David Hardy is one of the best current authors of historical
fiction, spinning yarns that are well-researched and exciting, as well as
fast-moving with more than a touch of pulp influence. In his latest short novel,
TRAIL OF THE SHARK, Tom Pepper is a Yankee sailer—a Quaker, to be precise—who
has a berth on a Portuguese trading ship that plies the waters along the south
China coast in the early Nineteenth Century.
The ship encounters pirates led by the notorious cutthroat known as Meng the Shark, and Pepper’s fiance, the daughter of the ship’s owner who happens to be on board, is kidnapped by the brigands while Pepper is left for dead. He’s not dead, though, and so, accompanied by one of his shipmates who also survived the attack, he sets out after the pirates in the hope of rescuing his fiance.
Unfortunately, he soon discovers that she threw herself overboard from the pirate ship and drowned rather than remain in captivity. This changes Pepper’s motivation—he’s after vengeance now—but not his quest to track down the Shark and settle accounts with him.
This turns out to be a long trail that Pepper has to follow. Along the way, he sets aside his Quaker beliefs and becomes a dangerous, bloody-handed adventurer himself, getting involved with a civil war, various untrustworthy politicians, and a mysterious warrior/monk. You know that eventually Pepper is going to get his showdown with Meng the Shark, and when that finally comes about, it certainly doesn’t disappoint.
Like many of the pulp authors he admires, Hardy manages to work a great deal of plot into a relatively short length. He creates a fine protagonist in Tom Pepper, too, and the supporting characters are colorful and interesting, as well. TRAIL OF THE SHARK is well-written and great fun, and if you’re a fan of fine historical adventure yarns, you definitely should check it out.
The ship encounters pirates led by the notorious cutthroat known as Meng the Shark, and Pepper’s fiance, the daughter of the ship’s owner who happens to be on board, is kidnapped by the brigands while Pepper is left for dead. He’s not dead, though, and so, accompanied by one of his shipmates who also survived the attack, he sets out after the pirates in the hope of rescuing his fiance.
Unfortunately, he soon discovers that she threw herself overboard from the pirate ship and drowned rather than remain in captivity. This changes Pepper’s motivation—he’s after vengeance now—but not his quest to track down the Shark and settle accounts with him.
This turns out to be a long trail that Pepper has to follow. Along the way, he sets aside his Quaker beliefs and becomes a dangerous, bloody-handed adventurer himself, getting involved with a civil war, various untrustworthy politicians, and a mysterious warrior/monk. You know that eventually Pepper is going to get his showdown with Meng the Shark, and when that finally comes about, it certainly doesn’t disappoint.
Like many of the pulp authors he admires, Hardy manages to work a great deal of plot into a relatively short length. He creates a fine protagonist in Tom Pepper, too, and the supporting characters are colorful and interesting, as well. TRAIL OF THE SHARK is well-written and great fun, and if you’re a fan of fine historical adventure yarns, you definitely should check it out.
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