicted. The most enjoyable sections feature pairings of characters racing to the climactic battles. The novel’s epilogue suggests that this is the final volume in this series; if so, that’s a shame, as the author has perfected a winning formula with this extended Morning Star family.

This romping escapade succeeds on the backs of its well-developed characters.