In the summer of 1631, the famous Dutch corsair and pirate Murad Reis raided the quiet fishing village of Baltimore, Ireland, and abducted 109 men, women, and children. Locked in the hold of two fast-sailing xebecs, they endured a brutal thirty-eight-day voyage down the coast of France and Spain to Algiers, where they were sold into slavery. This is the true story of their adventures during that horrific voyage and their lives as slaves in Algiers until they were ransomed fifteen years later by the British Parliament. This is a harrowing tale of piracy, faith, and human resilience. From the bestselling author of Playing Rudolf Hess, An Absolute Secret, Shipwrecked Lives, Kentucky Choirboy, and Remembrance Man comes this harrowing tale of piracy, faith, and human resilience about the white slave trade, which saw over a million European Christians forced into captivity in the Barbary States of North Africa between 1530 and 1780. Whole villages and towns in England, Ireland, France, Italy, Spain, and even Iceland were depopulated by pirate slavers who captured men, women, and children and brought them to North Africa, where they were sold to the highest bidder. It is hard to believe, but today there are over 100 million descendants of white slaves living in Europe, North America, and the Middle East. Their ancestors were among the 35,000 white slaves living in Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli in the 17th century.
"KIDNAPPED BY PIRATES, SOLD INTO SLAVERY, THEY STRUGGLE TO SURVIVE"
Reader Reviews:
"Raw, emotional and gripping are the best words for me to describe it. It was one of those "just one more chapter" scenarios at two o'clock in the morning." BookSirens
"A wonderful read!" S. Froebel, Canadian Bookworm
"A skillfully rendered fictional account of an obscure but fascinating slice of history." Kirkus Reviews, June 2023
"The Barbary Slave trade and in particular the kidnapping of almost an entire village, Baltimore, Ireland in the 1600s is covered so well in this historical novel. The book is fast-paced, it starts with action and then every page has another aspect that draws the reader in. I very nearly read the whole book in one sitting." BookSirens
"An amazing book, so well written. I never realized the extent of slavery, whole villages taken from the coasts of Ireland and the south coast of England… I strongly recommend this book. I have enjoyed reading it but have also learned so much." BookSirens
"An amazing tale of slavery that is part history and part fiction. The author is a fantastic storyteller! Terrible what these adults and children went through being transported to another country and then sold off as slaves. This is a must read; not just for the history buff, but for everyone! Five star book!" BookSirens
"This was extremely well written. Honestly, it read more as nonfiction than fiction some times with the author having an incredible and well-researched background of the world and the characters. The characters were so incredibly developed I was able to understand each of them, their motivations, reasonings and backgrounds. Quite literally they felt like real people. Honestly, there aren't enough words to do this book justice, it is one the most well-written and important books I've read, which I will think about for a long time." BookSirens
"Without a doubt, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It held my attention from the very beginning of the kidnapping in Baltimore, Ireland, through the very end, as the search continues. I thought the book was well written. It actually felt more like a nonfiction historical piece than a novel. So, my hat’s off to the author for that. The characters were very well developed, and I found myself very much cheering for certain ones throughout the book, especially, Emma. Overall, it’s a well-written book and I think people will enjoy it." BookSirens
"Only a true storyteller can pull the reader in and hold their interest until the very end. Kinsey does just that. Much like the Algerian Corsairs who abducted the villagers of Baltimore, Kinsey kidnaps our imagination in a truth-stranger-than-fiction tale that has one shaking their head in disbelief." J. Enlow, July 2023
“This book is a fictionalized account of the raid in Baltimore, Ireland in 1631 by pirates. Every single person in town that night was kidnapped or killed. They were taken to Algiers and sold on the slave market... The book was hard to put down. The stories presented were very moving. The book moves between different characters and progresses over the years. The deprivation they experienced, families torn apart, physical, sexual and mental abuse painted a very ugly picture. In the end, many were survivors who adapted to their new lives. The author did an excellent job with a tough subject.” BookSirens
“In the 1600's a whole fishing village in Baltimore, Ireland was kidnapped by a Turkish pirate. They are headed for Algiers to be sold on the slave market. This is a story of survival against all odds. I become very attached to the prisoners and their individual stories. There were several ship battles that were riveting as well. The first half of the book is about their voyage to Algiers and the second half is their life after being sold into slavery. I loved this book. I could not put it down. The characters are written very well. It is a very long book but I never felt it. I would recommend it to anyone who likes learning about history, adventure and intrigue.” BookSirens