The Wreckers

John Spencer fears he is a sole survivor of a shipwreck along Cornwall's rocky coast but discovers his father is still alive. Can John rescue his father from the murderous wreckers who are holding his Dad prisoner.

An “entertaining” historical investigation into the scavengers who have profited off the spoils of maritime disasters (The Washington Post). Even today, Britain’s coastline remains a dangerous place. It is an island soaked by four separate seas, with shifting sand banks to the east, veiled reefs to the west, powerful currents above, and the world’s busiest shipping channel below. The country’s offshore waters are strewn with shipwrecks—and for villagers scratching out an existence along Britain’s shores, those wrecks have been more than simply an act of God; in many cases, they have been the difference between living well and just getting by. Though Daphne du Maurier and Poldark have made Cornwall famous as Britain’s most notorious region for wrecking, many other coastal communities regarded the “sea’s bounty” as a way of providing themselves with everything from grapefruits to grand pianos. Some plunderers were held to be so skilled that they could strip a ship from stem to stern before the Coast Guard had even left port. Some were rumored to lure ships onto the rocks with false lights, and some simply waited for winter gales to do their work. This book uncovers tales of ships and shipwreck victims—from shoreline orgies so Dionysian that few participants survived the morning to humble homes fitted with silver candelabra, from coastlines rigged like stage sets to villages where everyone owns identical tennis shoes. Spanning three hundred years of history, The Wreckers examines the myths, realities, and superstitions of shipwrecks and uncovers the darker side of life on Britain’s shores. “Bathurst, who won a Somerset Maugham Award for The Lighthouse Stevensons, offers a spellbinding tale of seafaring men, their ships and the ocean that cares for neither.” —Publishers Weekly “A fascinating, haunting account of pillagers, plunderers, and pirates.” —John Burnett, author of Dangerous Waters: Modern Piracy and Terror on the High Seas

True stories of Keys wreckers, the daring seamen who saved lives and property from ships cast up on the Florida Reef.

Today, on the Keys between Key West and the mainland, some forty thousand residents and thousands of visitors fish, swim, sail and dive int he crystal clear waters off a tropical reef; relax in the sun adn cooling trade wind breezes; and sleep in the air-conditioned comfort of their homes and hotel rooms. On these same islands, as short a time as eighty years ago, fewer than three hundred inhabitants tried to eke out a living without benefit of electricity, running water, radios, or telephones. The stories of these hard pioneers and their predecessors, as far back as the Native Americans who lived on the Keys at least one thousand years ago, are told, many for the first time, in this book.

Despite the stormiest weather he can remember, Edward is looking forward to his holiday with his parents in Cornwall. They are staying with his elderly aunt in a large old house by the sea. From the photos he has seen of the place, Edward is sure that the house could well be haunted – or at the very least there might be secret tunnels and passages hidden behind the wooden panelled walls. Either way, it is sure to be fun exploring the old house.But he does not have to wait until he reaches his aunt’s house for odd things to happen. His parents are delayed and he has to travel alone on the train. A spooky incident at the station, strange happenings on the train and a bizarre lamp-lit boat ride along dark flooded lanes are just the beginning of a holiday he will never forget.What starts off as fun when he meets the ghosts of a young girl and her pet cat soon becomes something far more sinister and dangerous. Edward and his new friends are caught up in a life and death race to save the ship his parents are travelling to Cornwall on from becoming the latest victim of an evil band of undead pirates.A wild chase on jet skis along flooded lanes and a struggle to the death on top of the church tower, backlit by the lightning of the worst storm in living memory, all leads to the thrilling finale. Edward, Bruce the grumpy Scottish terrier, Lucy and Sam must work together to stop The Wreckers – and Bruce must escape the clutches of Su Lu, a besotted Vietnamese pot-bellied pig.

Red Read doesn’t set out to find trouble, but trouble sure has a way of findinghim. Expelled from school, he is whisked off by Captain Black Bowen, one ofthe most infamous smugglers ever to ply the coast of northern Australia inthe early years of the twentieth century. Together they battle demon storms,crazed pirates and killer diseases while hunting down a great lost treasure.Non-stop action, adventure and excitement!