There’s plenty of action to enjoy throughout and from the ending it would see that there might even be more to come from Joshua Cabot.
A man finds himself aboard a merchant sailing ship on a voyage beset with challenges. In the midst of the California Gold Rush, Joshua Cabot is enticed with the promise of a fortune to establish his own laboratory to work as an assayist for a prominent gold company. But his life takes a devastating turn leading to him being “shanghai’d”, kidnapped to work aboard merchant ships struggling to make crew numbers. It isn’t smooth sailing as Joshua struggles with ship life, eventually using his knowledge and skills to find a place amongst the crew and make friends. Behind and struggling to fulfil the ships order in an ever changing world, the Pacifica faces restless waters in its journey towards China. This is an historical adventure story with all the ups and downs of a boat on choppy waters. I’ve read and enjoyed previous books by Curtis Stephen Burdick and can see that he has brought the same level of historical research, attention to detail and ability to succinctly create a detailed world to Shanghai’d. The different types of vessels, life at each of the ports and the political tensions and more are all well supplied background information that help to bring this story to life. Through the writing we get to know the crew of the Pacifica and in most cases, root for them to complete the voyage. There’s plenty of action to enjoy throughout and from the ending it would see that there might even be more to come from Joshua Cabot.
Charlotte Walker, A LoveReading Ambassador