King's Ransom - William Speir

In the days leading up to the War of Spanish Succession (also known as Queen Anne's War), a frigate from England's Navy is dispatched on a secret mission to the Americas. The Captain's orders are simple: stop the French and Spanish treasure fleets from reaching Europe and funding the coming war against England. How he is commanded to carry out those orders, however, is something no English Naval Officer had ever been ordered to do. King's Ransom is a tale rooted in history but with the intensity of a modern thriller. It is a 2014 Royal Palm Literary Award winner for Historical Fiction.