John Crabbe returns the John Swale Chronicles to tempestuous Scotland, with pirates at the helm. Notorious pirate John Crabbe finds himself facing defiant nobility on and off the water.

Author David Pilling deploys his excellent introductory skills to meld excitement and tension into the debut of his first sea bandit. The pace whips everything along so briskly that this short work feels even shorter than it really is. The variety of conflicts, both internal and external, keeps John Crabbe in choppy emotional waters while the action keeps it salty.

It's a harsh voyage to read, but one that offers all the expected thrills of piracy within the darker context of Scotland's impending warfare.