Adventures of a Culinary Pirate Captain

Source: Goodreads

The Last Pirate at Fort Matanzas by Charles Frankhauser (Self-Published, 2013, 118pp.)

As he lies on his deathbed in the infirmary of a prison in St. Augustine, Madrid-born Alberto—a former pirate and restaurant owner—gives us his life story. Beginning with his humble origins as a gardener on a rich man’s garlic plantation, he was involuntary conscripted into Phillip II’s army. After being sent to serve as a cook aboard a merchant ship, he soon is taken hostage by pirates. Due to his ability to whip up a mean dish of Spanish rice, he is spared from walking the plank and is appointed cook. After the ship’s captain is killed, the crew picks Alberto as his successor, as he has been voted “the least likely person to get everyone killed.” The rest, as they say, is history. Comical, charming, irreverent, and highly recommended.

Bad Land

Source: Publisher Website

Bad Land by Jonathan Yanez (Limitless Publishing, 2013, 230pp.)

Marshall Montgomery, a troubled newspaper reporter, is shocked when he learns that one of the young women he interviewed for an internship position has been found dead in the middle of the road near Wakan Canyon. It’s clearly no hit and run incident: her wrists and ankles have been slashed, and she’s been completely drained of blood. Even worse, her murder mirrors that of his younger sister, who died mysteriously years ago. Determined to solve the mystery of her death, the well-meaning Marshall is soon swept up into the path of a war that has secretly been raging for centuries.

Bad Land is the literary equivalent of a summer action movie. I found myself a little bored at first, flipping through the pages and following what at first seems to be a standard cloak-and-dagger plot peopled with two-dimensional characters. However, the further I got into the book, the more I was intrigued by the turn of events, and—to my surprise—found myself interested in the possible sequel to follow. It’s not an outstanding book, but it certainly isn’t bad, either. Recommended for fans of the action/adventure genre.