Messenger Twelve [Hardcover]

James Lynn Bartz (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Young REEF ATHERTON passes his "maiden voyage" test of manhood as a seaman aboard the Polar Star. He learns to traffic in slaves and ignore the suffering, as he becomes a wealthy captain and the owner of four ships. In Boston, he meets and pursues ROBIN LARIMORE, a "God-kneeler," who goads him to resume the slave trade to enhance his wealth and position. He refuses and is forced into insolvency when his ships fail to return.

He follows the trail of his lost ships to San Francisco, where the frenzy and madness of the gold rush entrap him. He is confronted by another slaver, THAI-SAING, who has forced CARALINA, a ten-year old, to become a sing-song girl in his brothel.

Reef is robbed and shot by Thai-Saing's assassins, and saved by a Mormon doctor. In his delirium, Reef babbles about Caralina, after which the doctor becomes obsessed with owning the pretty and talented harlot.

Recovering from his wounds, Reef signs on as Messenger Twelve for Wells, Fargo & Co., a position which gives him the authority to kill to protect the treasures entrusted to him.

He meets ANITA, a flirtatious street vendor, but he is torn by his devotion to the jealous Robin, who arrives in San Francisco to regain his affection. To sever Anita's bond with Reef, Robin arranges a legal maneuver to force Anita into Thai-Saing's brothel.

The Mormon doctor negotiates with Thai-Saing to buy Caralina. Thai-Saing sells her for $2500 in gold, then pays a judge to issue a Fugitive Slave Warrant for her arrest and return. Thai-Saing uses Caralina and Anita as bait in his trap to exact his revenge on Messenger Twelve.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: The Westbound Stage; 1 edition (April 15, 2000)
• ISBN-10: 0967875609
• ISBN-13: 978-0967875606
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,461,994 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A fine piece of historical fiction, March 16, 2001

By 

Paul Lappen (Manchester, CT USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Messenger Twelve (Hardcover)

In the mid-1800s, Reef Atherton grows up as a seaman on a slave ship called the Polar Star. He learns to put the suffering he witnesses out of his mind until he becomes rich enough to buy his own fleet of ships.

In the meantime, he meets, and marries Robin Larrimore, a "god-kneeler" from upper class Boston society. To enhance his wealth and position, she goads him into getting back into the slave trade. He refuses, and is forced into bankruptcy when his ships fail to return.

He travels to San Francisco in the midst of the Gold Rush days. He finds that the Polar Star has been drydocked and turned into a floating brothel owned by Lin Thai-Saing, a totally unscrupulous person. A native of Hong Kong, he moved to San Francisco when the local competition got too fierce. Thai-Saing has forced Caralina, a ten-year-old Italian girl with a beautiful singing voice to work for him as a sing-song girl.

Atherton gets on Thai-Saing's bad side, and is almost killed by a couple of his assassins when Atherton tries gold prospecting to buy another fleet of ships. When he recovers, Atherton becomes a Wells Fargo messenger, with the authority to carry a gun and use it.

Thai-Saing legally sells Caralina to a Mormon doctor for $2500 in gold. He then bribes a judge to issue a fugitive arrest warrant for her and sends a couple of his goons to get her back. Atherton's authority and willingness to use his gun ultimately foils the plan.

This is a very interesting and well-done story. It gives the feeling of being historically and socially accurate, and is a fine piece of writing.