The
Devil’s Wind: A Spider John Mystery. Steve Goble. Prometheus Books. September
2018. 272 pp. ISBN#: 9781633884847.
Every great pirate fiction novel seems to begin with a
fearsome scene: an arrested pirate about to be hanged and the entire town’s residents
gathered to enjoy the scene. It seems to
be the nature of piracy – the attractive lure of adventure and the game of
choosing death-defying possibilities.
Spider Joe has had enough of it all.
He wants to get back to Boston, Massachusetts to his wife and two
children, with no pirate connections forever.
However, Spider Joe has so many friends, acquaintances and
enemies that he’s having a hard time not being recognized and drawn into
whatever mischief is happening at the moment. He stays to watch an old friend
and pirate be hung; but when he realizes he’s been recognizes, he’s forced to
flee because he is wanted as well and the noose awaits Spider Joe’s petrified
neck!
Spider, with the help of friends, manages to make it onto
the ship, Redemption, but he also
knows there is someone else on this ship who knows Spider’s identity, even
though Spider is calling himself by an anonymous name for this journey. Fights begin and the booze and violence is
flying until Captain Brentwood suddenly appears and violently suppresses the
melee. The shock the next morning is
tangible when the Captain is found murdered in his cabin. There is a note that attempts others to
believe he took his own life, but Spider knows that’s impossible.
The rest of the novel is Spider’s attempt to solve the
mystery of the murderer. As in any
Spider John mystery, almost every character has one or more reasons to commit
the alleged crime. And there are numerous
fights in between the insults and dark dialogue flying among this motley crowd.
Was the murder committed by one of the two pirates who
actually savor the way they murder their victims? Was it the red-headed gal who is as good as
any male pirate? Who set the trap and what’s the danger from the Royal Navy that
they could all be arrested and hung?
Steve Goble writes a dashing, adventurous yarn that is so
enjoyable one wants to read more tales of winning pirates. Recommend this historical fiction for a
nerve-biting, hairy rollercoaster ride to freedom – one hopes!
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