**SHORTLISTED FOR THE WILBUR SMITH ADVENTURE WRITING PRIZE ** 'A gripping tale of one woman's
extraordinary adventures ... Saltblood is a triumph of the imagination' ELODIE HARPER author
of 'The Wolf Den' trilogy 'A ravishing picaresque told with fireworks finesse and gusto'
PAUL LYNCH author of Prophet Song 'A well crafted salty old-fashioned adventure about
identity and freedom' The Times In a rented room outside Plymouth in 1685 a daughter is born
as her half-brother is dying. Her mother makes a decision: Mary will become Mark and Ma will
continue to collect his inheritance money. Mary's dual existence as Mark will lead to a role
as a footman in a grand house serving a French mistress to the navy learning who to trust
and how to navigate by the stars and to the army and the battlegrounds of Flanders finding
love among the bloodshed and the mud. But none of this will stop Mary yearning for the sea.
Drawn back to the water Mary must reinvent herself yet again for a woman aboard a ship is a
dangerous thing. This time Mary will become something more dangerous than a woman. She will
become a pirate. Breathing life into the Golden Age of Piracy Saltblood is a wild adventure
a treasure trove weaving an intoxicating tale of gender and survival passion and loss
journeys and transformation through the story of Mary Read one of history's most remarkable
figures. 'Saltblood is exquisite. The writing is sumptuous and lyrical the story fascinating'
LOUISE O'NEILL author of Asking for It and Idol 'A wonderful tale and so exquisitely told ...
Master and Commander meets Thelma & Louise' JAMES OSWALD author of the ?Inspector McLean'
series 'A thrilling gender-shaking roar of a tale every reader will enjoy' NEIL BLACKMORE
author of Radical Love
