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A review by rosseroo
Seized: A Sea Captain's Adventures Battling Scoundrels and Pirates While Recovering Stolen Ships in the World's Most Troubled Waters by Max Hardberger
4.0
I tend to really enjoy nonfiction books that take me into a profession that I know nothing about, and this certainly fits the bill. To be fair, the author does stipulate at the outset that his memoir has been recreated from memory, and that in some cases he has combined aspects of two separate events into one for narrative purposes. None of that really bothers me, after all, tales of the sea always need to be taken with at least a small grain of salt -- and the stories here of sneaking ships out of ports are engaging.
The author has been a high-school teacher, crop duster, flight instructor, lawyer, and most importantly for this book, a sea captain, port captain, and freelance ship recovery expert. The book unfolds in roughly chronological order of his career, with just enough of his personal background to give the reader some context for the adventures he describes. Most of these involve cargo ships that are being held for spurious legal reasons at the hands of corrupt local courts in places like Honduras, Venezuela, Mexico and more. His forte is coming up with creative ways to get such boats out of ports for their owners without any violence, and without landing himself or others in jail.
I found it to be fascinating stuff, and there are plenty of characters along the way -- both good and bad, although even the bad guys are more colorful con-artists than anything else. Definitely worth reading if you have even the remotest interest in the world of cargo ships or international shipping, or just real-life adventures.
The author has been a high-school teacher, crop duster, flight instructor, lawyer, and most importantly for this book, a sea captain, port captain, and freelance ship recovery expert. The book unfolds in roughly chronological order of his career, with just enough of his personal background to give the reader some context for the adventures he describes. Most of these involve cargo ships that are being held for spurious legal reasons at the hands of corrupt local courts in places like Honduras, Venezuela, Mexico and more. His forte is coming up with creative ways to get such boats out of ports for their owners without any violence, and without landing himself or others in jail.
I found it to be fascinating stuff, and there are plenty of characters along the way -- both good and bad, although even the bad guys are more colorful con-artists than anything else. Definitely worth reading if you have even the remotest interest in the world of cargo ships or international shipping, or just real-life adventures.