Plunder ARC

by Adam Slutsky

England, 1713―The height of the Golden Age of Piracy. After a startling discovery on his 16th birthday in the cobwebbed recesses of his attic, Charlie Drake learns he is the descendant of the greatest navigator, explorer, and pirate the world has ever known―Sir Francis Drake. But with that newfound knowledge comes a mystery that only the contents of a booby-trapped three-lock box can solve. And Charlie doesn’t have the keys. So Charlie embarks on an epic adventure to strange and exotic lands where he’ll see incredible sights, face unimaginable dangers, make lasting friends and eternal enemies, and, with any luck, live long enough to find the keys needed to unlock the mysterious box. For only then will he discover his true identity and have any hope of fulfilling his destiny.

336 pages, Paperback

First published November 17, 2015

About the author

Hailing from the famed “Borscht Belt” region of Upstate New York’s Catskill Mountains, Adam grew up at the Nevele Resort & Country Club. If you saw Dirty Dancing, you have an inkling of Adam’s upbringing.

Adrenaline junkie tendencies and a unique skill set enabled Adam to kick off his literary career penning high octane feature articles for hip men’s lifestyle publications. When editors had a story idea that could get a journalist maimed or killed, they’d usually send Adam.

These participatory adventures resulted in Adam being shot, stabbed, tazed, stun-gunned, sapped, brass knuckled, water-boarded, choked out, knocked out, body-slammed, roundhouse-kicked, swimming with great white sharks sans cage, sky-diving sans parachute, BASE-jumping sans sanity, racing through Mexico in the Baja 1000, and racing across the USA in the original variation of the Gumball Rally.

Adam has dived for pirate treasure in the Caribbean, dug for buried artifacts in Europe, hunted for poachers guided by mercenaries in Africa, played poker with cartel kingpins in Juarez, thrown dice with Mafia enforcers in Brooklyn, scouted for UFOs with alien abductees in the Sonora Desert and, courtesy of a secondary degree in Cryptozoology from the University of Haiti in Port au Prince, taken part in Sasquatch safaris and other “crypto-quests” around the world.

Reviews

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a Young Adult book. A 16 year old boy goes on a quest to learn abut his father. He becomes a pirate in the process. Lots of pirate activity... treasure, killing, drinking, fighting ... but a good read.

[Cindy Vallar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plunder is non-stop, heart-thumping action from first page to last. The characters are vividly drawn and uniquely unforgettable. The violent world of pirates and privateers is realistically portrayed, while also showing that oftentimes brains over brawn win the day. Some subject matter in this coming-of-age tale may be unsuitable for the intended young readers aged eight to twelve, although older teens and even adults will savor the thrills of combat, plunder, and rowdy adventure that dominate the pages of this book.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This coming of age adventure novel sends sixteen year Charles Drake out on a British warship after he learns the truth about his natural father and receives items left for him. Charles has to deal with an unfriendly captain and crew and learn how to survive during his adventures. A good teen read. This was a free review copy from Turner Publishing.

[Mrs. Peterson]

Fun pirate tale--looks to be the first in a series.