Privateer of death

This article covers the novel. For the film adaptation of the novel, see Buccaneers of Death (film) .

Buccaneers of Death ( The Island ) is a novel by Peter Benchley from 1979.

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Hundreds of boats are disappearing in an unexplained manner in the Caribbean , and there is no trace of the crew. New York journalist Blair Maynard does not believe in accidents and wants to investigate what is going on in order to produce a report. He lives in divorce; When his twelve-year-old son Justin spends a week with him, he and Justin set out to investigate the incidents. You fly to the Turks and Caicos Islands via Miami . There they are kidnapped by pirates during a fishing tour.

The pirates are descendants of the notorious privateer François l'Olonnais , who, undetected by the authorities, live in secret on an island and undertake pirate expeditions. In principle, all victims are killed, with the exception of children under the age of 13 who are admitted to the colony. The same is done with Justin, the boy is brainwashed. Maynard himself is spared for the time being because he is supposed to father a child for a young widow.

Maynard tries to escape several times, but is caught and tortured as a result. Eventually he can get the attention of the Coast Guard ship New Hope . The pirates capture the ship, but with the help of a machine gun on board Maynard is able to kill the pirates and regain his freedom and that of his son.

filming

The story was made into a film by Michael Ritchie in 1980 , starring Michael Caine and David Warner . However, the film was not successful at the box office or critical acclaim.

proof

The book was published in Germany in 1980 by Ullstein-Verlag ( ISBN 3-548-20313-2 ).