The Emerald Storm

The year is 1803. Swashbuckling, ribald, and irreverent hero Ethan Gage has outsmarted wily enemies and survived dangerous challenges across the globe, from the wilds of the American frontier to the pyramids of Egypt. Now the rakish hero finds himself in the Caribbean with his wife, Astiza, on a desperate hunt to secure the lost treasure of Montezuma—a legendary hoard rumored to have been hidden from CortÉs's plundering Spanish conquistadors. Hot on his heels are British agents who want the gold to finance a black slave revolt in Saint-Domingue, robbing hostile France of its richest colony. The French, too, seek the treasure for the secrets it contains, the key to an incredible new means of invasion that can ensure Britain's defeat—on its own land.Caught between the French and the rebel slave forces, Ethan and Astiza are in a race for gold and glory that will thrust them into the center of a bloody struggle for freedom as they try to rescue their son. And this time, Gage's luck may be running out.Brilliantly combining science, history, mythology, and wit, William Dietrich has woven a larger-than-life tale that sees Ethan embroiled in the Napoleonic era's ideals, opportunism, and inventions, which gave rise to the modern world. Filled with intrigue, voodoo, a hurricane, violent political unrest, and unexpected passion, The Emerald Storm is Dietrich's most captivating work to date.From BooklistStarred Review Ethan Gage, the nineteenth-century adventurer, returns in this fourth novel in the series. Set in 1803, it tells a wildly implausible story: Gage, planning to sell an emerald he came into via a questionable set of circumstances, is taken captive by a renegade French policeman who wants to know all about the Lost Treasure of Montezuma. Gage is rescued by the British, who want to know about the same lost treasure, and blackmailed into breaking into a French prison and liberating Toussaint L’Ouverture, the (real-life) leader of the Haitian Revolution, who (fictionally) knows the secret of the treasure. And that’s just for starters. With the usual mixture of real and made-up characters and historical events, the book is a breathlessly exciting adventure, as fast paced as an Indiana Jones movie and just about as entertaining. Gage is a tremendously appealing character, a world-class adventurer who would, he keeps reminding us, be much happier if he were living a quiet life somewhere back in his home country, America. He doesn’t seek out adventure; it just sort of keeps on finding him. And that’s good news for fans of the series, who will want to read the next installment as soon as they’ve finished this one. --David Pitt Review“Entertaining. . . . Dietrich seamlessly blends historical figures such as Napoleon and Toussaint L’Ouverture, the liberator of Haiti, with fictional characters like Gage’s nemesis, “renegade secret policeman” Leon Martel, in this amusing swashbuckler.” (Publishers Weekly )“Dietrich seamlessly blends historical fact with fiction. . . . [He] also has a knack for making the world of 1803 come alive.” (Associated Press )“The Emerald Storm is a whirl of adventure, international diplomacy and vivid political commentary. . . . A wonderful romp through a complicated period of history.” (Bellingham Herald )