AustLit

'Amsterdam, 1628

'The Utrecht leaves Holland on an eight-month voyage to the other side of the world. The ship is tiny and overcrowded and navigation around the Horn to the East Indies is down to the skipper’s dead reckoning – guesswork.

'Below decks, Michiel van Texel is a sergeant on the company’s coin, on his way to Batavia to fight the Mataram. It’s a hard life but the only one he knows.

'He sees a fine lady standing on the high deck with the captain, but does not give her a second glance. At any other time, a fine lady like Cornelia Noorstrandt would be far above the likes of him.

'But not this time.

'Their destinies intertwine near the Great Southland, just as a mutiny is fomenting below decks. When the ship founders on the jagged reefs of the Houtman Rocks surviving the wreck is the least of their worries.

'As the noble gentlemen around them reveal themselves for what they really are, Michiel proves to be the only man with the honour and courage to save Cornelia from the bloody nightmare that follows.

'He makes her one promise: “Even if God forsakes you, I will find you.”

'For some men, words are just words. For Michiel, it’s an oath he intends to keep.'

Source : publisher's blurb