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Tod Moran series #1
The Tattooed Man
A tale of strange adventures, befalling Tod Moran, mess boy of the tramp steamer "Araby," upon his first voyage from San Francisco to Genoa, via the Panama Canal.
332 pages
First published January 1, 1926
2 people are currently reading
119 people want to read
About the author
Howard Pease
146 books7 followersHoward Pease was an American writer of adventure stories from Stockton, California. Most of his stories revolved around a young protagonist, Joseph Todhunter ("Tod") Moran, who shipped out on tramp freighters during the interwar years.
Pease received two literary awards during his lifetime. In 1944, he received the California Commonwealth Book Award for his novel Thunderbolt House (reprinted by Scholastic as Mystery at Thunderbolt House, published that year, and in 1946 he was awarded the Children's Book Award from the Children's Book Committee at Bank Street College of Education "for a book that deals realistically with problems in the child's world" for his novel Heart of Danger.
Pease received two literary awards during his lifetime. In 1944, he received the California Commonwealth Book Award for his novel Thunderbolt House (reprinted by Scholastic as Mystery at Thunderbolt House, published that year, and in 1946 he was awarded the Children's Book Award from the Children's Book Committee at Bank Street College of Education "for a book that deals realistically with problems in the child's world" for his novel Heart of Danger.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
October 24, 2007
This was really fun escape from reality. My copy was printed in 1929. I don't know if it is currently in print or if anything by this author is now. I'd love to read more of him, and this type of "trash" literature/ "pulp fiction." I got it when an old lady moved out from across the street. I saw the family boxing and moving stuff one summer, so I offered them to join my garage sale I was planning. They said, "please, just take this stuff and sell it yourself, we really don't want to deal with it. Our mom has been living here forever and is getting too old to deal with another Tahoe winter, so we're relocating her to Carson." Wow, that lady had alot of cool stuff. That garage sale was a great experience in giving/sharing. I'll have to elaborate on it in a future blog. I gave 1/2 the proceeds to my favorite charity, Heifer.org.
If you like this book, I recomend the author (Robert?)Mitchner. He wrote around the same time, and something about the style and characters reminds me of what I've read of him. "The fires of Spring" and "the Drifters" are 2 of my favorite all time books. Reading Mitchner is an easy history lesson--"historic novels" I guess is his genre.
If you like this book, I recomend the author (Robert?)Mitchner. He wrote around the same time, and something about the style and characters reminds me of what I've read of him. "The fires of Spring" and "the Drifters" are 2 of my favorite all time books. Reading Mitchner is an easy history lesson--"historic novels" I guess is his genre.
June 18, 2022
This book was such a surprise. The copy I have was printed in 1926 and was gifted to me to put on a coffee table because I had been looking for old books for such a purpose. After looking at it for a few years now on the previously mentioned table, I thought to myself: "Let's give it a try!". I couldn't be happier that I did. This was a wonderful adventure novel with a little bit of mystery. Sailors on the high seas, interesting dynamics between the different crews, and an easy to follow storyline. It had me wondering: "Do I, Kyle, want to be a sailor now?!", Of course not, it's 2021 and wouldn't be the same. But hang me if I didn't enjoy reading about them and the travels in this book!
December 26, 2020
Why didn't I have these books sooner? This is the story of Tod Moran, brother to the currently missing Neil Moran. Certain there was dirty work involved, he goes on board as a cook's boy, to find out where his brother disappeared to, but can he keep his head when Neil's enemies lurk around every aisle and cabin?
A rollicking and heart wrenching story, about the love and devotion of brothers, and the coming of age.
A rollicking and heart wrenching story, about the love and devotion of brothers, and the coming of age.
April 30, 2018
(FROM MY BLOG) In 2016, I wrote of my rediscovery of Howard Pease, the author of many boys' adventure books I read when I was about 12 and 13. I had forgotten both the names of the books and the name of the author, until a friend happened to mention Pease's name in a way that caused the pieces to fall into place.
And so I wrote my review of Thunderbolt House in September 2016. But Thunderbolt House, a story of the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, was not a typical Pease adventure. Pease is famous as a writer of sea adventures, especially the "Tod Moran series." Pease was born in 1894 in Stockton, California, and graduated from college at Stanford. He interrupted his education to serve in World War I, and spent two of his summers while at the university working in the engine room of cargo ships.
He published 22 novels during his career, most of them about life at sea. He often criticized the "soft" stories that children's literature offered boys. His books emphasized the value of hard physical labor, courage, and a sense of adventure -- in addition to intelligence and sensitivity. As well as writing books, Pease was also a high school English teacher, and became principal of Los Altos high school, just south of Palo Alto.
All of his works have been out of print for some time. His first published work -- and introduction to the Tod Moran stories -- was The Tattooed Man (pub. 1926), a copy of which I purchased this week. The book went through a number of printings, but I purchased a paperback edition printed in 1948. The 1961 paperback reprinting of Thunderbolt House, which I purchased second hand, showed a cover price of 35 cents. My copy of The Tattooed Man, printed 14 years earlier in a similar format, probably sold for 20 or 25 cents. I bought it used, with yellowing, somewhat fragile pages, but otherwise in reasonably good shape, for only $35 through Amazon.
Needless to say, Pease's books aren't available on Kindle.
The Tattooed Man introduces us to 17-year-old Tod Moran as he walks out of San Francisco's Ferry Building, onto the Embarcadero, looking for Pier 43. His older brother, Neil, had served for a couple of years as a purser on a cargo ship, sending post cards and letters home from romantic locations to a starry-eyed younger brother. Then, the cards and letters suddenly stopped coming. Tod plans to visit the shipping company at Pier 43, and find out what happened.
Something mysterious is afoot, and he ends up signing on as mess boy on the company's almost-derelict cargo ship, the Araby, bound for Marseilles via the Panama Canal. By the end of the first day at sea, all of Tod's romantic images of life at sea, derived from excessive reading of boys' literature, have been dashed. The life of a crewman, as opposed to an officer, is a life hard and brutish.
But also instructive, both to Tod and to us as readers. Although the plot is a bit melodramatic, with skullduggery and insurance fraud afoot, the descriptions of how a ship worked -- at least in the 1920s -- and how it was manned are informative and fascinating. And not just for "young adults." Without trying to outline the plot, we follow Tod and the Araby through a California coastal storm and Tod's first seasickness, through the Canal, across the Atlantic, and into port in Marseilles. Tod's adventures then continue ashore, mostly afoot, from Marseilles to Antibes, near Cannes.
Tod is a resourceful young man, who -- despite being considered a rich "toff" -- learns to survive, living and working shoulder to shoulder with overworked, bitter, and definitely non-genteel crewmen. He is lured into a boxing match with a vicious, tough, and muscular engine room worker, and wins because of his high school boxing lessons and sharper wit. Although everyone, including Tod, throws around language that we consider offensive today -- "Chink," "wop," "nigger" are examples -- and although we are assured that all the men and officers swear obscenely and grotesquely, the oaths we hear are such as "Sufferin' catfish," and "drat," and "golly."
Needless to say, Tod does find his brother, and the forces of evil are averted. He arrives back in San Francisco, glad to be on dry land once more. Would he ever sail again? He isn't certain. The book concludes:
Pease based The Tattooed Man on two of his own voyages as a crew member, and on a walking trip he took as a student from Marseilles into Italy.
These were books that strongly attracted young teenage boys in the 1950s. The fact that they have gone out of print suggests that kids now find them too dated to be interesting. Most young adult literature is now written by women for, primarily, girls. Those books that are intended more for boys tend to show boys how to understand their feelings and how to handle their social relationships with others. Without disparaging that kind of story, I'd like to believe that books that encourage adventure and physical courage can still find a teenage audience -- and, in today's world, with girls as well as with boys.
And so I wrote my review of Thunderbolt House in September 2016. But Thunderbolt House, a story of the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, was not a typical Pease adventure. Pease is famous as a writer of sea adventures, especially the "Tod Moran series." Pease was born in 1894 in Stockton, California, and graduated from college at Stanford. He interrupted his education to serve in World War I, and spent two of his summers while at the university working in the engine room of cargo ships.
He published 22 novels during his career, most of them about life at sea. He often criticized the "soft" stories that children's literature offered boys. His books emphasized the value of hard physical labor, courage, and a sense of adventure -- in addition to intelligence and sensitivity. As well as writing books, Pease was also a high school English teacher, and became principal of Los Altos high school, just south of Palo Alto.
All of his works have been out of print for some time. His first published work -- and introduction to the Tod Moran stories -- was The Tattooed Man (pub. 1926), a copy of which I purchased this week. The book went through a number of printings, but I purchased a paperback edition printed in 1948. The 1961 paperback reprinting of Thunderbolt House, which I purchased second hand, showed a cover price of 35 cents. My copy of The Tattooed Man, printed 14 years earlier in a similar format, probably sold for 20 or 25 cents. I bought it used, with yellowing, somewhat fragile pages, but otherwise in reasonably good shape, for only $35 through Amazon.
Needless to say, Pease's books aren't available on Kindle.
The Tattooed Man introduces us to 17-year-old Tod Moran as he walks out of San Francisco's Ferry Building, onto the Embarcadero, looking for Pier 43. His older brother, Neil, had served for a couple of years as a purser on a cargo ship, sending post cards and letters home from romantic locations to a starry-eyed younger brother. Then, the cards and letters suddenly stopped coming. Tod plans to visit the shipping company at Pier 43, and find out what happened.
Something mysterious is afoot, and he ends up signing on as mess boy on the company's almost-derelict cargo ship, the Araby, bound for Marseilles via the Panama Canal. By the end of the first day at sea, all of Tod's romantic images of life at sea, derived from excessive reading of boys' literature, have been dashed. The life of a crewman, as opposed to an officer, is a life hard and brutish.
But also instructive, both to Tod and to us as readers. Although the plot is a bit melodramatic, with skullduggery and insurance fraud afoot, the descriptions of how a ship worked -- at least in the 1920s -- and how it was manned are informative and fascinating. And not just for "young adults." Without trying to outline the plot, we follow Tod and the Araby through a California coastal storm and Tod's first seasickness, through the Canal, across the Atlantic, and into port in Marseilles. Tod's adventures then continue ashore, mostly afoot, from Marseilles to Antibes, near Cannes.
Tod is a resourceful young man, who -- despite being considered a rich "toff" -- learns to survive, living and working shoulder to shoulder with overworked, bitter, and definitely non-genteel crewmen. He is lured into a boxing match with a vicious, tough, and muscular engine room worker, and wins because of his high school boxing lessons and sharper wit. Although everyone, including Tod, throws around language that we consider offensive today -- "Chink," "wop," "nigger" are examples -- and although we are assured that all the men and officers swear obscenely and grotesquely, the oaths we hear are such as "Sufferin' catfish," and "drat," and "golly."
Needless to say, Tod does find his brother, and the forces of evil are averted. He arrives back in San Francisco, glad to be on dry land once more. Would he ever sail again? He isn't certain. The book concludes:
The Araby's upper decks lay deserted. Her funnel and foremast towered black against the blazing sky. Gulls swooped and wheeled about them, settled upon the bridge rails, upon the lifeboats, peering with curious eyes down at the galley. A departing cargo liner went by toward the headlands, and the gulls, with raucous cries, rose in circles and winged their way to sea.What do you think? Even forgetting that this was only the first book of the Tod Moran series!
Pease based The Tattooed Man on two of his own voyages as a crew member, and on a walking trip he took as a student from Marseilles into Italy.
These were books that strongly attracted young teenage boys in the 1950s. The fact that they have gone out of print suggests that kids now find them too dated to be interesting. Most young adult literature is now written by women for, primarily, girls. Those books that are intended more for boys tend to show boys how to understand their feelings and how to handle their social relationships with others. Without disparaging that kind of story, I'd like to believe that books that encourage adventure and physical courage can still find a teenage audience -- and, in today's world, with girls as well as with boys.
January 27, 2015
An old fashioned adventure book set at sea and San Francisco.
March 10, 2023
Our protagonist is Tod Moran. He’s a young lad in high school. His brother has been paying his tuition and his livelihood by working on a steamboat out of the San Francisco harbor. He sends Tod letters of his adventures on the boat. Tod has completely romanticized this lifestyle and reads boat pulp in his spare time. One day the checks stop coming in and Tod heads down to the docks to find out what happened to his bro. He meets with the owner of the company. The owner informs him that his brother stole a bunch of money and jumped ship in France. Tod is definitely not having this guy accuse his brother of shenanigans but keeps his cool and walks out. The cute little secretary pulls Tod to the side and tells him the company is corrupt, don’t believe that guy, and basically that she was dating his brother and she’s worried also. She tells him to get a job aboard the next steamer going out and find out what happened. He’s all in.
We are introduced to the Tattooed Man by way of Tod creeping on the docks. The Tattooed Man is the cook of the ship. He is berating a lowly Chinese boy who was his mess boy. Obviously, being written in the 1920’s there is some language in this book that is not the “preferred nomenclature.” Asian American, please. Tod is now wary of this ominous man with the gnarly tattoos all over his body. Which, once again, this is the 1920’s, it was rare and relegated only to those on the very outskirts of society. But he gets the job on the steamer anyway as the new mess boy.
Over the course of the trip to Genoa Italy Tod investigates the disappearance of his brother. He is hazed by the hardened sea dogs on the ship. He is bullied by the intimidating first mate, a man just as gnarly as the cook. The two seem to know each other well. Who on the steamer was sailing with his brother last voyage? Who can he trust?
Along the way Tod learns the true way of life of a steamboat crew member. It destroys his previous romantic fantasies of life on the sea. It’s a sweltering hellhole full of ornery assholes. He has a bare-knuckle boxing match below decks. Goes swimming and has a run in with some hungry sharks. Drugs. Kidnappings. Corruption. Conspiracy. France. Italy. Panama. Swamps. Guns. Fist fights. This book checked so many boxes for me. The mystery was interesting and well thought out. I found myself throughout my day wondering what would happen to lil’ Tod Moran next. This sucker was rough and tough. I looked more into the series and realized this was marketed to kids. Or teenagers, I guess. I didn’t find it to be young adult at all. But kids were a hell of a lot tougher in 1927 than 2023, right? Woah, I just realized this is almost a 100 years old. Crazy.
We are introduced to the Tattooed Man by way of Tod creeping on the docks. The Tattooed Man is the cook of the ship. He is berating a lowly Chinese boy who was his mess boy. Obviously, being written in the 1920’s there is some language in this book that is not the “preferred nomenclature.” Asian American, please. Tod is now wary of this ominous man with the gnarly tattoos all over his body. Which, once again, this is the 1920’s, it was rare and relegated only to those on the very outskirts of society. But he gets the job on the steamer anyway as the new mess boy.
Over the course of the trip to Genoa Italy Tod investigates the disappearance of his brother. He is hazed by the hardened sea dogs on the ship. He is bullied by the intimidating first mate, a man just as gnarly as the cook. The two seem to know each other well. Who on the steamer was sailing with his brother last voyage? Who can he trust?
Along the way Tod learns the true way of life of a steamboat crew member. It destroys his previous romantic fantasies of life on the sea. It’s a sweltering hellhole full of ornery assholes. He has a bare-knuckle boxing match below decks. Goes swimming and has a run in with some hungry sharks. Drugs. Kidnappings. Corruption. Conspiracy. France. Italy. Panama. Swamps. Guns. Fist fights. This book checked so many boxes for me. The mystery was interesting and well thought out. I found myself throughout my day wondering what would happen to lil’ Tod Moran next. This sucker was rough and tough. I looked more into the series and realized this was marketed to kids. Or teenagers, I guess. I didn’t find it to be young adult at all. But kids were a hell of a lot tougher in 1927 than 2023, right? Woah, I just realized this is almost a 100 years old. Crazy.
Read
April 5, 2021To be clear, there's racial slurs that start up early and continue on through. Racism is woven through the plot and characters. It was what I prepared for, if not what I remembered.
Elements of it hold nostalgia for when it was read to me as a child, likely edited somewhat.
I'm glad to read it now with more knowledgeable eyes.
Elements of it hold nostalgia for when it was read to me as a child, likely edited somewhat.
I'm glad to read it now with more knowledgeable eyes.
October 3, 2022
Excellent roller-coaster plot, great characters, and stellar setting. Marred by 1926 racism and a bit stereotyped in the minor characters, but overall a great read for a book almost 100 years old.
July 18, 2014
Who is the tattooed man? He is the cook on the tramp freighter Araby and the first man on the sailing vessel to take Tod Moran under his wing and help him find his place among his shipmates. Tod, 17 years old and not quite finished with high school, has joined the freighter as cabin boy and cook's assistant in the hopes that he can find clues that will explain the disappearance of his older brother from a freighter of the same line.
Rumor has it that Neil (his brother), who was ship's purser at the time, jumped ship in France--taking a good portion of the freighter's money with him. Tod knows his brother and knows that he would never do such a thing. He's convinced that there has been foul play somewhere and he is determined to prove his brother's innocence. But before he can do that, he must prove to his shipmates that he is no cowardly land-lubber and that he can hold his own in a fight with one of the burliest men aboard.
Tod also has to decide whom he can trust. A young woman who works in the freight company's office knew his brother and had told Tod to make friends with the first mate. That the first mate would be able to help him find out what happened to Neil. But Tod's instincts tell him that the first mate has no concern for anyone but himself. The captain is in a constant fog from drink. The men with whom he shares his bunk space only want to tease him and make things difficult. And the tattooed cook? There appears to be more to him than meets the eye....but is that a good thing? Or will the cook ultimately turn him over to the officers who seem to be up to no good?
Tod's search for his brother and the means to prove his innocence makes for a good old-fashioned "Boys Own Adventure." Lots of action, mysterious doings, nefarious bad guys, and good guys in hiding make for lots of fun in this early 20th Century book by Howard Pease. Pease, a teacher of 7th and 8th grade, was tired of, as he saw it, the predominance of female writers of adventure stories in the early 1900s. So, he began writing stories that he thought portrayed real boys and young men having exciting adventures. His aim was to create a hero who was just brave enough to see the adventures through--but no superman. Tod has to learn the trade of a seaman--he doesn't come equipped with the skills to sail a boat (and operate any other piece of machinery that might come his way). He even starts the voyage with an honest-to-goodness bout of seasickness. He shows the expected fear of men who could overpower him--but is willing to take them on if necessary. He's just an average guy hoping to find his brother--and along the way he begins to learn what it means to be a man.
Good solid adventure story. Take it as read that a book from 1926 is not politically correct by today's standards. But the story itself is entertaining and Tod is a very engaging character.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
Rumor has it that Neil (his brother), who was ship's purser at the time, jumped ship in France--taking a good portion of the freighter's money with him. Tod knows his brother and knows that he would never do such a thing. He's convinced that there has been foul play somewhere and he is determined to prove his brother's innocence. But before he can do that, he must prove to his shipmates that he is no cowardly land-lubber and that he can hold his own in a fight with one of the burliest men aboard.
Tod also has to decide whom he can trust. A young woman who works in the freight company's office knew his brother and had told Tod to make friends with the first mate. That the first mate would be able to help him find out what happened to Neil. But Tod's instincts tell him that the first mate has no concern for anyone but himself. The captain is in a constant fog from drink. The men with whom he shares his bunk space only want to tease him and make things difficult. And the tattooed cook? There appears to be more to him than meets the eye....but is that a good thing? Or will the cook ultimately turn him over to the officers who seem to be up to no good?
Tod's search for his brother and the means to prove his innocence makes for a good old-fashioned "Boys Own Adventure." Lots of action, mysterious doings, nefarious bad guys, and good guys in hiding make for lots of fun in this early 20th Century book by Howard Pease. Pease, a teacher of 7th and 8th grade, was tired of, as he saw it, the predominance of female writers of adventure stories in the early 1900s. So, he began writing stories that he thought portrayed real boys and young men having exciting adventures. His aim was to create a hero who was just brave enough to see the adventures through--but no superman. Tod has to learn the trade of a seaman--he doesn't come equipped with the skills to sail a boat (and operate any other piece of machinery that might come his way). He even starts the voyage with an honest-to-goodness bout of seasickness. He shows the expected fear of men who could overpower him--but is willing to take them on if necessary. He's just an average guy hoping to find his brother--and along the way he begins to learn what it means to be a man.
Good solid adventure story. Take it as read that a book from 1926 is not politically correct by today's standards. But the story itself is entertaining and Tod is a very engaging character.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
February 4, 2025
first read of 25' HOORAY
...and it has sailors!
p.s. thank u dad for the physical copy
...and it has sailors!
p.s. thank u dad for the physical copy
December 21, 2015
The sea stories of Howard Pease were among the favorites of my boyhood. A combination of adventure at sea with mysteries. I just reread The Tattooed Man. Tod Moran a seventeen year old from Stockton CA goes to sea to find his brother who has not been heard from for some time. He meets a huge tattooed ship's cook who guides him through many dangers. First published in 1926 this was one of my father's favorites as well as mine. Set at a time when ships still were run by steam with firemen shoveling coal below decks it is full of exotic high adventure. Pease's books may not be found in too many school libraries today. The language of the 1920s includes some terms considered racist now ; characters like Tony the Wop and Squarehead Swede Jorgensen would not be used today nor should they be. Other ethnic slurs are heard too,While Pease's characters make racist statements he never portrayed nonwhites are evil or villains. The bad guys of all of his stories were white.
January 8, 2015
This is a book I remembered fondly from reading it 50+ years ago and got second-hand to give to grandsons for that reason. A re-read last year supported by memory that Pease wrote far above the literary level of "Victor Appleton" and "Franklin W. Dixon." He did for tramp steamers what Allan Villiers and Armstrong Sperry and Stephen W. Meader (to name three) did for tall ships.
This book is the first in a series about the same characters. It has mystery, not over-hyped, and authenticity. I like fantasy fiction all right, but there must still be a place for realistic non-urban, pre-computer reading material about adventure as well. Pease can be a bridge for tweens to Stevenson and Conrad.
I promise to update this review with my grandson's comments in the not- too-likely event that he reads the book. This could be all a nostalgia trip for me!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_P... interesting bio of the writer.
This book is the first in a series about the same characters. It has mystery, not over-hyped, and authenticity. I like fantasy fiction all right, but there must still be a place for realistic non-urban, pre-computer reading material about adventure as well. Pease can be a bridge for tweens to Stevenson and Conrad.
I promise to update this review with my grandson's comments in the not- too-likely event that he reads the book. This could be all a nostalgia trip for me!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_P... interesting bio of the writer.
October 15, 2015
This is the classic of boy-runs-away-to-sea, and it introduces the ensemble cast that is to dominate these stories for 30 years under his hand, and considerably longer on the bookshelves of American boys. Here we find our introduction to Captain Jarvis, the steady guiding hand to generations of boys and men.
Pease's full stories were printed in American Boy Magazine and illustrated by the renowned artist Anton Otto Fischer whose graphic work was found on many covers such as The Saturday Evening Post.
If you are interested in the artwork that illustrated Pease's stories, go to:
Pease Images
Pease's full stories were printed in American Boy Magazine and illustrated by the renowned artist Anton Otto Fischer whose graphic work was found on many covers such as The Saturday Evening Post.
If you are interested in the artwork that illustrated Pease's stories, go to:
Pease Images
August 18, 2008
The Tatooed Man is a boys adventure book written by Howard Pease in 1926 when most children's books were written by women. Pease considered the lack of boys books to be a serious issue and his work reflects that, sometimes misogynistic, philosophy.
The Tatooed Man is the first book to feature William Todhunter (Tod) Moran and his nautical adventures on freighters plying the ocean ways.
Tod drops out of school and signs onto the Araby sailing to Marseille in the hopes of finding out what happened to his disgraced brother. Working in the kitchen he encounters the cook, the titular character, and many adventures.
I loved this book as a boy and it holds up reasonably well as an adult. I would recommend it to any young person that dreams of adventure and excitement.
The Tatooed Man is the first book to feature William Todhunter (Tod) Moran and his nautical adventures on freighters plying the ocean ways.
Tod drops out of school and signs onto the Araby sailing to Marseille in the hopes of finding out what happened to his disgraced brother. Working in the kitchen he encounters the cook, the titular character, and many adventures.
I loved this book as a boy and it holds up reasonably well as an adult. I would recommend it to any young person that dreams of adventure and excitement.
August 26, 2009
H.Pease was a friend of my parents.He named a character in one of his books after my older brother (Pat Patterson). His books were great fun for young teens, Thunderbolt House for girls and his sea stories for boys.
October 31, 2010
Fun read. A reminder of childhood. Enjoy it as much now as I did then. Hard books to find but very enjoyable if you get the chance. But you must like sea adventures and mysteries to really get the full favor of the book.
March 31, 2013
Adventure on the high seas like they just don't write anymore. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
June 24, 2013
A classic, ripping yarn in all the best senses of the term.
October 20, 2018
This is the book that caught the imagination of a ten year old boy during his quest for a baseball cap. I remember sitting with it in the tiny library on La Plante street, wondering as I stared at the final page, if I could be a writer too. Pease was an elementary school principal who wrote mysteries for boys in the pulp fiction style. He dropped large, wriggling clues at critical moments. I don't know if he ever felt he should up his game and write for adults like Chandler, whom I also admire. To me it doesn't matter. I had as much fun reading this book now as I did then.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews