1927. I had been eyeing this book for a few months at the local 2nd and Charles bookstore near me. I didn’t want to cough up the twenty bucks they were wanting and the book does have a little water damage going on but then again it is a book about adventure on the seas so maybe that will only enhance my enjoyment.
The little drawings on the back were more intriguing than any blurb I’ve ever read. Guys boxing, sharks, grizzled old sailors? I’m sold. Plus, little illustrations on the interior. I finally relented and picked up the thing on the premise that I may never come across this book again. A common theme in my book buying excursions.
And it was worth every cent. Such a great read! Apparently, it’s a long running series and I am excited to hunt down the rest. Our protagonist is Tod Moran. He’s a young lad in high school. His brother has been paying his tuition and his livelihood by working on a steamboat out of the San Francisco harbor. He sends Tod letters of his adventures on the boat. Tod has completely romanticized this lifestyle and reads boat pulp in his spare time. One day the checks stop coming in and Tod heads down to the docks to find out what happened to his bro. He meets with the owner of the company. The owner informs him that his brother stole a bunch of money and jumped ship in France. Tod is definitely not having this guy accuse his brother of shenanigans but keeps his cool and walks out. The cute little secretary pulls Tod to the side and tells him the company is corrupt, don’t believe that guy, and basically that she was dating his brother and she’s worried also. She tells him to get a job aboard the next steamer going out and find out what happened. He’s all in.
We are introduced to the Tattooed Man by way of Tod creeping on the docks. The Tattooed Man is the cook of the ship. He is berating a lowly Chinese boy who was his mess boy. Obviously, being written in the 1920’s there is some language in this book that is not the “preferred nomenclature.” Asian American, please.
Tod is now wary of this ominous man with the gnarly tattoos all over his body. Which, once again, this is the 1920’s, it was rare and relegated only to those on the very outskirts of society. But he gets the job on the steamer anyway as the new mess boy.
Over the course of the trip to Genoa Italy Tod investigates the disappearance of his brother. He is hazed by the hardened sea dogs on the ship. He is bullied by the intimidating first mate, a man just as gnarly as the cook. The two seem to know each other well. Who on the steamer was sailing with his brother last voyage? Who can he trust?
Along the way Tod learns the true way of life of a steamboat crew member. It destroys his previous romantic fantasies of life on the sea. It’s a sweltering hellhole full of ornery assholes. He has a bare-knuckle boxing match below decks. Goes swimming and has a run in with some hungry sharks. Drugs. Kidnappings. Corruption. Conspiracy. France. Italy. Panama. Swamps. Guns. Fist fights. This book checked so many boxes for me. The mystery was interesting and well thought out. I found myself throughout my day wondering what would happen to lil’ Tod Moran next. This sucker was rough and tough. I looked more into the series and realized this was marketed to kids. Or teenagers, I guess. I didn’t find it to be young adult at all. But kids were a hell of a lot tougher in 1927 than 2023, right? Woah, I just realized this is almost a 100 years old. Crazy.
Comet Edition- 1948
\\\\\Review by- Nick Anderson. instagram: @next_stop_willoughby
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