One thing that never disappoints is a book that is well-researched. Pen and Sword has a proud history of producing books that are enjoyable to read!

Pirates - every kid wanted to be one, and we all wish that there were days that we could hoist that black flag while sailing off in the sunset. Over the past few years, there has been a resurgence of the "pirate craze" where there are several books all centered around pirates, their daring deeds, and for some of them - historical notoriety through time.

Graham Thomas takes this history and gives us a fabulous look at the effort to end piracy. The Royal Navy waged a grand campaign against those that they were determined to eradicate and put a stop to the age of Piracy.

Set sail with this amazing book, and get lost in history.

I love learning about Pirate History (possibly obsessed) and have recently had a fascination with the pirates from the Barbary Coast so this book immediately drew my attention.

It is impeccably written and it is clear a ton of thought and research went into this. It took me a while to get through as there is a ton of information in here and I read it in short chunks but it was fascinating and I felt that I gained a lot of insight.

I really enjoyed this and think it is well worth the time investment.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc of this to review honestly.

Before picking up this book, I knew nothing about the Royal Navy's campaign against pirates on the Barbary Coast of North Africa, so this was a real eye-opener for me. "Pirate Killers" is an interesting read, is written well, and has clearly been researched thoroughly, using various original documents and sources. Definitely one for pirate enthusiasts!

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Pen & Sword for an advanced copy of this swashbuckling history.

Graham A. Thomas in Pirate Killers: The Royal Navy and the African Pirates has written a deeply researched exciting tale of the efforts of the British Royal Navy to annihilate the pirates of the Barbary Coast of North Africa. They were of course successful, but the actions were neglected unfairly by history.

Mr. Thomas covers the long history of piracy along the African coast, covering not just the Mediterranean, but also West Africa and acts of piracy along Madagascar. Drawing on documents and journals Mr. Thomas mixes stories of pirate actions, and attacks with the economic reality of why piracy existed, was allowed to continue so long, and the final straws that made the Royal Navy end the practice. The writing never drags, the characters are fleshed out, in what ways they can be, some pirates, and even some fighting men were as mysterious in their times as they are today. A fascinating read for those who like history, especially naval history, or for fans of fictional naval adventures as written by Alexander Kent, Dudley Pope, and Patrick O'Brian.

A great historical novel regarding the efforts to end piracy n the Mediterranean and Africa by Britain. The stories are full of good quotes and first hand accounts. The author does an excellent job of explaining the politics and economic reasons behind what drove these events. A very good read.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A few years ago, I chanced upon a book about Pirates I was unfamiliar with. Its title was something along the lines of Pirates of the Barbary Coast. Maybe not. While informative to a degree, it was largely boring and left me uninspired. Thomas' book managed to tell the stories of Pirates in the same area while continuously exciting me. There were moments where it was so thrilling that I sat in the car outside the Library I work for reading, hating the fact that I would have to close it and go to work.

I will say that the formatting for this edition was terrible. I believe that the review copy might be a poorly transferred copy from one medium to another. It didn't make the book unreadable on the kindle but it did blend words together at times. Another book I have to review, on Blackbeard, has even worse issues. I think that reviewers may see this and be put off on reading. I want to point that out in case people pre-judge Thomas unfairly. The content of the text is fantastic. I hold him high, near Cordingly, as my Pirate-go-to historian.