A penniless man living on a barge in the Thames in 1903 London, Jack Drayton is unsure of where his life is heading. He's trying to decide what to do next with himself, when he meets a peculiar stranger. Needing a ride to shore one evening, Jack hitches a ride from this stranger, who speaks, dresses, and behaves as though he's stepped out of another era. After Jack helps the man escape a fracas in town, he tells Jack that he is in fact Black Juan Gaskara, an infamous pirate, and claims that he's on the run for his life. Now, that would be all fine and good, except for the fact that the real Black Juan Gaskara would have to be over 112 years old; or better yet, dead. However, despite his disbelief, Jack is intrigued by the man. Especially when he learns of the treasure that he has apparently hidden on Peril Island, a place that only Black Juan knows the location of. Before Juan is murdered by descendants of the crew he double-crossed over the loot, he leaves Jack with a cryptogram that will reveal where the treasure is hidden. Suddenly it's up to Jack to recover it before Black Juan's enemies--who wish to use the treasure to set up a global crime network--get their hands on it first. With his best friend Hector at his side, Jack must venture on the journey of a lifetime to find the treasure before Gaskara's foes put an end to his search...and his life!
adolescent
C.W. James
