A riveting tale about WAs own infamous pirate B. J. Anderson. The pirating that B. J. and his hearties get up to around the Albany region is almost unbelievable, made all the more amazing because it is so close to home. Almost makes you want try your hand at pirating. ( )

This is the story of a real character in the early days of European settlement. Afro-American man called Black Jack (John William) Anderson, who lived as a pirate off the coast of W.A. in the 1830’s. Black Jack came to Australia on a whaling ship but after killing a man escaped to live on an island in the Recherche archipelago. After stealing a small whaling boat called ‘Beetle’, he ran raids on the fledgling settlements and ships along this stretch of coastline. He built up a community of other desperate people, escaped convicts, ruthless sailors, those stranded after shipwrecks and 2 aboriginal wives. They lived as sealers, and using the seals for their skins as well as robbing boats. These people lived by their wits.
A number of characters are introduced but it is the shipwrecked woman, Dorothy, with whom he fall in love and who became his mistress is the most “fleshed out”. He is finally betrayed by his right-hand man, Robert Gimble, aka Nimble Gimble.
Forrestal has undertaken a lot of research for this novel, including visits to Albany and the islands where Black Jack and his band lived. She also states that this is a fictional story because facts are so sketchy. ( )

Interesting tale of an African-American man called Jack Anderson who ran raids on the fledgling settlements and ships along the south-west coast of Australia in the 1830s. He lived with a band of other desperados - escaped convicts, ruthless sailors, stranded shipwrecked people and 2 aboriginal wives - on a hidden island in the Archipelago of Recherche. The band caught seals for their skins as well as robbing boats and lived by their wits and the knowledge passed on my the local aborigines. The old adage, 'the tuth is stranger than fiction' seems true here as he falls in love with a shipwrecked woman called Dorothy and is finally betrayed by his right-hand man. Forrestal has undertaken some impeccable research for this novel, including visits to Albany and the islands where Black Jack and his band lived. A fascinating chapter in Australia's history and an engrossing read.

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