Pieces Of Eight

Spider, a decent man forced into the violent pirate life years ago, is finally on the verge of leaving all that behind and reuniting with his wife, Emma, and the son he last saw as a baby. He and his friends&;Odin the ancient buccaneer and Hob the young swashbuckler&;are working as honest seamen aboard Minuet when the calm journey from England to Nantucket takes a dark turn. A shipmate is murdered while working aloft, and Spider can&;t help but try to figure out who the killer is&;even as his friend Odin warns him that getting involved might lead authorities to discover Spider&;s own piratical past. Ruth Copper, a beautiful and dangerous recent addition to Spider&;s crew, offers some warnings too. Spider John, however, hates unanswered questions. The investigation reveals more than simple murder, and Spider and his friends find themselves fighting against a shipboard conspiracy that explodes into violence. That encounter, along with unexpected developments at home while Spider was away at sea, sets the stage for another killing and a manhunt that sends Spider back into hiding and fighting for his life against cutthroats and thieves. By the time Spider is done thinking and fighting his way through all the obstacles to reach the truth, he finds himself confronted with more difficult life decisions&;and wondering whether the pirate life is perhaps the only place left for him.