Pirates & Privateers: Michael Crichton's Books

The third book in the Cutler Family Chronicles opens with a brutal pirate attack on the Mary Beth off the coast of Cuba in 1797. Combined with the prologue it sets the historical stage to provide readers with the background for what becomes America’s Quasi-War with France in the last decade of the 18th century. The real story begins with chapter two, which recounts the arrival of the long-awaited schooner that returns employees of Cutler & Sons and Caleb Cutler, one of the sons, home to Massachusetts after a decade of captivity. On hand to greet his brother is Richard Cutler, who has been invited to meet with Captain Thomas Truxton to discuss a possible commission aboard one of the new naval frigates, USS Constellation. Joining the navy and the mercantile ties his family has in the Caribbean make Richard an ideal candidate for a secret mission that brings him face-to-face with Toussaint L’Ouverture, who seeks to gain freedom for Haiti from France.

Hammond populates his series with historic personages and deftly weaves the history of America’s early navy and the fledgling nation into the story. Even though this is the third title in the Cutler Family Chronicles, it easily works as a standalone title. Although rife with nautical language, he expertly provides definitions and descriptions in such a way that readers comprehend what’s what without having these intrude into the story. If further information is needed, he also includes a glossary at the end of the book. At times, his command of language is such that his sentences have a poetical flare that provides vivid imagery that remains with the reader long after the story ends.

With the skill of a master storyteller, Hammond spins a gripping tale with language that captivates the reader, drawing him/her deeper and deeper into the tale until he/she visits with the residents of Hingham, Massachusetts where the Cutlers live or walks the rolling decks of the Constellation as she sails the open sea. Readers will hold their breath and feel the rapid beating of their hearts, along with Richard and his fellow crew members, as a French privateer captures his sloop or the Constellation battles the enemy. Hammond whisks readers back in time on a voyage that takes them from Boston to Baltimore to Port Royal to Saint Kitts to Saint-Domingue to Barbados to the French West Indies. The Power & the Glory paints a dramatic portrait of an oft-neglected period in American history that won’t soon be forgotten.

A Call to Arms
By William C. Hammond
Naval Institute Press, 2012, ISBN 978-1-61251-144-3, US $29.95
Also available in e-book format

The United States is once again at war – this time with Tripoli, one of the Barbary states. The Cutlers never thought they would have to deal with the pirates again once Richard helped rescue Caleb and others from slavery after Barbary corsairs seized a Cutler ship. With the war, however, Richard must resume his naval career, this time as Captain of USS Portsmouth, and son, Jamie, secures a midshipman’s warrant and will serve under Commodore Edward Preble aboard USS Constitution.

President Jefferson is resolute in his determination not to pay the tribute the Bey Yusuf Karamanli demands. Force is the only way to deal with the Barbary pirates, but the situation changes when USS Philadelphia runs aground in the Tripolitan harbor and her officers and crew become captives. While Jamie joins Lieutenant Stephen Decatur and others in a daring attempt to destroy the American frigate under the very noses of the pirates, Richard must locate Hamet Karamanli in Egypt for William Eaton, an emissary from Jefferson with a bold plan. Hamet, the rightful ruler of Tripoli, was deposed by his brother Yusuf, who holds Hamet’s family prisoners to prevent him from attempting to regain the throne. Eaton’s plan places Jamie in jeopardy; if successful, it will end the war-peace-war cycle once and for all. Getting Hamet, his followers, European mercenaries, Egyptians, and nomadic warriors to work together with the Americans – and dealing with the hazards of crossing a desert with little food or water – proves far more challenging than Eaton suspects. All the while, diplomats work at cross purposes, which may make all the naval and military actions for naught.

This fourth volume in the Cutler Family Chronicles covers a four-year period beginning in May 1801. Hammond adeptly lays the framework for the audacious invasion that will eventually be immortalized in “The Marines’ Hymn.” He shows what it was like for the sailors and marines, their captains, and their loved ones during the war, and vividly demonstrates how frustrating politicians can be when they interfere in military matters. Readers who have read the previous volumes in the series will enjoy being reunited with characters who feel like family, while newcomers will find themselves cast into a maelstrom of events that are spiced with tears, heartache, joy, and pride.

How Dark the Night
By William C. Hammond
Naval Institute Press, 2014, ISBN 978-1-61251-467-3, US $34.95

The fifth book in the Cutler Chronicles opens in the fall of 1805. Captain Richard Cutler’s wife, Elizabeth, is recovering from breast cancer surgery, and he wants to spend more time with her and the family rather than always being away at sea. His family’s shipping company, Cutler & Sons, as well as C&E Enterprises, an East Indies shipping company in which the Cutlers have a stake, face a dilemma. The United States is a neutral country and believes in free trade, but Great Britain and France are at war and both countries attempt to thwart the other by passing laws that impinge on America’s free trade and the Cutlers’ ships.

France seizes vessels which put into English ports before sailing on to Europe, while the British seize any vessel that fails to heed laws requiring ships to first dock there before continuing onward. Nor does the British Royal Navy see anything wrong with stopping American ships and impressing seamen. President Jefferson proposes a series of laws, known as the Embargo Act, to force these nations to cease and desist, but will essentially cripple American trade – a vital concern to New England. While some men, including his partner in C&E Enterprises, talk of secession, Richard doesn’t agree. Having served in the US Navy and having one son aboard USS Constitution and another considering a naval career, he cannot condone such treasonous talk. But how will he and his family survive, not to mention the employees of Cutler & Sons, if their livelihood disappears?

The history – including the infamous Chesapeake-Leopold encounter that united the country and nearly sparked a war five years before it actually began – spans a mere three years, but what occurs during this time frame are essential for understanding how and why the United States eventually declares war on Great Britain. Woven into this historical interlude are family affairs, such as Elizabeth’s cancer, several Cutler children’s weddings, and the immigration of Elizabeth’s brother and his wife to Massachusetts. Hugh Hardcastle’s experience as a captain in the Royal Navy makes him a perfect candidate to skipper one of C&E’s ships. Richard and Elizabeth also sail to the Caribbean to reunite with other family members, but on the return trip, their new Baltimore clipper is overtaken by pirates. While held captive, Richard meets the leader of the pirates, a Frenchman named Jean Laffite, who confiscates the schooner as a legitimate prize and takes offense at being called a pirate. He is a privateer! Since this is a seafaring family, nautical terms abound, but Hammond also includes a glossary.

As always, Hammond subtly weaves a spell that draws the reader deeper and deeper into the world and lives of the extended Cutler family. Even though we know what the inevitable outcome will be, we’re left gasping for breath or sobbing with tears – that is how powerful the web is that this consummate storyteller spins. He also has a gift for great imagery in his sentences. For example, when Richard considers what will happen if a frigate attempts to enter the pirate stronghold of Barataria Bay, he likens that frigate to “a stricken shark; its tailfin shorn, being ripped to shreds by a school of dagger-toothed barracudas.” (73)

Although the passages that place the story and events into historical context and perspective may not be appreciated by some readers, Hammond succinctly and skillfully encapsulates the thinking of the time and does so with such clarity that even someone totally unfamiliar with these episodes in our nation’s past will easily understand what was occurring and how these events impacted the people who lived and experienced them. Those readers who are new to this family saga need not have read the previous titles in the series, but after reading this latest volume, the others will probably end up on the to-be-read pile. I highly recommend this book – and a box of tissues – and I look forward to the next episode in the Cutler Chronicles.

No Sacrifice Too Great
By William C. Hammond
McBooks Press, 2022, ISBN 978-1-4930-5817-4, US $28.95 / UK £21.99
e-book ISBN 978-1-4930-5818-1, US $12.99 / UK £9.99

It is August 1812, and Americans are once again at war with Great Britain. Lieutenant Jamie Cutler serves under Captain Isaac Hull aboard USS Constitution. On the nineteenth, lookouts spot an enemy frigate, HMS Guerrière. The ensuing battle pits an unseasoned crew against veterans who have been fighting for two decades. Hardly a fair fight, yet the Americans achieve the impossible and sail home to Boston with a prize.

The annexation of Canada is a much sought-after goal of many Americans. To that end, brother Will Cutler serves under Captain Oliver Hazard Perry on the Great Lakes. This new assignment will test the young lieutenant and his fellow Americans as they fight for control of Erie and Ontario.

Worries and finances snap at their father’s footsteps during Richard's retirement. The family business is on the brink of collapse as a result of the embargoes and the war which have greatly crippled trade. This is the life’s blood of many New Englanders who rely on the sea to sustain them. It is why brother Caleb is so opposed to the current administration in Washington. At times, his words and actions border on treason. Richard’s beliefs are too ingrained to go against his country; when asked to rejoin the navy as a special emissary and renew an old acquaintance with Jean Laffite, he heeds the call.

Cousin Seth is a lieutenant aboard HMS Seahorse, one of the vessels in Rear Admiral Sir George Cockburn’s fleet. They seek enemy privateers in the Chesapeake Bay. Plans are also afoot to strike a blow that the Americans will long remember and will finally exact payback for transgressions in Canada.

Conflict demands sacrifice, which comes in many different colors, and each Cutler pays a price for his devotion to duty and honor in this sixth volume of The Cutler Family Chronicles. Spanning two and a half years, these men bear witness to the lesser-known, but equally important, events of the War of 1812: an amphibious assault on the Niagara River, Cockburn’s raids along the Chesapeake, the Hartford Convention, the duel between USS Chesapeake and HMS Shannon, the invasion of Washington, and the Battles of the Thames, Plattsburgh, Northpoint, and Fort Saint Philip. Aside from the historical personages already mentioned, appearances are made by Tecumseh, Commodore Isaac Chauncey, and Colonel Winfield Scott.

Every once in a while, a scene steps away from the story’s action to explain the past and provide background for the present. One example occurs in the opening scene of the fourth chapter. Although a work of fiction, there are a few minor historical bobbles. For example, Governor Claiborne is based in New Orleans, rather than Baton Rouge, which doesn’t become the capital of Louisiana until 1849. Nor does Jean Laffite stay true to his promise to earn an honest living. While those familiar with the characters and series will easily forgive these weaknesses, newcomers may not find this title as riveting as previous ones. All readers will agree, however, that the poignant ending clearly shows why no sacrifice is too great to those who willingly fight for what they believe in.

A Return to Duty
by William C. Hammond
McBooks Press, 2024, ISBN 9781493087341, US $25.95
Available in other formats

Separated when their ship wrecks, followed by desperate struggles to survive, Richard and Anne Cutler reunite in New South Wales in the fall of 1845. The reasons that originally brought them to this part of the world have been successfully concluded without them. The British Royal Navy will work with the United States Navy to suppress piracy in Asian waters with Imperial China’s approval. Now, the Cutlers return home to family and friends, and to decide what course their lives will take after their ordeals.

Richard secures leave from the Navy, while he and Anne work on a joint writing venture that will share their story with American readers. He also steps into the role of director of Cutler & Sons, after his predecessor was lost at sea while in the Far East. In his new role, he agrees with the older members of the family that under no circumstances will Cutler ships import opium into the United States. Some younger family members don’t agree with this since the importation is legal.

Before he decides whether to resign his commission and take full control of the family business, Richard needs to return to the Far East and confer with their agents there. He will also work with the American and Royal Navies in their attempt to stop the pirates from seizing merchant ships and to rescue their captives, many of whom are American sailors. His journey reunites him with two of his men from the shipwreck, both of whom played crucial roles in their survival after the disaster. One is Lieutenant Jonathan “Jonty” Montgomery, who now serves aboard Columbia. He’s become smitten with Daisy Cutler, whose father is the director of the Asian segment of the company. An encounter with pirates leads to a severe injury, but Jonty is determined not to let it end his naval career. He’s just as certain that he and Daisy will marry one day.

The other survivor is Jack Brengle, Richard’s former executive officer and now a captain in his own right. He commands the steamship that will take Richard to the Far East. First, though, the pair must track down Richard’s niece, Lucy Seymour, who has mysteriously disappeared. It’s possible that her disappearance is connected to Harlan Sturgis, who was romancing Richard’s mother until she realized all he wanted was information about the company to use to his advantage.

A Return to Duty is the eighth offering in the Cutler Family Chronicles. It centers around the lucrative trade of the highly addictive opium that resulted in war between China and Great Britain, and the brutal and persistent marauding of Chinese pirates on foreign shipping. The characters are expertly drawn and they pull you into the story with a full gamut of emotions. Hammond deftly weaves his research into his tale without ever allowing you to notice that he’s done so. Instead, he breathes life into a world that no longer exists and yet seems real enough to touch. He masterfully crafts unsettling action involving sharks, fire ships, bomb vessels, and boarders in a gut-wrenching climax that is tempered with love and reunion.