Miami - October 15, 2007

Hook Sense

“The Pirate’s Daughter,” by Margaret Cezair-Thompson

You enjoy a good Harlequin as much as the next hornball — the more torn the maiden’s bodice on the cover the better — but, as the cliche goes: You can’t judge a book by its cover.

Or, in the case of The Pirate’s Daughter, the title. You’re thinking slutty buccaneers and inappropriate uses of peg legs, but the sophomore novel by Margaret Cezair-Thompson is anything but arg.

The story begins by flashing back to mid-1940s Jamaica. Actor Errol Flynn, known for playing a pirate or two, arrives and becomes smitten with the country as well as a local girl, Ida. The lovestruck teenager bears his child, May, but Errol turns out to be a lousy babydaddy.

The first half of the novel follows Ida and her part in Errol’s Gatsby-esque lifestyle on his private island; the second follows young May and her tumultuous journey to adulthood, which mirrors the violent revolution that’s happening in the country.

And, yes, there’s plenty of quality booty.

Available at Books & Books, Bal Harbour Shops, 9700 Collins Avenue (305-864-4241); online at booksandbooks.com.