Mississippi Jack: Being an Account of the Further Waterborne Adventures of Jacky Faber, Midshipman, Fine Lady, and Lily of the West (Bloody Jack Adventures, 5)

I’m an ardent fan of the Jacky Faber stories, I find it an exceptional series with good research, colorful characters, and lots of action and complex plots. I love the fact that it’s a woman adventurer and when all is said and done she one way or another escapes and manages to make a bad situation better by her presence. In Mississippi Jack, we start where belly of the Bloodhound left off, the arrest of Jackie on the HMS Juno. Great way to end book 4 by the way. Ever since the marines bayonets cross in front of her and she was told “Miss Faber, by order of His Majesty, King George the Third, you are under arrest on the charge of Piracy!” I’ve been imagining in my mind what would happen. I pat myself on the back that I called it right what I thought would happen did, but then I missed a couple of things including how the escaped happened then the rest of the adventure was fun and entertaining but unlike other books in the series so far some things bothered me. This story is perhaps the least effective of the five stories I’ve read so far for it diverted from the structure of the pervious four stories in a number of ways. One there were an explosion of supporting characters beyond those that were carry over from prior books; Jaimy, Higgins, Katy, and Jim now were joined by (stops and counts) at least a dozen other supporting characters and four more supporting bad guys or groups and a new roué British officer. Just too much of a good thing actually some like the ship boy’s story disappears entirely from the point he was picked up till the very end of the book I had to wonder why he as there at all. So while I enjoyed the book and love the series this will get just three stars this time. Although I thought as always some parts were very well written and historically close to the facts, and I loved the American frontier aspect and the trip down the Mississippi those parts I loved became entangled in so many other subplots like the final fight in New Orleans just too entangling and muddy to make much sense.

This is the fifth book in the Bloody Jack Adventures. (After:  Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy , Curse of the Blue Tattoo: Being an Account of the Misadventures of Jacky Faber, Midshipman and Fine Lady (Bloody Jack Adventures) , Under the Jolly Roger: Being an Account of the Further Nautical Adventures of Jacky Faber (Bloody Jack Adventures) , and  In the Belly of the Bloodhound: Being an Account of a Particularly Peculiar Adventure in the Life of Jacky Faber (Bloody Jack Adventures) )When we last left Jacky she was steps away from being reunited with Jaimy- and then she was about to be arrested. Somehow, Jacky always seems to land on her feet though, so don't be worried. Before long, and with the help of a few friends, she's escaped and is now captain of a riverboat. Despite many obstacles (and really you have to feel bad for the poor guy) Jaimy is always just a little bit behind her.A couple of new characters appear, including a card shark, a Reverend, Native Americans, slaves, and British soldiers- all of whom seem to eventually surrender to Jacky's charms. But along with these new characters come a couple of old villains. Will Jacky manage to evade them? Will she eventually be reunited with Jaimy? You'll have to read to find out!

After reading Mississippi Jack one word comes to my mind - Wow! I've read all four books in the Bloody Jack series, and Jacky's most recent adventure through the U.S. in Mississippi Jack, is by far my favorite out of the five. From the start of the book, up until the last page, Jacky finds herself in peril, as she always does, and again in the hunt to find her true love, Jamey Fletcher, and in many cases to simply stay alive and afloat while sailing down the mighty Mississippi River. As an avid fiction reader, and a middle school language arts teacher, I would defiantly recommend this book to anyone that loves a good adventure. Along with the adventure and peril, Meyer mixes in the perfect amount humor and romance throughout the story's plot. Fans of the other four Bloody Jack books will not be disappointed with Jacky's latest adventure. Along with the usual main characters, Meyer introduces you to many new characters that you quickly begin to fall in love with as if you had been reading about them since the first Bloody Jack book. Meyer also includes some surprising characters from the past that connects with this novel so cunningly, it will shock you. If there is only one book that you buy a friend or loved one this year for the holidays, it has to be this one. It's a must read for the entire family.

The whole series is a great read. Lou Meyer's definition of what it would have been like to have been a girl in the Royal Navy of Nelson's time is a wonderful mix with his imagination used to put Jacky Faber into the scrapes in which she finds herself. Lou's untimely passing has made the world of fiction bereft of a unique talent in his field. He will be sadly missed. I can't wait to get my hands on the latest and sadly last book in this magic series. I cannot pass without praising the Magician who brings Jacky and her contemporaries to life so vividly in the Audio Books sadly no longer available in this country owing to contract issues which we all hope will soon be sorted. Catherine Kelgrin Is a supreme artist in her field. Her ability to bring all the characters into vivid existence in her audiobooks is nothing short of stunning. I recommend all her Audiobooks, not just the Bloody Jack series, to you for your further enjoyment. I promise you that you will not be disappointed. Colin Parker