William Westbrook – författare

A Nicholas Fallon Sea NovelThe night turned prematurely dark as the storm seemed to suck the light out of the day. Captain Nicholas Fallon and his crew aboard the British privateer Rascal stood to the monstrous seas hour after hour, their minds numb and their bodies bloodied from the fight.Suddenly, a light.Only the remarkable seamanship of Rascal’s indominable first mate Beatrice McFarland can save a simple cod fisherman who brings aboard a fantastic tale of gold ransom, kidnapped Christian slaves and the unimaginable cruelty of the Barbary pirates.Thus, begins a superbly written tale of heroism and greed, duplicity and cunning that will thrust Fallon and Beauty into the dangerous currents of American politics and British appeasement of a wicked ruler half a world away. Barbarians on an Ancient Sea is awash in spectacular battle scenes so vivid and concussive that the smell of spent gunpowder hangs about the reader. Bahamian pirates work in tandem to attack salt ships convoyed by Rascal; a French frigate appears within a snow squall like a deadly apparition; a dead American lieutenant is found adrift in a ship’s boat, condemned to death by a ruthless pirate who must be lured from his lair and made to pay; and, finally, the armed galleys of the dey of Algiers attack Rascal on the high seas searching for something more precious than the gold ransom she carries – white slaves. Fallon’s cunning escape from an Algerian prison and the climactic battle against a vengeful Algerian admiral at the height of a sirocco rank with the best of historical naval fiction. All Fallon’s courage and strategic brilliance are called into play in this exciting tale – a worthy follow-on to The Bermuda Privateer and The Black Ring. Author William Westbrook has a modern storyteller’s voice and a sure knowledge of the sea and the men (and women) who brave it.

Hailed as groundbreaking by David Donachie, author of the John Pearce Naval Series and the Privateersman Mysteries— "All sea stories should tell you something new, and The Bermuda Privateer meets that criterion in spades. Fast paced and covering an area new to me; I was enthralled by the author's encyclopedic knowledge of the Caribbean. There are battles and conspiracies galore, with engaging characters and thrilling actions." Nicholas Fallon is captain of the schooner Sea Dog, a privateer that is fast, beautiful and deadly. Unbound by Royal Navy tradition, Fallon enjoys total independence in where he goes, how he fights, and whom he takes as crew. A woman—Beauty McFarland—is his first lieutenant. It's 1796, and Sea Dog's owner, Ezra Somers, employs Fallon to protect his Caribbean salt trade from French privateers and pirates. Wicked Jak Clayton is especially ruthless. When the two meet just off the Bahamas, even Fallon's cunning can't overcome their mismatch in firepower and desertion by a cowardly ally. Later, in Bermuda, Fallon is enlisted by the Royal Navy to intercept a Spanish flotilla carrying gold and silver to France. But a massive hurricane halts the British attack on the Spanish transports, driving several ships, including Fallon's, onto the Florida shore. Held by Spanish soldiers, Fallon and the surviving crew escape by turning enemies into friends. Once free, only one mission remains. Wicked Jak Clayton must die! The Bermuda Privateer is an action-filled sea story with layered storylines and a modern storyteller's voice.

Hailed as groundbreaking by David Donachie, author of the John Pearce Naval Series and the Privateersman Mysteries-- "All sea stories should tell you something new, and The Bermuda Privateer meets that criterion in spades. Fast paced and covering an area new to me; I was enthralled by the author's encyclopedic knowledge of the Caribbean. There are battles and conspiracies galore, with engaging characters and thrilling actions." Nicholas Fallon is captain of the schooner Sea Dog , a privateer that is fast, beautiful and deadly. Unbound by Royal Navy tradition, Fallon enjoys total independence in where he goes, how he fights, and whom he takes as crew. A woman--Beauty McFarland--is his second-in-command. It's 1796, and Sea Dog 's owner, Ezra Somers, employs Fallon to protect his Caribbean salt trade from French privateers and pirates. Wicked Jak Clayton is especially ruthless. When the two meet just off the Bahamas, even Fallon's cunning can't overcome their mismatch in firepower and desertion by a cowardly ally. Later, in Bermuda, Fallon is enlisted by the Royal Navy to intercept a Spanish flotilla carrying gold and silver to France. But a massive hurricane halts the British attack on the Spanish transports, driving several ships, including Fallon's, onto the Florida shore. Held by Spanish soldiers, Fallon and the surviving crew escape by turning enemies into friends. Once free, only one mission remains. Wicked Jak Clayton must die! The Bermuda Privateer is an action-filled sea story with layered storylines and a modern storyteller's voice.