WAKE OF THE RED WITCH

by Garland Roark ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1946

Picaresque adventure -- romance of the Dutch Indies, spanning the years from 1875-1939, as recounted by Sam Rosen, joint owner of the Quean, partner of the strange Captain Ralls, one time Captain of the Red Witch, which he had sent to a watery grave, with vast treasure aboard her. Part of the story is told in a series of flashbacks which set the scene for a tale of revenge, as it gives the roots of the quarrel between the head of the powerful Dutch shipowners, Batjak, Mayrant van der Ruysdaal Sidneye, and Ralls. Sidneye plotted revenge and retribution and the recovery of the treasure through the years, while Ralls wents his violent way, and put his head into the lion's jaw, aware of what he was doing, but with a few secret plans of his own. Two villains (or heroes?) pit their wits against each other -- and 17 lives pay the toll, with Rall's death and the loss of the nearly garnered treasure as the pay-off. There's plot within plot here -- romance with a hopeful ending -- dramatic scenes of the Pacific Islands, all told with spurts of fast pace, but with an oddly involved style that makes it not easy reading.

Pub Date: April 1, 1946

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1946

Categories: FICTION