Jonas Flynt as you've never seen him!

"Ship of Thieves", book 5 in the Company of Rogues series, opens in January 1718, shortly after the events of "A Thief's Blood". While attending an event with his love, Belle, Jonas Flynt is flabbergasted when his first love, Cassie, appears with their son, Jonas. She explains she needs his help - his stepmother, Mercy has been abducted and taken to New Providence, and his father, Gideon has headed off in pursuit. But Gideon is no longer young, and she appeals to Jonas to take ship to the West Indies and help rescue both Mercy and Gideon.

Jonas pays his employer, Colonel Nathaniel Charters, the courtesy of telling him of his mission. Although he initially refuses permission (which Jonas had not asked for) he changes his mind when he realises Flynt can help with a problem - to journey ahead of Woodes Rogers, whose mission it is to offer the pirates of New Providence a pardon in exchange for giving up their privateering ways. Unknown to Charters, Flynt also has been tasked with another job...

And so the reader and Flynt are plunged into a new world - literally. Flynt is transplanted from London, where he has resources, contacts, and a wealth of knowledge, to the other side of the world, where he finds himself a stranger in a strange land - he knows no-one, he doesn't know the people or their ways, except that everyone is after his blood. All he has are his wits, his sword cane, and of course, his pistols Tact and Diplomacy. Along the way, we learn a little more about Flynt, his parents, and the regrets he lives with every day. Flynt truly has become a three-dimensional character.

The author has very cleverly interwoven this tale with real-life events - from the mission of Woodes Rogers to re-establish British sovereignty of New Providence to the demise of the pirate Blackbeard. The story is full of actual characters including Benjamin Hornigold, Charles Vane, Woodes Rogers and Anne Bonney, (oh, and one other) all painted against the backdrop of the Bahamas and in particular Nassau, New Providence. At the heart of the story is the slave trade - the treatment of people as property, and Flynt has his work cut out fighting not just the slavers but the system.

Fans of the series will be pleased to see again Gabriel Cain, the Admiral, and the hidden and mysterious Fellowship.

If Robert Louis Stevenson was alive today, this is the story he would be writing. This surely has to be the finest book in the series so far. Full of drama, emotion, excitement and tragedy, it takes the reader from Edinburgh to London, to the West Indies. It also takes Jonas Flynt on a journey - one which will forever change the direction of his life. This story marks a very definite turning point in the adventures of Jonas Flynt, and while fans of the series are going to love it, they'll be champing at the bit for the next instalment. Maybe there's just time to go off and re-read "Treasure Island".

Highly recommended.

Definitely one of favourite series and author! I love both the characters and the plots. The author masterfully paints atmospheric settings whether in London or, like here, Nassau. I was hooked by this new novel from the first page. Mounting tension , through emotional as well as action and suspense didn't let down till the end. I was very intrigued by the conclusion and I am very pleased that Jonas Flynt will come back again. I can't wait! (part of a series but can be read as a standalone).
I received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I have voluntarily written an honest review.