In Harm's Way is an action-packed historical story set during America’s War of Independence. Wing says he based his story on actual naval battles. The details Wing provides about those times are interesting and compelling.
The main character, Captain Jonas Hawke, returns home to Norfolk after several months of trading in the Indies and the Caribbean. Norfolk, and other Atlantic colonial ports, are blockaded by the British. They take Jonas’s ship and its contents, belonging to Jonas’s father-in-law. Suffering personal losses due to British abuse of power, along with their haughtiness toward colonists, Jonas repairs his own ship, the Resolute, and serves the colonial congress.
Living as a privateer meant that Jonas and his crew lived like pirates. They attacked British vessels in the seas south of Florida, made trade friendships with local islanders, and lived off their booty. In time, Jonas successfully challenges the British’s naval dominance in the area.
In Harm's Way has interesting characters that draw the reader into a heroic story. I loved how Wing weaves his story while showing the rise of conflict between the colonists and the British. The descriptions are spellbinding, and the narration paints a vivid picture of the terrifying challenges ships and sailors faced in sea battles and in turbulent waters.
Wing wrote In Harm’s Way from a desire to explore the topic of America’s early sea warriors and how they struck fear into the hearts of British shippers around the globe. Wing’s award-winning first novel, Against All Enemies, was released in 2023.
The author will mark the release of In Harm's Way at a public launch party aboard HMS Rose/Surprise at the Maritime Museum on June 14 at 1 p.m.; a signing at Barnes and Noble, Encinitas, on June 21 at 2 p.m.; and a signing at Bay Books in Coronado on June 22 at noon.
