A Bottle of Rum by Steve Goble

A Bottle of Rum by Steve Goble

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Once forced into piracy in order to survive, master carpenter Spider John Rush has abandoned the sweet trade and seeks only to return to his wife and the son he’s never seen. Odin, a one-eyed pirate who once sailed with Blackbeard and Ned Low (or so he claims), accompanies him on the lam from the pirate-hunting Admiralty and navy-hunting press gangs. They’ve traveled incognito to Lymington, England where they repair Crosskeys tavern in exchange for room and board until they can find a ship to take them to Nantucket.

One evening in August 1723, they play chess for a bottle of rum. A woman screams, “Murder!” and unable to resist the lure of a puzzle, Spider John races upstairs. Odin’s for forgetting the whole affair, but Spider recognizes the knife sticking out of the proprietor’s neck. Bloody footprints lead him to the open window, where he spies a small man hobbling away into the darkness. Needing to know how the knife he fashioned found its victim and what happened to the friend he made it for, Spider John sets off in pursuit – which just makes him look guilty to the patrons who spy him holding the knife and escaping out the window.

As Spider John unravels this intricately woven tapestry of murder, the clues lead him to smugglers, a nasty associate from his past, a healer on a scientific quest, a house for troubled souls, and three women: a caretaker with access to poisoned rum, a pirate who’s determined to learn the true reason for his visit, and a young lady with a bizarre fascination with death. And let’s not forget his irrational fear of birds! It plays an important role in the story as well.

Although this story takes place entirely on land, pirates abound. There’s plenty of action reminiscent of swashbuckling battles at sea, as well as enough twists, turns, and red herrings to please any mystery lover who enjoys puzzles that require both brain and brawn to uncover the truth. The quirky and memorable characters are never commonplace nor do what’s expected. This third installment in the Spider John Mystery series is the best one yet.




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