At thirteen, John
Mallory
witnesses the unthinkable – his father murdered, his
mother kidnapped
by
pirates – but when the Royal Navy encounters some of the
pirates, he’s
taken
into custody and imprisoned in Newgate prison for seven
long years. He
survives
those horrors with the help of Smitty, a real pirate, and
a vow to
someday kill
Captain James Logan and rescue his mother from the
villain’s clutches.
Upon his
release, John (now called Jack) winds up in a tavern on
Tortuga, but
finding
Logan proves tougher than he expects, for the pirate is
elusive and
disappears
for months at a time.
Maria Cordero serves the
pirates who visit her father’s tavern on Tortuga. When her
father can’t
pay his
gambling debt to Logan, the pirate shoots him. Avenging
her father’s
death
becomes paramount and Maria bides her time until the right
moment
comes. In the
meantime, she nurses one of Logan’s men back to health.
Stephen risked
his life
to save hers and he loves her, but Maria sees him only as
a friend.
Jack eventually comes
searching for Maria, in hopes that she can provide the
final piece of
information he needs to track down Logan. Against his
better judgment,
Maria
joins his crew, which consists of Smitty and Stephen, and
they sail to
Port
Royal to sign on more men. But these new recruits, who
seem more
piratical than
honest seamen, aren’t told where Jack intends to sail.
Then there’s
Stephen to
contend with, as jealousy rears its head as the attraction
between Jack
and
Maria grows.
Will the new recruits remain
loyal to Jack when they discover the truth, or will they
join with
Logan to
defeat Jack and his friends? Once he locates the fiendish
pirate, will
he still
find his mother alive? Will he and Maria finally get the
revenge they
crave? Will
love triumph or will experiences of the past forever drive
a wedge
between Jack
and Maria?
Although a specific date
isn’t provided, the story is set during the days of the
Buccaneers, but
after
Henry Morgan dies. Keogh deftly spins a realistic tale
where pirates
are
anything but romantic, but each is three dimensional with
good and bad
traits
that also make them human. Had she not included Smitty,
readers might
find it a
stretch to believe that Jack, who has little experience in
sailing, can
captain
a ship, but with his help and Jack’s thirst for knowledge,
his growth
from
landlubber to master rings true and presents a variety of
challenges
that force
him to become a leader of men. Keogh’s research is
evident, even down
to the
cloth ribbon around Smitty’s neck that holds his brace of
pistols.
Logan comes
across with the same legendary aura that surrounded
Blackbeard, both as
a
pirate and a “reformed” pirate. With intricate twists,
Keogh never
allows the
reader to figure out what will happen in the end, which
makes The Prodigal a gem that is sure to
satisfy all pirate aficionados.
Review Copyrighted ©2012
Cindy Vallar
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Pirates
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