COURSE OVER GROUND

Wilson offers an American Civil War novel set on the high seas.

The conflict between the Union and the Confederacy is now in its third year, and social and economic costs are accumulating on both sides of the battlefront. As supply chain issues limit Union boat production and the Confederate government seizes private watercraft for the war effort, Sims & Gordon Shipyard in Mobile, Alabama, must shift its focus from boat manufacturing to ferrying loads for the Confederates. Alan Chambers, the anti-slavery head supervisor of Sims & Gordon, finds himself piloting the recently built Azaleaon her maiden voyage to her new owners in Glasgow. He soon realizes he has more than Union blockades in the waterways to worry about; when Confederate agent Tom Sable boards the ship on secret, official business, Chambers begins to suspect that something other than cotton is in the ship’s holds. Meanwhile, at home in Alabama, Chambers’ daughter, Josephine, and her maid, Anya, encounter a riot that suddenly turns violent, and Anya is abducted. Battling storms on and off the ship, Chambers and chief mate Hilt O’Callen must risk their lives and work fast to unravel a web of lies and deceit, before it’s too late for them and for Anya. Over the course of this historical survival story, the author offers insight into life during a tumultuous period. Wilson uses his experience as a career merchant mariner effectively, ably braiding technical naval details into the storyline: “The implementation of iron in ship construction brought with it a significant impact on the marine compass, as it could interfere with the compass’s internal magnets and cause it to deviate from a true reading.” This experience adds legitimacy to some of the more nuanced aspects of travel on international waters, allowing readers to trust the narrative and fully immerse themselves.

A dramatic tale that effectively blends maritime adventure with an exploration of justice and human resilience.