The Indigo Ghosts

May 15, 2020
Clare consistently offers provocative, unusual stories, but her latest, set in Britain in 1604 and featuring physician Gabriel Taverner, is a real standout. Taverner, a former sailor, is surprised to receive a summons from his old captain, Ezekiel Colt, requesting his help aboard the Falco. When Gabe visits the ship on which he once sailed, he is met with a bizarre tale. Ezekiel and his crew claim the ship is haunted, with the hallucinatory sights, sounds, and smells they are experiencing seeming to emanate from a tiny space under the deck. What Gabe discovers is horrendous, but the aftermath is worse, combining piracy, brutality, betrayal, religious persecution, ancient magic, and, yes, the prospect of unimaginable treasure. Gabe's first priority is to help the small band of victims and then to understand the truth behind their mind-boggling story. A gripping and unique page-turner that juxtaposes brutal realism with an astonishing, otherworldly, magical adventure.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)