Pirate Historical Thrillers Mystery Fiction

It’s the 1970s, and the “houseboat wars” erupt in Sausalito on the site of Marinship, the abandoned World War II shipyard. Hippies and squatters are living free and easy on houseboats in a ramshackle shantytown, and greedy developers are determined to evict them and build new docks to attract affluent residents.

An irresistible tale of swashbuckling pirates in the New World; a classic story of treasure and betrayal Jamaica in 1665 is a rough outpost of the English crown, a minor colony holding out against the vast supremacy of the Spanish empire. Port Royal, Jamaica's capital, a cut-throat town of taverns, grog shops, and bawdy houses, is devoid of London's luxuries; life here can end swiftly with dysentery or a dagger in your back.

When young Telemachus gets the chance to join the crew of the merchant ship Selene, he's delighted to escape the rough streets of Piraeus. He knows little of the dangers of life at sea. And even past hardship has not prepared him for the terror on board when a pirate ship appears on the horizon. The fight is bloody, but the result is never in doubt. Then the victorious pirate chief, Bulla, offers the beaten men a cruel choice: join us, or die.

An old-fashioned adventure tale that follows the treasure-seeking path of renowned female archaeologist Alexa Reid. On her journey in the South Pacific, she teams up with an ex-Navy flyer that uses a seaplane for his charter business. Being chased by air pirates, the pair runs into all types of colorful island characters. The one-eyed air pirate Captain P. M. Rasmus is close on their tail and seems ready to pounce at every turn.

In England’s silent-film industry, Randolph Fflytte is king. Mary Russell is dispatched to investigate the criminal activities that surround Fflytte’s movie studio, but nothing seems amiss until the company starts rehearsals in Lisbon. There the 13 blonde-haired, blue-eyed actresses whom Mary is bemusedly chaperoning meet the swarm of real buccaneers Fflytte has recruited to provide authenticity. As movie make-believe becomes true terror, Russell and Holmes themselves may experience a final fade-out.

As I walked back through the City, my mood was moderately elevated. This appointment did not displease me nearly as much as I pretended. Like most Romans I abhorred the very thought of sea duty, but this was one of the rare occasions when I was looking forward to getting away from Rome..... For years I had complained of the disorder of the City, and now that it was gone, I found that I missed it. All the peace and quiet seemed unnatural. I did not expect it to last.- Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger in SPQR IX: The Princess and the Pirates.

Diving for plunder in the Caribbean, Hector Lynch and his companions are spotted by a Spanish ship. Escaping capture by burning the vessel's sails - an act of piracy - they head for Tortuga, where Hector's wife Maria awaits. He longs for a better life for them both, on the right side of the law. But the crew run into Laurens de Graff - a renowned mercenary captain now in command of a royal French frigate - and after fleeing his clutches, they are cast away on a tiny desert island, Salt Tortuga.

The year is 1819, and the renowned chef Owen Wedgwood has been kidnapped by the ruthless pirate Mad Hannah Mabbot. He will be spared, she tells him, as long as he puts exquisite food in front of her every Sunday without fail. To appease the red-haired captain, Wedgwood gets cracking with the meager supplies on board. His first triumph at sea is actual bread, made from a sourdough starter that he leavens in a tin under his shirt throughout a roaring battle, as men are cutlassed all around him. Soon he's making tea-smoked eel and brewing pineapple-banana cider.

James Thatcher is content with the life of a privateer captain. He has his ship, he has his crew, and he has the open sea. Then, with the stroke of a pen, his world is turned on its head. Britain signs an unthinkable treaty with Spain, and this is the change in the political winds that the crooked governor of Jamaica has been waiting for. In a sudden, calculated act of betrayal, Governor Pendleton brands Thatcher’s crew and much of the privateer fleet as pirates.

Ariella always looked up to her late father, the famous Captain Red Beard. She tried to make him proud every chance she could get until that dreadful day he passed away. Now it is up to her to take over her late father's ship, the Red Dawn, and prove to her crew that she is more than just a pretty face. In this intriguing story, Captain Ariella fights off orcs while maintaining her reputation as the most wicked female captain anyone has ever known. She is fearless and has never backed down from a fight.

It's 1748, and two Irish brothers in search of employment venture to London, where they are kidnapped by the owner of an abbey, just outside of London, who earns a substantial sum by shanghaiing young men. They are separated and placed into servitude on separate pirate ships. This story follows Mick, one of the brothers who struggles to survive while he searches for his older brother among the hundreds of pirates and pirate ships in the Caribbean.

After pirates kidnap 17-year-old Ana in a case of mistaken identity, the orphaned housemaid prepares for the worst. Instead, playing the wholesome daughter of a Spanish admiral among ragtag buccaneers becomes the least of her concerns. Battles, a shipwreck, mutiny, and, most unexpectedly, love are what really turn her world upside down.