In the wake of madness : the murderous voyage of the whaleship Sharon
/ by Joan Druett
- 1st ed.
- Chapel Hill, N.C. : Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill , 2003.
- 292 p. : ill. ; 22 cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 271-273).
The whaleship Sharon of Fairhaven set off on May 25, 1841, for the whaling grounds of the northwestern Pacific. Three years later, the ship returned with only four of her original 29 crewmen. Her captain, Howes Norris, had been hacked to death by mutineers, and, according to the ship's log, the other 24 had either jumped ship or died. Maritime author Druett (Hen Frigates; Petticoat Whalers) embarks on a murder investigation mixed with equal parts whaling lore, mystery, retribution, and history.