You’ve probably never heard of Luke Ryan. You probably didn’t know that Benjamin Franklin had his own private navy during American War of Independence and yet Ryan – Franklin’s most dangerous privateer – did more damage to British shipping than any other commander, including the great John Paul Jones.
This is an extraordinary and little-known story of selfless heroism, love, intrigue and betrayal. It is a bold story about bold men, about rough Irish mariners who began their adventure sailing for money but later found themselves fighting on behalf of a fledgling nation’s struggle for liberty. Ryan and his Irishmen are true American patriots. Before his two year reign of terror ends, Ryan will sink, burn or capture over 100 British ships.
If you’d like to learn more about these remarkable, scrappy privateers, you may want to give Gather the Shadowmen, Prince of the Atlantic and Napoleon’s Gold a try…
Captain Bloody Mary, The Queen’s Privateer
The Butcher’s Daughter, Blood for Blood and Ill Winds Blowing Across a Troubled Sea is story based on true historical events during the Elizabethan Era as witnessed through the eyes of a remarkable, young woman named Mary. While Mary is fictional, her character is a composite of several real life female ship’s captains.
In an age ruled by iron men, in a world of new discovery and Spanish gold, a young Irishwoman named Mary rises from the ashes of her broken childhood with ships and men-at-arms under her command. She and her loyal crew prowl the Caribbean and prosper in the New World for a time until the ugly past Mary has fled from in the old one finds her.
Across the great ocean to the east, war is coming. The King of Spain is assembling the most powerful armada the world has ever seen – an enormous beast – to invade England to depose the “heretic” Protestant queen. To have any chance against the fabulous wealth and might of Spain, England will need every warship, she will need every able captain. To this purpose, Queen Elizabeth spares Mary from the headman’s axe for her past sins in exchange for her loyalty, her ships and for her fighting men…
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
