Knight of the Black Flag

Book excerpt: As the War of the Spanish Succession, 1702, rages through the American colonies between Spain and England, a merchant sea captain James Beard and his young son, Edward, participate in the colonial siege of Saint Augustine. The boy, Edward, has shown courage and seamanship beyond his years and is moved by the epic battle that he watches unfold. Later, while sailing an errand with his father, their ship comes into contact with Caribbean privateers, led by the notorious Captain Charles Vane. Moved by the ideology of the freebooter, Edward swears that one day he wants to be just like his new hero. After being betrayed by the colonial government and facing financial ruin, his father makes the decision to pursue a career in privateering, taking Edward along for the journey. The Beards and their ship, the Emmeline, quickly gain notoriety upon the high seas. Over time, Edward grows into a man and sets his own course for adventure, following in his fathers wake, as a privateer himself in Queen Annes War. Years later, the war has endedthe privateers disbanded. Yet again feeling betrayed by his government, Edward and his loyal crew are set upon an errand to search for a sunken Spanish treasure ship. Leaving the love of his life behind, Edward sets a course for enemy waters that will change his life forever. Instead of Spanish treasure, he finds an ocean full of cutthroats and ports full of enemy soldiers. Edward quickly learns that retrieving the Spanish gold may cost him more than hed bargained for. On the brink of losing everything that he holds dear, he discovers a new path. It is an adventure that fills his pockets with more gold than he could have ever imagined but may end up costing him his very soul. How far is Edward willing to allow the winds of the storm to push his sails? Will he ever make it back to the life that he once knew? Whether he survives the perilous journey or gets swallowed in the wake of who he has had to become, he will be forever remembered. For the world will never forget Blackbeardthe pirate! Knight of the Black Flag captures the romanticism and adventure of the pirate genre but, at the same time, takes the reader to places previously unexplored. This is an amazing tale that challenges every stereotype that has come to epitomize this amazing figure and the life that he led. It is rooted in the small fragments of truth that have been recorded over the ages. Names and real events were pulled straight out of Colonial American deed books from Bath County, NC, 17021718, and blended with a wildly entertaining tale that will leave the reader wanting more (The Kirkland Press).