Playwright and novelist Humphreys reprises his swashbuckling hero in this action-packed prequel to last year’s Jack Absolute
. Back then, Jack was a British spy during the American Revolution. In this volume, Jack’s parents—an out-of-work actress and an itinerant soldier—leave the boy for much of his youth in the care of his drunken Uncle Duncan and abusive cousin Craster in the English countryside. Uncle Duncan’s untimely death leads to Jack’s reunion with his parents and a move to London, where he becomes a raconteur and fancies himself a poet. When the powerful Lord Melbury catches Jack in flagrante delicto with his mistress, he vows vengeance, but is instead killed by Jack’s father in a duel. To avoid retribution, Jack joins John Burgoyne’s 16th Light Dragoons and is posted to North America, arriving just in time for the battle of Quebec. Jack’s adventures in the New World are just beginning, however, as he’s captured by Indians, marooned in the wilderness over a harsh winter and reunited with the contemptible Craster—all the while wondering if he’ll make it back home to England. In Jack Absolute, Humphreys has created a rambunctious but lovable hero who should continue to win fans with each new adventure. (Oct.)
