The Tiger's Prey

August 15, 2017
Turning the time machine back to the 17th century, Smith (War Cry, 2017, etc.) shifts the Courtney family saga to Tom Courtney's battles with the British East India Company. Tom is persona non grata in England, suspected of murdering his brother Black Billy, but he's done well in exile. Currently he's trading along the East African coast. It's perilous, though. Tom must avoid the East India Company, which enforces its monopoly with its own military. There are also dread pirates. In fact, a recent confrontation cost Tom his ship. Now he's retreated to Cape Town to outfit a new ship, Kestrel. With his brother Dorian and their wives aboard, the Kestrel's fleet enough to slip into the East India Company's rich territory. All goes well until a monsoon tosses Tom's crew into the clutches of a vicious jungle queen. This time he loses Neptune, a sword presented to an ancestor by Sir Francis Drake. Along the way, Tom has discovered two long-lost nephews, one of whom goes rogue while the other joins Tom. Characters other than never-say-die Tom are realistic; but some interesting characters are introduced and immediately disappear. Skimming the surface rather than probing its depth, the story is all sails, swordplay, and sinister betrayal. Descriptions are spare yet proficient: ashore it's mostly monsoon, beastly heat, or cutthroat sultans atop war elephants while aboard ship, sailor-speak livens up the thoroughly cinematic battle scenes. There's some PG-rated sex, while the fight scenes include multiple dismemberments and a cringe-inspiring method of execution that will become the stuff of nightmares. A cyclone of nonstop action-adventure with enough swordplay and bodice-ripping to recall the Errol Flynn swashbuckler pirate movies of old.

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September 1, 2017
Smith (War Cry, 2016), with coauthor Harper (Zodiac Station, 2015), continues to log the seafaring exploits of the indefatigable Tom Courtney as well as those of the next generation of Courtney swashbucklers. Lives and destinies collide in the late eighteenth century as Tom, Francis, and Christopher Courtney set sail for exotic ports located in places that range from the tip of Africa to the rugged coast of the Indian subcontinent. Seeking enlightenment, independence, and revenge, each attempts to conquer his own inner demons as long-buried family secrets and scandals are revealed. In typical Courtney-series style, fashion, romance, action, and adventure await all three as they carve out their own distinct niches on the entangled Courtney family tree. Longtime fans won't be disappointed as another chapter in this cross-continental, multigenerational saga is chronicled.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

October 1, 2017

Smith's long-running "Courtney" series continues with Tom Courtney, the son of famed Sir Hal Courtney and hero of Monsoon and Blue Horizon, setting off on another swashbuckling historical adventure that moves from the shores of 18th-century India to Africa. When Tom loses an elegant family heirloom, known as the Neptune sword, he battles through fort sieges, pirate attacks, and even fighting his own family to regain the possession of this treasure. While Tom heads the story, other series cast members play significant roles in the twisted and sometimes dark plot, reminding us that a family legacy doesn't run in a straight line but twists from one place to another. VERDICT This harrowing and exciting epic tale of revenge, betrayal, and hope will thrill Smith's many fans and adventure fiction readers. [See Prepub Alert, 4/10/17.]--Ron Samul, New London, CT

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2017

In the next in a series launched in 1964 (talk about historical), Tom Courtney, the son of famed Sir Hal Courtney and hero of Monsoon and Blue Horizon, sails into the sunset in search of more adventure. More 17th-century-set thrills from blockbuster historical novelist Smith; with 150,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.