G1180 Book Review of A bottle of Rum by Steve Goble

Name of Book: A Bottle of Rum

Author: Steve Goble

ISBN: 978-1-64506-003-1

Publisher: Seventh Street Books

Part of a Series: Spider John Mysteries

Type of book: 1723, pirates, insane asylum, mystery, violence, murder, cursing, Spider John, friendship, loyalty

Year it was published: 2019

Summary:

August, 1723 -- Spider John Rush believes he has escaped piracy forever. Enjoying rum and chess in a dark Lymington tavern, he dreams of finding passage to Nantucket to reunite with his beloved Em and to finally get to know the son he remembers only as a babe in arms, though the lad must be dreaming of going to sea himself by now. But when a lazy taverner is stabbed to death, one glance at the victim tells Spider the pirate life has followed him ashore and he cannot possibly ignore this bloody crime. The wise maneuver would be to run before authorities arrive, but Spider is denied that choice because he’s already deeply, connected to the crime—he fashioned the murder weapon with his own hands.

The knife was a gift to a young man, one who ran off with the notorious Anne Bonny before Spider could drag him into a respectable life.

Soon, Spider John and his ancient shipmate Odin are dodging accusations and battling smugglers on a trail that leads to a madhouse where patients are dying one by one. Spider finds himself tangling with a horribly maimed former shipmate, vengeful pirates, a gun-wielding brunette, a death-obsessed young woman, a sneaky farmhand and a philosopher engaged in frightening experiments. But death seems to be winning at Pryor Pond, and the next life lost may be the one Spider desperately wants to save.

Spider must brave sharp steel, musket balls, gunpowder bombs, dangerous women and gruesome surgery if he is to find his foolish young friend alive and try once again to put piracy in their past.

Characters:

Main characters include Spider John and Odin. Spider John is a former pirate who desires to get back to his beloved Em and their son. He is a talented carpenter, very observant, loyal and has a big heart. He also doesn't know how to read, I am surprised to learn and is terrified of birds. Odin is Spider JOHNS sidekick and a dear friend who claims to have sailed with Blackbeard the pirate and often tells tall tales about his own past. He is also heavily disfigured but a good fighter and is a sounding board for Spider John. Unfortunately a favorite character of mine, Hob, doesn't have a lot of limelight in this book. Secondary characters are also delightful, from a former associate to a woman pirate and even an ill patient that is fascinated by pain and death. 

Theme:

Nothing is what it seems

Plot:

This is written in third person narrative from Spider Johns point of view, and while it takes place on land, there are plenty of pirates and murders and violence hidden within the pages, as well as clues that don't seem to come together and that one has trouble figuring them out until the last few pages. I think the strong point of this book are the characters, which i found to be vivacious and jumping off the page so to speak. I highly look forward to Spider JOHNS further adventures.   

Author Information:
(From the book)

Steve Goble is the author of The Bloody Black Flag and The Devil's Wind, the first two Spider John mysteries. A former journalist, Goble now works for a cybesecurity and digital investigations firm. He lives in rural Ohio

Opinion:

Like the previous two books, a bottle of Rum by Steve GOBLE is definitely a smartly written mystery filled with my favorite characters, which are Spider John and Odin, although i really hope that 4th book will have more Hob. The characters, both main and secondary are very delightful and I hope to see more of the secondary characters in future installments. Although i don't care much for cursing or bad words, I would like to remind the readers that this is a pirate mystery, which includes cursing, violence and even murder. Along with that there is inclusion of knowledge, strong friendships and an intelligent tale where I wonder who and what and why along with Spider John and Odin. Also, while books are stand alone, readers will delight in some previous mentions of Spider JOHNS former pirate adventures. 

This was given to me for a review

4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)