The Ghost Ship by Kate Mosse is the third book in the Joubert family chronicles, that I have really enjoyed reading (see my blog on The City of Tears and The Burning Chambers), which I bought for myself as a treat for the darkening evenings of October.

It picks up the Joubert family in 1610 and follows Louise Reydon-Joubert, granddaughter of Minou, the heroine of the previous books, whose life is coming to an end at the beginning of this one. Louise has inherited Minou’s character and determination and over the decade of the novel becomes a formidable single woman, operating as a successful businesswomen in the man’s world of La Rochelle and Amsterdam, before becoming captain of her own ship, the Old Moon, and sailing it from Amsterdam to the Canary Islands.

Through her travels, Louise meets and falls in love with Gilles, who is not what he seems, and their love is forced to remain illicit. Then her inheritance comes under threat and with it her independence and way of life. The Canaries, strongly Catholic, have very different attitudes to woman and to Huguenots and it is not long until Louise’s life itself is on the line, as she awaits trial and sentencing for being a pirate. Can Gilles find a way to save her?

You’ll have to read it to find out. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.