Praise for Captain Kidd:

“A swashbuckling account of privateers, pirates, and pirate brokers on the Caribbean high seas at the dawn of the 18th century. With Captain Kidd, Samuel Marquis deftly separates the man from the myth in a riveting narrative that includes a compelling cast of characters, cannon fire, sword fights, mutiny, and treasure—all with the fate of empires hanging in the balance. A rollicking tale that proves that true stories are the best ones.”
—Buddy Levy, bestselling author of Realm of Ice & Sky and Empire of Ice and Stone

“Marquis paints the life of the inimitable Captain Kidd in bold, rich colors. A dashing, absorbing tale.” =
—Stephan Talty, bestselling author of Empire of Blue Water

“Captain Kidd presents one of the most intriguing tales of all time, with author Samuel Marquis bringing it to life through a blend of Clive Cussler-esque prose and Biblical-scholar-level research. You will taste the salty air, feel the cannonballs buzzing past, and not merely hear the explosions, but feel them in your teeth.”
—Keith Thomson, author of Born to Be Hanged

“The name ‘Captain William Kidd’ has become synonymous with ‘pirate,’ but few really understand the nuanced and complicated history of the man. Happily, Samuel Marquis has done much to bring the true story to light. Captain Kidd is a well-researched and thoroughly readable account of the rise and downfall of this enigmatic character and is a welcome addition to the world of pirate history.”
—James L. Nelson, author of Benedict Arnold’s Navy

“It is hard to imagine that anything new could be discovered about Captain Kidd, the subject of many biographies, but Marquis has done it in a lively and well-researched book. If you enjoy a good read about piracy this is a book for you.”
—Robert Ritchie, PhD, former Foundation Director of Research, Huntington Library, Professor of History-UCSD, and author of Captain Kidd and the War against the Pirates

“Samuel Marquis provides the reader with a remarkable impression of Captain William Kidd, one that attempts to reincarnate the real person rather than the caricatured and often enigmatic villain-trope created to satisfy the one-dimensional schemes of popular works of fiction and fact. Even readers who might disagree with Mr. Marquis’ conclusions will still find much to ponder and enjoy.”
—Benerson Little, historian and author of The Golden Age of Piracy and The Sea Rover’s Practice

“Marquis has written a fascinating and engaging new study of the pirate Captain Kidd. A must-read for all pirate fans and scholars!”
—Rebecca Simon, PhD, historian and author of Why We Love Pirates

“What excites audience interest in pirates is that they represent a challenge to states—specifically, states’ claim to exclusive legitimate authority. They force readers and viewers to articulate to themselves the difference between ‘us’ and ‘them,’ and between legitimate force and illegitimate violence. Captain Kidd, more than any other celebrity pirate of piracy’s ‘golden age’ highlights this tension because of his singular career path. This explains the great controversy about his activities in his own day, a controversy that is still very much alive today. A new book tackling Kidd’s career on both sides of the law with fresh information and evidence is bound to find an enthusiastic audience.”
—Guy Chet, PhD, Professor of History, University of North Texas, and author of The Ocean Is a Wilderness and The Colonists’ American Revolution

“Anchored in rapidly globalizing seventeenth century seascapes and crewed by some of the most compelling and historically consequential characters that you’ve never heard of (until now), Marquis takes us on an action-packed voyage to discover the real Captain Kidd and his contributions to the making of America. A Kidd descendant himself, Marquis blends scrupulous attention to personalities, places, and events with a tight chronicle of the dynamic colonial conflicts that transformed the planet and birthed both the United States and the myth of the swashbuckling Kidd.”
—John R. Welch, PhD, Professor of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University

“Few figures in the history of piracy are as puzzling as Captain William Kidd. He was a married man with a family, a propertied New Yorker but also a world-roving privateer who broke bad in a big way—or so said the English authorities who put him on trial at the turn of the eighteenth century. Few authors could tell Kidd's complicated story as well as Samuel Marquis. With a beachcomber's eye for detail and a playwright's sense of drama, Marquis traces Kidd's zig-zagging trajectory as he threads his way through history, gaining fame and absorbing blame. How will it end?”
—Kris Lane, PhD, Professor of History, Tulane University, and author of Piracy in the Early Modern Era

Praise for Samuel Marquis:

"In his novels Blind Thrust and Cluster of Lies, Samuel Marquis vividly combines the excitement of the best modern techno-thrillers, an education in geology, and a clarifying reminder that the choices each of us make have a profound impact on our precious planet."
–Ambassador Marc Grossman, Former U.S. Under Secretary of State and Co-Author of Believers: Love and Death in Tehran

"The Coalition starts with a bang, revs up its engines, and never stops until the explosive ending…. Perfect for fans of James Patterson, David Baldacci, and Vince Flynn."
–Foreword Reviews

"Marquis grabs my attention right from the beginning and never lets go."
–Governor Roy R. Romer, General Chairman of the Democratic National Committee and 39th Governor of Colorado

"Marquis is the new Follett, Silva, and Clancy rolled into one."
–Prof. J.R. Welch, Editor of Dispatches from Fort Apache

"Deftly written, organized and presented... A unique and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and university library World War II history collections and supplemental curriculum studies."
–Midwest Book Review (for Soldiers of Freedom)

"Marquis writes quite well, but his real contribution with Blackbeard: The Birth of America is historical.... An engrossing and historically grounded yarn."
–Kirkus Reviews

"In Blackbeard: The Birth of America, Marquis’s gifts for description and character development are on full display [and] you’ll feel certain you’re learning something as the story progresses. Pirates as the original American revolutionaries? Marquis builds a vivid and convincing case that is so."
–Dr. Wesley Britton, Bookpleasures.com (Crime & Mystery) – 5-Star Review

"Marquis is a student of history, always creative, [and] never boring.... A good comparison might be Tom Clancy."
–Military.com

"Told through multiple viewpoints in a series of vivid scenes, Lions of the Desert is rather like a multi-character miniseries (a miniseries I’d love to see!).... Terrific storytelling."
–Historical Novel Society

"Filled with fascinating historical information [and] pulse-pounding scenes of danger and action, the World War II novel Soldiers of Freedom shines a welcome spotlight on some of the lesser-known heroes of the war."
–Foreword Reviews

"An inherently fascinating and impressively informative read, Blackbeard: The Birth of America is an extraordinary and welcome addition to community and academic library American History collections in general, and 18th Century Piracy supplemental studies reading lists in particular."
–Midwest Book Review

"Spies of the Midnight Sun is not only a skillful, rapid-fire historical spy thriller, but also a fine source on one of the least-known and most heroic chapters of the Second World War."
–Kirkus Reviews

"In the richness of the texture of his material, Marquis far exceeds the stance of a mere raconteur and entertainer of the masses—he, in fact, becomes a public historian."
–Lois C. Henderson, Bookpleasures.com – 5-Star Review for Blackbeard: The Birth of America

"Marquis bases his tale on scrupulous research, an admixture that makes this World War II series a thoroughly engaging example of heavily factual historical fiction...[an] engrossing tale about the last months of World War II's European theater."
–Kirkus Reviews (for Soldiers of Freedom)

"The Coalition has a lot of good action and suspense, an unusual female assassin, and the potential to be another The Day After Tomorrow [the runaway bestseller by Allan Folsom]."
–James Patterson, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author

"Blackbeard: The Birth of America is a pleasure—a historical adventure that corrects popular assumptions about the fearsome privateer through captivating and cinematic scenes."
–Foreword Reviews