By Michael Crichton
Harper | 320 pages
Release Date: November 24, 2009

Michael Crichton’s last book Pirate Latitudes is a swashbuckling tale of adventure, full of intrigue, Spanish gold and bloody betrayal. Set in the untamed colony of Jamaica in 1665, the capital city of Port Royal teems with rowdy taverns and raucous bordellos. The only laws that rule the population are greed and self-preservation. When Captain Charles Hunter learns that the galleon, El Trinidad, has just arrived in port heavy with gold, he seizes the opportunity to make his own fortune. Aligning himself with an influential ally, Hunter gathers a team of cutthroats to hijack the gallon and relieve the reviled Spanish of their riches. This ragged band of thieves faces deadly opposition in Cazalla, a commander favored by the King of Spain, who fiercely guards the ship and her cargo. The raid erupts in a violent, adrenaline-filled attack, with both sides willing to fight to the death in order to possess the treasure.

After a long and difficult battle with cancer, Michael Crichton passed away on November 4, 2008. The completed manuscript of Pirate Latitudes was found amongst his files after his death. Crichton became one of the world’s most popular authors with his best selling books Andromeda Strain, Disclosure and Jurassic Park. A graduate of Harvard Medical School, He also gained success in screenwriting and directing, and his medical background helped in the development of the hit television show ER. The author garnered numerous awards and accolades throughout his life including two Edgar Awards, and even had a new species of ankylosaurus named after him, Crichtonsaurus bohlini, in 2003.