Cayman Cross

PIRACY: On October 30, 1922, the Cuban Trading Schooner "Juana Mercedes" embarked on a journey that led her into a web of treachery, piracy and multiple murders off the Cayman Islands. Author Jack Scott’s just published novel, Cayman Cross, is a seafaring adventure based on this true story of piracy and murder in the Caribbean Sea, including the fate of the survivors who afterward landed in the Cayman Islands. But these events are just the beginning of the story. From the arrival of the Juana Mercedes in George Town two days later, Cayman Cross tracks the turmoil and intrigue surrounding the lives of the pirate-mutineers—two Caymanians and one Spaniard—who committed the crimes. The mystery and suspense of the story plays itself out over the following fifteen years to a gripping, last page climax. Cayman Cross is not just another swaggering, sword swinging parody of pirate legend. It is essentially the story of a handful of sailors and two young deck boys who fell into a tragedy of conspiracy and multiple murders. The players in this drama are more or less ordinary people who encounter extraordinary circumstances through which only a few survived. Perhaps as interesting as the story itself are Scott’s descriptions of the spectacularly beautiful turn of the century Caribbean islands of Cuba, the Cayman Islands and Jamaica, where the story played out. Likewise, the underlying historical research of the author brings us a rare and authentic portrait of life and times in the Cayman Islands, which served as the backdrop of the story. As one early reviewer wrote, “Cayman Cross is a fascinating and sometimes poignant tale of treachery and justice, perseverance and friendship, faith and family.” It is a ‘must read’ for all readers, especially those with a love of history, adventure, mystery and suspense.