John Guy served in merchant ships and warships for sixteen years before becoming a ship inspector and then a journalist.
He now advises companies and organisations working in the global shipping industry on media and crisis management.
Such experience gives him enough inside knowledge to write an intriguing novel that lifts the lid on modern day piracy.
His self published novel The Reluctant Pirate, is now available on Amazon for Kindle. It’s a fast-moving, easy to read book with a great twist in the end.
The story centres on Abdi, a man brought up in Cardiff inside a Somali family. He goes to Somalia for an arranged marriage. There he finds that the father of his bride is the leader of the local pirate brigade. Because the pirates are having a tough time he is forced to join in a pirate attack
That first attack is bungled but in the end they capture a Greek-owned tanker with a multi-national crew and make a large ransom demand
The high-profile businessman ship owner has conflicting interests, he wrangles with the insurers over money and how to free the ship while the pirates struggle to protect the ship in lawless Somalia.
While Abdi is attracted to Amina, his arranged bride, he is also quite taken with Lisa, the young female Norwegian second officer serving aboard the ship. His bride is submissive and will tie Abdi to his family and the past, but the attractive ship’s officer shows him another kind of woman, young and free.
She is desperate to escape and uses Abdi to help her get away, leading to unexpected consequences. Their plight highlights Abdi’s conflicts between family upbringing and the hypocrisies and hidden agendas which drive modern piracy.
The book is available only on Amazon Kindle at £4.99.