The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder

A gripping tale of disaster, survival, and brutality from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Killers of the Flower Moon, which culminates in a court martial that uncovers a startling reality. Grann uncovers the underlying significance of the Wager events with the twists and turns of a thriller, demonstrating that the notion of empire itself was put on trial in addition to the captain and crew.

A dilapidated ship made of linen and wood that had been stitched together washed ashore on the Brazilian coast on January 28, 1742. Thirty thin guys, barely alive, with an amazing story to tell, were inside. They were the surviving members of the British ship His Majesty's Ship the Wager, which sailed from England in 1740 on a covert mission during an imperial conflict with Spain. The Spanish treasure-laden galleon that the Wager was pursuing, dubbed "the prize of all the oceans," went down on a barren island off the coast of Patagonia. The guys constructed the rickety vessel and sailed for more than a hundred days, covering 2500 miles of storm-tossed seas, after being stranded for months and fearing hunger. They received hero worship.

However, another, far more dilapidated vessel arrived on the Chilean shore six months later. There were only three castaways aboard this boat, and their accounts differed greatly. The thirty sailors who set foot on Brazilian soil were mutineers, not heroes. In response, the first group launched their own counterattacks, accusing a senior commander and his goons of being despotic and deadly. It became evident that the crew had descended into chaos while stuck on the island, with rival groups vying for control of the desolate landscape. A court martial was called by the Admiralty to find out who was speaking the truth since charges of betrayal and murder were rife. There was a life-or-death situation at stake; the guilty may be executed.

One of our finest nonfiction writers tells a big narrative of extraordinary human behavior in The Wager. Grann's depiction of the castaways' precarious situation is comparable to that of survival literature classics like The Endurance, his representation of the hidden world aboard a British warship is on par with Patrick O'Brian's, and his narrative of the court martial has the sharpness of a Scott Turow thriller. The amazing narrative twists captivate the reader, as they usually do with Grann's writing.