Major Stede Bonnet was born in Barbados in 1688 to a family of prominent sugar planters. His title of "Major" had nothing to do with military service, but was bestowed as a member of land-owning aristocracy. He married Mary Allamby, had four children and in 1716...bought a sloop and became a pirate?! Bonnet was not the first gentleman to do so, William Dampier came of a similar background, but then again Dampier spent years as a crewman and battled through the jungle of Panama. Bonnet did not. Moss ascribes this rash decision to a form of dementia, and I have to agree. The life of a pirate is not one of carefree adventure and fun on the high seas. It takes true grit to stay alive, and Stede was out of his element. After successfully plundering four ships along VA thru NC, Stede challenges a Spanish man-o-war, which ends exactly as you can imagine. Escaping to Nassau, Stede teams up with one of the most infamous pirates of the Golden Age, Blackbeard. Walking "about in his Morning Gown," Stede took a backseat to Blackbeard's command, but at least proves useful during their raid of Charleston. Losing his crew to Blackbeard, Stede realizes too late that there is no going back.

This one is very good! I flew through it on my ride to Virginia and finished it this morning. Moss elaborates here and there as needed, without straying too far from Bonnet's story. He does not dance around the impact of slavery in Bonnet's Barbados nor the treatment of captured prisoners. I also appreciated Moss' effort to create a clear timeline between prizes and encounters, and consistently reminding the reader of the date. Moss also makes no assumptions about Bonnet's concern for his family, although Bonnet considered going to Portugal, to start over. So you can draw your own conclusions there. A short but excellent read! ( )