Sometimes Towards Eden

Book excerpt: From the author of "Sisters of the Sea: Anne Bonny and Mary Read, Pirates of the Caribbean" comes a new tale of trouble in paradise during the Great Age of Piracy, "Sometimes Towards Eden." Set against the idyllic backdrop of plantation-era Jamaica and the Bahamas, "Eden" transports us to a time of Caribbean pioneers and civil revolt through the eyes of powerful women. Set ten years after "Sisters," "Eden" continues the story of Anne Bonny, former infamous pirate of the Caribbean, into her new life of peace and anonymity. Her newfound tranquility now disrupted by the raids and battles of the Maroon Wars, Anne must choose between losing everything and returning to the sword. Opposing her, the Ashanti warrior-preistess Nanny, determined to eliminate the English presence in Jamaica and return her people to an authentic way of life. Though struggling for peace amid tropical splendor, blood spills as their families bind both womens' fate to a path of war and redemption deep in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica's past. Riley Hall Publishing, 280 pages. $16.95.