The Powder Monkey

Experience a heart-pumping and thrilling tale of suspense!

Originally published in THRILLER (2006),

edited by #1 New York Times bestselling author James Patterson.

In this offbeat Thriller Short, New York Times bestselling writer Ted Bell takes his hero Alex Hawke on a different kind of journey.

It’s 1880 and a lovelorn newspaperman journeys to the Channel Islands to learn the true story of the pirate captain Billy Blood’s demise. While there, he learns how a small boy held captive aboard Blood’s frigate is saved from certain death. The boy’s name is Alex Hawke.

His dramatic rescue sets the stage for later adventures.

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The Powder Monkey

Ted Bell

CONTENTS

The Powder Monkey

TED BELL

Ted Bell wrote his first novel for children. In the pre-Harry Potter 1990s, Bell lived in London. The generally inclement weather kept his nine-year-old daughter indoors much of the time. Fine reading weather but, in the neighborhood bookstores, the children’s fare was dominated by horror and message books. Where was Treasure Island, Captain Blood or their modern equivalents?

So Bell wrote a young-adult novel that