Running for her life, young Hannah Masury escapes service at a Colonial Boston inn. Disguised as a cabin boy on a pirate ship, she joins a perilous quest for Caribbean treasure.

In 1930, Professor Marian Beresford uncovers Hannah's daring journey, seeing parallels to her own lack of freedom as a woman. Both defiantly unravel centuries-old mysteries, challenging norms and risking all to shape their destinies.

This novel is immersive and expertly written. The pirate tale is gripping, and the 1930s story is a fascinating character study. The ending was abrupt and left Marian's story open-ended. She's a complicated character who's grown cynical and disconnected from her life, and it's not clear how the final twist will influence her journey. The narration added to the enjoyment of the audiobook.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

This was a really fun adventure story! I'm noticing more pirate books lately, and was really excited to see one from one of my favorite authors, Katherine Howe. The audio was really well done and the story was well-paced and really kept my attention -- I think I finished this in about 2 days!

I would have rated this a full five stars, except I wasn't totally in love with some of the aspects of the portion of the story with Marian, her father, and Kay. I understand why it was included and what it lent to the book overall, but I really wish I had more with Hannah and the pirates -- that was so much fun!

The author did an amazing job with this book. The back and forth of the two stories to make a cohesive book is great. I also loved the ending, I'm glad it turned out the way that it did. The entire book had my attention. The shifts between the retelling of Hannah's story and Marion's story were so easy to understand and not complicated. I just really enjoyed this book and I recommend it if your looking for an adventure.

This story ended up being so much more than I expected. It follows two narratives, that take place about 200 years apart. The first is the story of Hannah, a girl who has no choice but to pose as a boy and accidentally joins a pirate crew. This part is vividly written and very well done, from the complex characters to the descriptions of the ship and sea.

The second part of the story follows Marian, a history professor who is reading Hannah’s memoir and trying to prove it’s historical accuracy. At first, I thought Marian’s POV was unnecessary and boring in comparison to the fast-paced pirating POV of Hannah, but it eventually roped me in and definitely all tied together well in the end.

Overall, the vivid writing and unexpected story make this an easy 4.5 stars! A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Hannah Missouri had been in servitude ever since she could remember and although she had dreams of a different life she didn’t think the change would come so soon. In the early 19th century Hannah didn’t have many choices so when she was forced to flee she joined a crew as a cabin boy and unfortunately she picked the name will Chamberlain after a boy she helped after finding him in her mistresses barn she keeps her head down and minds her business and tries to stick close to Seneca a.k.a. Charles Harris for some reason Hannah a.k.a. will feels a bond with him he is the first mate to an evil captain named Ned Lowe and although Hannah find‘s Neds tactics totally severe she too will adopt violence as a way to get ahead and get respect. Over a century later Miriam Beresford is an professor at Cambridge and is approached by a graduate student name K she tells her about a diary written by a pirate named Hannah Missouri and that there may even be a treasure to find. Eventually Miriam will approach her fathers club the Beverly adventurers society to try and get funding for this crazy pirate adventure. Little does her protégé know however she has a lot riding on this
Mainly it is the same old thing she has always wanted her father‘s love and respect. K is overzealous and Miriam has too many secrets to hide such as her desire to give love and get love from women something that wasn’t done in the 30s, so to have this live wire K sending out press reports it’s a bit much. This isn’t the best review which is becoming the norm for me but this is the best book I have a long list of favorite books because I love reading but this is definitely up in my top five this is an awesome read about two women both have secrets and OMG the twist that is the ending of this book was so good and so unexpected and so OMG I have read other books by Leslie Kruger but this one is my absolute favorite I love historical fiction and this is an awesome awesome read I listen to the audiobook and thought the narrator did a great job she had great character distinction she did Hannah‘s voice so well and the upper crust Miriam was superb I love this book and highly recommend it I want to thank McMillan audio and NetGalley for my free arc copy

In A True Account, Howe does for pirates what she did for witches in The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane. Told in alternating timelines between the pirate, Hannah, and the professor, Marian, the story unfolds as each make their way through their respective worlds. I enjoyed Hannah's timeline and the sometimes boring, other times violent life on a pirate ship, but found myself wanting more detail about Marian in her timeline other than descriptions of outfits and her desire for her father's attention. The narrator was great and the author's note at the end was fantastic, linking Howe to the water and possible pirating in her own family. Will definitely recommend to readers of Howe's prior work and those looking for adventure stories. Thank you to Macmillan Audio, Henry Holt, and NetGalley for the early listen in exchange for my honest opinion.

Having read many of Katherine Howe's books in the past, I was very excited to read this newest tale following the life of a woman pirate. This did not disappoint. While I am not normally one for an adventure, I found this story to be captivating. By the end, I was very attached to the characters. The only reason I give this 4 stars instead of 5 is because I didn't love the ending. It felt a little unfinished to me. Otherwise, it was an excellent read and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a glimpse into a pirate's life.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Howe turns her considerable storytelling talents from witchcraft to piracy as she tells the story of Hannah Masury in 17th century Boston, who is forced into the dangerous world of piracy when she must disguise herself as a cabin boy after fleeing her home. Readers also become acquainted with professor Marian Beresford in the 1930s, a woman drawn to Hannah and her desire to find answers to a mystery that Hannah intended die with her. Throughly enjoyable, Howe has another winner on her hands