When Jack Sligo runs away from his loving Boston-Irish family, he hopes to get a summer job on a cruise ship. His dream becomes a nightmare when he meets two strangers who give him mysterious drinks in a waterfront saloon.

Jack wakes up, far at sea, shanghaied aboard the African freighter, SS Iron Prince. The ship's first call is a remote jungle port in Venezuela where there's plenty of rum, women, and thieves, but no opportunity for escape.

David Paul Collins, merchant seaman, world traveler, and writer combines adventure with business and love of family. He lives in Corona Del Mar, California, with his wife, Victoria, a noted author and asset manager.