I struggled a bit with this book. Mark Keating is, quite clearly, extremely knowledgable about all things to do with sailing, especially in the 18thC. He writes with skill and confidence about sailing, pirates and the social and economic background of his tale. His characters are drawn boldly and it's easy to picture each person as though they were standing in front of you, pistols and swords at the ready.
The story centres on the hunt for some letters, written by a French clergyman who lives in China and who has observed the fine details of Chinese porcelain making. These letters have been lost during the journey back from China to Europe and are now being sought by a shadowy fixer, who plans to use them in his own power games. Chinese porcelain was far superior to anything produced in Europe and owning the secret of its manufacture would make the owner a fortune, as well as giving him leverage in political power games.
The anti-hero of the story, the pirate Devlin, has to balance several personal aims and dangers, as well as avoiding capture by the forces of the British crown, when he takes on the quest for the letters. Through sea chases and battles across the Atlantic and the Caribbean, we follow his fortunes as they wax and wain. It's a rip roaring story of feuds, blood and mayhem in the traditional swashbuckling style.
However, the author appears to forget, or ignore, that not everyone who picks up his book is as familiar with sailing as he is. I almost got the feeling that he was doing it deliberately to show his superiority. Harsh? Perhaps, but I also struggled, occasionally, with his grammar. Sentences confused object and subject, leaving me to work out quite what he meant. He also slipped from one place, and one thread of the story, to another so quickly that I found myself re-reading several sentences to re-orientate myself.
All in all, a story spoiled unnecessarily.
Hunt for White Gold is published by Hodder and Stoughton, ISBN 978-0-340-99271-5
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