It's 1865. The Civil War has ended. Our hero, Everett Townsend is cruising the coast for the Navy around Key West while he waits for his discharge. On one of his supply runs, he spots a shipwreck from a recent hurricane. Upon investigating the wreck, he finds some dead freedmen locked in a hold. Reporting this to his superiors at Key West gets him involved in a secret investigation about the disappearances of freedmen all along the Mississippi River.
It seems that certain Southern men have set up a scheme where they promise work to freedmen, get them on a ship, and then transport them to Cuba, where they are sold back in slavery. Everett is uniquely situated to investigate because his grandmother is a Cuban planter. She wants him to come home and take over the sugar plantation so she can retire. He just spent 4 years fighting against slavery. He'd rather work to make it illegal in Cuba too.
I don't get enough historical novels that tell a good story and aren't romances first. There is a romance in the book, but the freedmen investigation is primary. I felt Everett's frustration that what he fought against was something his grandmother wanted him to embrace. The book is well researched. The story is well told. I think, if you like history, you will like this book.
It seems that certain Southern men have set up a scheme where they promise work to freedmen, get them on a ship, and then transport them to Cuba, where they are sold back in slavery. Everett is uniquely situated to investigate because his grandmother is a Cuban planter. She wants him to come home and take over the sugar plantation so she can retire. He just spent 4 years fighting against slavery. He'd rather work to make it illegal in Cuba too.
I don't get enough historical novels that tell a good story and aren't romances first. There is a romance in the book, but the freedmen investigation is primary. I felt Everett's frustration that what he fought against was something his grandmother wanted him to embrace. The book is well researched. The story is well told. I think, if you like history, you will like this book.