June 1631 - Baltimore, Ireland
"Malcolm woke up just before dawn broke over the cove. He heard a loud crash and climbed out of bed. He sniffed the air and smelled smoke. He was barely six years old, but he knew something bad was happening. He heard a knock at the door and went to open it. Standing on the threshold was a fierce-looking Turkish janissary wearing a long red tunic and a traditional bork with a jewelled ornament affixed to the forehead, brandishing a curved yatagan sabre. The huge man smiled at the awestruck boy, who remained frozen in place, too scared to move."
From the bestselling author of Playing Rudolf Hess, An Absolute Secret, Shipwrecked Lives, and Remembrance Man comes this spellbinding historical novel about the raid of the famous Dutch corsair and pirate Murad Reis on the peaceful fishing village of Baltimore, Ireland. His men seized 109 men, women, and children and subjected them to a 38-day voyage down the coast of France and Spain to a life of slavery in Algiers. This is the story of their adventures during that horrific voyage and their lives as slaves in Algiers before they were ransomed by the English Parliament fifteen years later.
"KIDNAPPED BY PIRATES, SOLD INTO SLAVERY, THEY STRUGGLE TO SURVIVE"
See reader praise below:
"Raw, emotional and gripping are the best words for me to describe it. It was one of those "just one more chapter" scenarios at two o'clock in the morning." K.N. Home, BookSirens
"A wonderful read!" Shonna Froebel, Canadian Bookworm
"A skillfully rendered fictional account of an obscure but fascinating slice of history." Kirkus Reviews, June 2023
"The Barbary Slave trade and in particular the kidnapping of almost an entire village, Baltimore, Ireland in the 1600s is covered so well in this historical novel. The book is fast-paced, it starts with action and then every page has another aspect that draws the reader in. I very nearly read the whole book in one sitting." Aly Warner, BookSirens
"An amazing book, so well written. I never realized the extent of slavery, whole villages taken from the coasts of Ireland and the south coast of England… I strongly recommend this book. I have enjoyed reading it but have also learned so much." Janet Thomson, BookSirens
"An amazing tale of slavery that is part history and part fiction. The author is a fantastic storyteller! Terrible what these adults and children went through being transported to another country and then sold off as slaves. This is a must-read; not just for the history buff, but for everyone! Five-star book!" Joyce, BookSirens
"This was extremely well written. Honestly, it read more as nonfiction than fiction some times with the author having an incredible and well-researched background of the world and the characters. The characters were so incredibly developed I was able to understand each of them, their motivations, reasonings and backgrounds. Quite literally they felt like real people. Honestly, there aren't enough words to do this book justice, it is one the most well-written and important books I've read, which I will think about for a long time." Jules Violinio, BookSirens
