Review of Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton

Pirate Latitudes is not the usual type of book I review for my site, as it’s set in the Caribbean Islands during the 17th Century, but Crichton is one of my all-time favorite authors, and since this is possibly his last novel, I thought I’d go ahead and post a review. Apparently, Crichton also had another novel in the works, almost a third complete before his passing, but I’m not sure when or if that one will be published.

Pirate Latitudes is a bit of a departure from most of Crichton’s other novels. This one is basically a pirate adventure book, though it does have all the elements of a caper novel as well. It’s not a pirate novel in the likes of Pirates of the Caribbean, or anything like that. Crichton, as typical of his other novels, does a nice job with his research to make the historical setting come alive with accuracy. The basic premise of the book is the British governor of the Jamaican colony hires Captain Charles Hunter, a privateer, to steal a massive gold treasure from a Spanish galleon.

Crichton moves through the story quickly, always maintaining a constant state of suspense throughout. There are some unexpected twists in the novel, including the ending, but there are also scenes that he skips through too quickly with abrupt resolutions. It almost felt when reading it that Crichton never really fleshed out these scenes entirely, and under normal circumstances, he probably would have come back to them and given them more substance.

The characters are also typical of other Crichton novels. He gives you enough information to form an opinion about each person, but he does not spend a substantial amount of time with the personal details, as the story is always in the forefront.

Overall, it’s an enjoyable read that can be read in a matter of days. I’d rate it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.