Packed with as much excitement and adventure as its predecessors (The Wreckers
and The Smugglers), Lawrence's conclusion to the High Seas trilogy opens as John Spencer, now 17 and a seasoned sailor, takes his shift steering the Dragon
(purchased by his father in The Smugglers) and spots a lifeboat. On their way from England to the Indies carrying a cargo of wool, the Dragon's crew members get their first taste of impending danger after they rescue from the lifeboat a stranger whose mysterious history connects him to a crew massacred by a band of pirates led by the malicious Captain Bartholomew Grace. As fate would have it, the Dragon
ends up playing a deadly game of cat and mouse with Grace's vessel, the Apostle. Tension mounts after the Dragon's captain is stricken with fever and it is up to John to steer his boat home to safety. This high-seas tale set in the 19th century offers plenty of full-blooded salty characters, cunning dialogue, surprises around every corner and a classic battle between good and evil. The author's first-hand knowledge of sailing and skill at building suspense will keep readers riveted from first page to last. Ages 10-up. (Aug.)
