Synopses & Reviews
Credited with vividly recreating an early chapter in American history with his first novel, A Matter of Honor, William C. Hammond continues the seafaring adventures of the prominent Massachusetts family in this second novel. Set in the years following the American Revolution, it offers an exciting look at the young republic at a time when America remained a weak nation with no Navy to protect its prosperous merchant fleet from Barbary pirates or nations intent on crippling its shipping.
The novel opens with the capture of the Cutler merchant brig Eagle by Barbary pirates. Young Caleb Cutler and his shipmates are taken as prisoners to Algiers, and his brother Richard, the novel's main protagonist, is sent to North Africa to pay ransoms demanded by the Dey of Algiers. But Richard learns of the Dey's intent to reject the ransom, as well as threats from the British and French, and fights a fierce battle in the Mediterranean with two Arab xebecs. Victorious at sea, Richard travels to Paris to report to John Paul Jones, his former naval commander who now serves as American emissary to the Barbary States. The author's careful historical research and thorough knowledge of sailing and the ways of the sea bring an authenticity to the novel without detracting from the entertaining storyline. The book includes a romantic interest involving a desperate race to save the beautiful Anne Marie Helvétian and her two daughters from the guillotine. Hammond's focus on the American perspective of the Age of Fighting Sail in the years following the American Revolution adds a fresh dimension to historical novels of the period.
Synopsis
The Cutler family ship Eagle is captured in the 1780s, a time when America is weak and nations like the Barbary States of North Africa are preying on its commerce. Richard Cutler is sent to negotiate a ransom for his brother Caleb and the crew.
After learning of the pirate chieftain's plans to reject the ransom terms, as well as of treachery among Britain, France, and the Barbary States to cripple American shipping and thus America herself, Richard finds himself engaged in a fierce naval battle with Arab ships. After learning that a woman of previous affection, Anne-Marie Helvetian, is in danger, he rescues her and her daughters from the guillotine, and with the revolutionaries in hot pursuit, their escape becomes a desperate race, with the lives of all at stake.
Synopsis
Richard Cutler sails the world to free his brother Caleb from Barbary pirates, disrupt treacherous plans to cripple a fledgling America, and rescue one-time love interest Anne-Marie Helevetian from the guillotine.
About the Author
William C. Hammond, the former publisher of Hazelden Publishing in Minnesota, is a novelist, literary agent, and business consultant. A life-long student of history and sailing enthusiast, he frequently sails on Lake Superior and off the coast of New England. He lives with his family in Minneapolis, MN. His first novel in the Cutler Chronicles is A Matter of Honor, published in 2007.