Tom Morrisey's Pirate Hunter ~ Reviewed

Pirate Hunter
Tom Morrisey
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Bethany House; 1 edition (July 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0764203487


Description:

High Seas Adventure Meets a High-Tech Quest for Pirate Gold West Indies, 18th century Young Ted Bascombe is rescued by notorious pirate Captain Henry Thatch, finding himself caught up in a world of crime, adventure, and a daily fight for freedom.... Key West, 21st century Marine archaeologist Greg Rhode embarks on a treasure-hunting expedition in the turquoise waters of the Florida Keys, but he's as beguiled by a beautiful diver with different-colored eyes as by the lure of pirate gold...The Hunt Is On! Interweaving these two stories, pro deep-sea diver Tom Morrisey spins a multilayered tale of two young men's quests to escape their past by losing themselves to adventure on the high seas. Romantic and thrilling, this unique novel explores the timeless truth that "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

If you would like to read the first chapter of Pirate Hunter, go HERE


Review:

This novel is not incredible, but very enjoyable. Each page and chapter keeps a reader thirsting for what comes next. In a way this is both a contemporary novel and a historical. Just about every other chapter is in two different stories that are very different, but at the same time similar in theory and lesson. The characters are easy to come to admire and appreciate even the proverbial "bad guys". At times in some chapters there were parts where I felt that I was overrun with information, but then in the next part of the story I felt those two page of words were necessary after all even though while reading through them I slightly lost interest. One of the best skills as a writer that I enjoyed while reading my first novel from Tom Morrisey was the way that he opened a next chapter going from one century to another and truly weaving the stories together in a way that fit perfectly. Over all this is a pretty great book that really gets a reader into the world of contemporary treasure hunters and opens a port hole of insight into the world of repentant pirates. I recommend it.

Reviewed by: Margaret Chind


Bonus Review:


“This is how our Savior views repentance, and who are we to view it elsewise?” (p. 249)

WOW, and DOUBLE WOW! I’ve read Tom Morrisey before, but this…Pirate Hunter…is his most amazing tale! When you try to blend two stories, one present-day and one Eighteenth century, it would seem an impossibility. But Tom Morrisey tells the tale of Captain Henry Thatch and a young, freed slave named Ted Bascombe alongside the story of Treasure Hunter Greg Rhode and his newly discovered soul-mate and blends them so seamlessly you look forward to the end of each chapter just to see how marvelously it blends into the beginning of the next!

This is a story of treasure hunting in both the cannon-and-sword sense as well as the GPS and diving sense. However, on a much deeper and satisfying level, this is the story of everyone’s search for the ultimate treasure – forgiveness and redemption. A more unlikely gathering of characters you’ll never find than the ones that leap from the pages of Pirate Hunter. The story plot itself seems an unlikely location for spiritual truth too, but you will find it seamlessly and believably woven into the tale.

You will be drawn in from the very beginning, and by the time you reach the final chapters, you will feel the breeze on your face as the pages fly by! It is no exaggeration at all to tell you this is one of the most satisfying reads I’ve had lately. I’ve laughed. I’ve cried. I’ve held my breath. I’ve rejoiced. I am one well-satisfied reader!

Reviewed by: Kim Ford

Yet Another Bonus Review:

Tom Morrisey torques up the tension, tackles bitterness and rolls out an extremely readable and fascinating story in Pirate Hunter. Interconnected eras meld as heroic, but broken, men face weather, revenge, greed, evil and redemption. Tom Morrisey has secured his spot on my favorite author shelf.

Morrisey writes rock-solid and often beautiful prose while creating characters that are believable and plot lines that snap, zing and crackle with intensity. Man, woman, Christian, undecided, I can't imagine anyone feeling like a few hours with Morrisey is anything less than a very satisfying and well-spent chunk of time.

With diver and pirate lingo, historical bits and pieces, and three-dimensional characters, Morrisey unfurls two distinct yet similar tales. I grew to respect and admire the pirates as much as the modern day hunters. I also appreciated the soul-searching struggles of the main characters as they became open to the truth that wanted to set them free. Strongly spiritual, but not overtly preachy, plenty of adventure and a bit of blood without extremely gruesome scenes, heavy emotion without the trickery to pull emotion from the reader, Morrisey handles the story with excellent wordsmithing and storytelling. The only folks who may not dive fully into this story are folks who want blow-by-blow relational details where love is involved and those who don't want to deal with any technical details.

Pirate and Morrisey fans are going to want to check into this one.

Reviewed by: Kelly Klepfer