PIRATE TRIALS: Dastardly Deeds & Last Words – book trailer

Jack Chekijian narrates Pirate Trials bringing an entertaining story of actual trials of bloodthirsty pirates who bludgeoned and murdered on the high seas before being brought to justice in courts in England, Scotland, Canada and the United States. Now in paperback, eBook and Audible. Listen to the last laments and groans of pirates prior to being hanged by the neck until dead or hung upon gibbets on the Sands of Leith.

Reviews:

“Some of the most bloodthirsty pirates in the world were brought to justice and held over for trial in Scotland, England and the United States . These trials detail their dastardly deeds with startling testimony of those who were there and lived to be able to testify in person. What happened to the Jane of Gibraltar?
Learn how pirates repainted a ship at sea, killed the captain and cook and set a fire in the hold with the rest of the crew to suffocate, all for the purpose of taking over the ship and a valuable cargo of silver dollars and gold.

Over 50,000 people attended one execution of pirates in England making one wonder if anyone was fortunate enough to have the fish and chips concession that day! There are no magic scenes out of sparkling Caribbean waters with Captain Jack Sparrow dueling with a devil, but the genuine evil related in these authentic pirate trials will certainly make your timbers shiver!”

I am just finished PIRATE TRIALS- and just amazing!!
Ken Rossignol does not simply provide information about these most remarkable events and times, he writes in such a perceptive manner – that the reader truly feels a part of the events…like I am a specatator to history…brilliant writing by a master historic writer!!

Each trial is peopled with true characters, so finely captured by Mr. Rossignol. It is so easy to portay a “pirate” as a simple cliche, yet thanks to the razor sharp character building skills of the writer..each person betrayed becomes a real person (they really were!) one who the reader can truly understand…if not root for!

This is how historical books should be,,,not dull academic tomes..but thrilling and brilliantly detailed accounts that pop off the page right into the reader’s mind…very highly recommended!”

A JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB MUST READ
RICK FRIEDMAN
FOUNDER
THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB

“As I read Pirate Trials, I felt at times like I was sitting in the courtroom or reading a then-current day newspaper of proceedings. Just imagine being on a small sailing ship in the middle of the night and hearing cries of others being killed and tossed overboard. OK, well, don’t imagine it. But it’s hard not to, with the keen attention given by the author to writing about the scene.” – Gus Philpot

“The author had the excellent idea of providing actual piracy trials to give readers a taste of what piracy was really like. The execution of his design is credible, but could have been a good deal better. The longest case is Jemott which involves ships and the sea, but is fraud case. He also includes severely abridged versions of two well-known Scottish cases: Heamon and Green. Finally, there two excellent choices: Holmes and Crawford. These are both nineteenth American piracies which should sate any piracy reader’s taste for bloodletting. In all, a worthwhile collection.” – Amazon customer

“A fascinating recounting of circumstances and individuals along with the evidence convicting them of a crime worth the death penalty… usually consummated in the presence of thousands who flocked to see the spectacle. An interesting and informative look into justice as delivered some two centuries ago.” – Sam B. Wagner

“Crimes change, laws adapt, sentencing changes, executions change, criminals are as clueless as ever. Excellent teaching tool for law, law enforcement, historians, novelists, and those who think Hollywood is real. Rossignol has done all of the hard work of digging into trial records and depictions of the executions and the large to enormous size of the audiences attending this form of entertainment. Well written and attention grabbing.

Production caveat: God only knows what went wrong here, but the speed and fluidity ate reminiscent of battery decline in an audiotape player. For note taking use 1.25x speed, for listening enjoyment use at least 1.5x speed. There will still be a few rate irregularities, but they won’t detract from your enjoyment.

Chekijian performs this work well, like always. You can generally count on never having to backtrack for notetaking when he performs a scholarly work. It helps that his voice is pleasant, flowing, and clearly enunciated.

This book was a gift.” – Jan

“A painstaking historical collection of the life and times of real pirates and looters…and the faithful account of their trials and executions.
I found these stories to be a very interesting read, though not necessarily pleasant. We learn how pirates poisoned their shipmates, slit their throats and tossed them overboard.
I follow the field of maritime explorations with great interest, but I had never seen a collection of judicial material on the trials and executions of the cruel men who attacked ships, looted them, killed people and–in many instances–sank or burned the vessels.
The writer knows the field quite well and has done extensive research on the people whose lives are featured in this text.
The reader will be hard pressed not to side with the law, but, the skeptic in me wonders if there were any miscarriages of justice in these proceedings.
The writer of this book was thorough and careful with the information he presented in this book. However, the 19-century scribes who were in charge of preparing the trial transcripts and records should have paid bit more attention to some of the Spanish names used in this book. For example, the adventure in Cuba (“Felonious Acts in Cuba”), the correct name of the famous Havana fortress is “The Morro Castle” (with two RRs). The island of Puerto Rico is referred to as “Porto Rico.” The capital of Puerto Rico is referred to as St. John instead of San Juan. Puerto Plata appears as Porto Plata. The capital of Argentina, Buenos Aries appears as Buenos Ayres. The nickname for a Spanish pirate named José Morando should have been “Curro”, not “Courro.”
In the legal transcripts, we can see some stereotypes about Spaniards that were held by the British and American judges at the time. For example, how Spaniards in general drink in excess, but you never see them drunk and how little regard for human life they have.
This book is very engaging and informative. I recommend it to everyone.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Dave” – Dr. David Walter Aquado

“What A great job Ken Rosignol did in making you feel you where back in That time of era. From the way the story was told as if you were there in 1827. It was really fascinating to see how they treated the pirates once captured back then. You wondered if they took the same approach in treating the pirates these days, how they did back then, we would have less crime. All in all a great and informational read about piracy. Really looking forward to read the next book in this series.” – Debbie

“Pirates have always fascinated me and this introduction to the life of pirates back in the day as well as their last moments was very well written. I enjoyed the research and the bloody details of their crimes and deeds. Some of them are truly incredible, and it was fun learning these strange facts about what went on at the seas. Very realistic and written in a nicely presented way, these historical characters have captivated me from the beginning. Highly recommended.” – Riley C.

“A look at real pirates from a historical judicial point of view. The judgment in a historical court of law allows glimpses and insights into a pirates life and a point-of-view of the places they thrived a couple hundred years ago. Would recommend this book to anyone who loves history, law and reading about “real” pirates.” – Raymond H. Keeling

“Pirate Trials is exactly that: transcripts of trials. This is a thoroughly researched, well edited docu-drama for lovers of the gritty truth. The original language has been made easier to understand while keeping the flavor of the times. It gives a real sense of the court system in those days, especially of having the punishment fit the crime.
If you are looking for a sexy pirate adventure, you will be disappointed. This is more a true crime tale with what happened to real life pirates who got what they deserved as told through court documents. If you have any interest in historical accuracy, this is for you.” – Linda Frank

“A series of the “news of the day” from the 18th and 19th centuries. These acts by the seatime pirates and brigands then were just as horrifying to decent folks as Somialian pirates, al Quead, and ISIS are today in the 21st. Century! Spellbinding in its authenticity using the language of “back in the day”…” – AVC

“A modern day look at trials held for pirates back in the late 1700’s and 1800’s in both England and the United States.   It is amazing to hear from the actual records of their trials some of the last words of the convicted.   When the death penalty was given by a judge during these times it was carried out very rapidly after the finding of guilt and often fit the crimes much more so than our bland criminal justice system of today.    If piracy interests you, or even legal trials of this period of history then this is the book for you!”  – David Wright