Pirates & Privateers: David Donachie's Books

Going after a French frigate with twenty-eight guns may not be Harry Ludlow’s best move, but he can’t help himself. Fighting warships is in his blood, what he trained for before being forced out of the Royal Navy. Now, he toys with Verite despite the threat she poses to his Medusa and those aboard.

Even though he’s along for the ride and his health, James Ludlow questions his brother. The camaraderie they share allows this, but even James admits he’s a landlubber, an artist more in tune with the gentry than a seaman.

Somewhere out of sight, yet close by, are British warships on blockade duty. If Harry can lead Verite closer to them, he and his fellow countrymen will make short work of the French frigate. Except HMS Magnanime doesn’t do what Harry expects. First, she stands off and waits and Harry is both astonished and perplexed by the seventy-four-gun warship’s refusal to engage. In the ensuing but unequal fight, Harry suffers a head wound and blacks out. When he comes to, he and his brother are aboard Magnanime, Medusa is gone, and his men are aboard the French prize ship bound for England, forced to join the Royal Navy.

The British seventy-four is not a happy ship. Undercurrents and secrets, as well as the strange and awkward relationship between the captain and his first lieutenant, are not as they should be. Nor does it help that Harry and Magnanime’s captain have a past. When the first lieutenant is murdered and James is found holding the murder weapon, Harry has only a few days to unearth the mysteries aboard this ship and prove his brother’s innocence.

Set in 1793, The Devil’s Own Luck is the first book in The Privateersman Mysteries. Donachie captures your attention from the start and doesn’t release it until the story ends. The twists and turns echo the nail-biting sea duel between Magnanime and two French seventy-fours in the midst of a full-blown gale. Harry’s knowledge of this ship, having once served on her, and of the Royal Navy enrich the story. The characters are well drawn, each having his own personality that makes him stand out from the others. Donachie vividly shows the intricacies involved in gaining trust from strangers as well as what happens when past grudges lead to hatred that clouds one’s judgement. Treachery, life at sea in the Royal Navy, and the intricate differences between officers, seamen, and privateers hinder Harry at every turn. They also keep him and you guessing the identity of the murderer and his motive until the very end. For those unfamiliar with Donachie and his many books (like me), The Devil’s Own Luck serves as a great introduction. For those already familiar with his stories, this mystery is like getting reacquainted with old friends.