Captain M

A Novel of Exile, Rebirth, and Revenge

Born while fleeing the Inquisition, a fearless Sephardic Jewish girl survives exile and war before forging a legendary sisterhood of female pirates—only to choose between vengeance and the family she loves.

By Judi Lamble

Born in the hold of a refugee ship fleeing the Portuguese Inquisition, Miryam Asoze enters the world already marked by persecution. From Lisbon to Madeira, from Dutch Brazil to the Caribbean, every place her family seeks refuge is eventually consumed by war, religious hatred, or betrayal.

As Miryam grows into adulthood, she refuses to accept the narrow life expected of women. Drawn irresistibly to the sea, she learns the mariner's craft under seasoned sailors and pirates, surviving famine, exile, devastating loss, and impossible odds. Reinventing herself as the enigmatic Captain M, she assembles a remarkable crew of women who challenge the conventions of the seventeenth century while striking fear into the ships of Spain.

Yet even success cannot outrun the past. Old betrayals return, family loyalties are tested, and the daughter she would sacrifice everything to protect is torn from her. Forced to confront the people responsible for her greatest heartbreak, Miryam discovers that revenge demands a price even a legendary pirate may be unwilling to pay.

Spanning four decades and inspired by the little-known history of Sephardic Jewish refugees in the Atlantic world, Captain M is an epic tale of resilience, identity, love, and survival. Sweeping from the courts of the Inquisition to the lawless waters of the Caribbean, it is the unforgettable story of one woman's determination to chart her own destiny against the tides of history.