Book Review: Cinnamon and Gunpowder

The year is 1819, and Owen Wedgwood is a French-trained chef in the service of Lord Ramsey, an executive in the wealthy Pendleton trading company. The last meal Wedgwood serves to Ramsey is interrupted by an unexpected event - Mad Hannah Mabbot, the pirate queen, strides into Ramsey's dining room and shoots him in the chest. But as soon as she tastes the food on the table she devises an even more unexpected plan for the terrified chef: Wedgwood must come aboard her ship as her captive and cook a sumptuous meal for her every Sunday, even without butter, eggs, or a proper oven, and it will mean his life if he refuses.

Cinnamon and Gunpowder launches from this swashbuckling opening into a lush historical novel that is more than just an adventure. As Wedgwood learns more about Mabbot's history with Ramsey, he comes to doubt the nobility of his deceased employer, find sympathy for the pirate, and detest Pendleton almost as much Mabbot does. The novel illuminates the gritty and dangerous nature of life on the high seas, and shows the dark side of trading companies like Pendleton, bringing riches to England paid for in opium addiction and slavery. And Wedgwood's descriptions of his hard-won meals are nothing short of mouthwatering. With fascinating characters and gorgeous writing in an action-packed plot, Cinnamon and Gunpowder is an exciting and memorable read. - Michelle (Sunset)