A True Account

Hannah Masury’s Sojourn Amongst the Pyrates, Written by Herself

By: Katherine Howe

Narrated by: Petrea Burchard

From New York Times bestselling author Katherine Howe comes a daring first-hand account of one young woman's unbelievable adventure as one of the most terrifying sea rovers of all time.

In Boston, as the Golden Age of Piracy comes to a bloody close, Hannah Masury–bound out to service at a waterfront inn since childhood–is ready to take her life into her own hands. When a man is hanged for piracy in the town square and whispers of a treasure in the Caribbean spread, Hannah is forced to flee for her life, disguising herself as a cabin boy in the pitiless crew of the notorious pirate Edward "Ned" Low. To earn the freedom to choose a path for herself, Hannah must hunt down the treasure and change the tides.

Meanwhile, professor Marian Beresford pieces Hannah’s story together in 1930, seeing her own lack of freedom reflected back at her as she watches Hannah's transformation. At the center of Hannah Masury’s account, however, lies a centuries-old mystery that Marian is determined to solve, just as Hannah may have been determined to take it to her grave.

A True Account tells the unforgettable story of two women in different worlds, both shattering the rules of their own society and daring to risk everything to go out on their own account.

A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt & Company.

©2023 Katherine Howe (P)2023 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"A wildly adventurous, swashbuckling tale of pirates, A True Account is a fast-paced, rollicking story with an extraordinary twist. Katherine Howe breathes new life into the Golden Age of Piracy with astuteness and elaborate detail–her characters don’t just come alive but spin off the page. You will love it as much as I did."—Anderson Cooper, New York Times bestselling author of Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty

"This sweeping, ambitious novel secures Katherine Howe’s place as one of today's best historical fiction writers. Combining a fast-paced, rollicking 18th-century story about a female pirate and a 20th-century mystery set in academia, Howe touches on identity, ambition, history, class, and culture. Filled with unexpected twists and turns, A True Account is a wild ride. I loved this book.”—Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Orphan Train and The Exiles

"Katherine Howe has done it again. One of our most beloved writers of historical fiction returns with a superbly crafted page-turner rich with detail and featuring a brilliantly realized protagonist who will delight readers of every stripe. A True Account interlaces a suspenseful story of eighteenth-century piracy with a propulsive modern account of academic intrigue to wonderful effect. A bracing and dazzling adventure in every way."—Bruce Holsinger, USA Today bestselling author of The Gifted School and A Burnable Book

Best book I’ve read in years

I loved the energy, the descriptions you could fully imagine, the story twists, the growth of the main characters. It was excellent

I love character building!

The twists and turns of this story are delicious. It sparks the imagination with epic details of a time with pirates. I grew up sailing in Maine and now being landlocked in the state of Colorado, makes me almost taste the salt air again. I miss hearing about adventures on boats and got to be fully immersed in this performance on audible. Thank you for writing and delivering a truly great tale!

Loved it!!!!!!

Highly recommend! Great story with historical threads throughout! I didn’t want it to end! Howe is a phenomenal writer. Loved it!!!!!

a disguised girl at sea on a pirate ship

I found the story quite compelling,with an unexpected ending. I know much more about pirate life than I knew before reading, and I appreciate the author's epilogue telling what was likely to be true, and what wasn't. it's a good read, and the performance brought the characters to life.

Fun pirate story mixed with boring modern story

I enjoyed the pirate story part, though it was rather sanitized IMO. But the more modern day segments were boring and predictable. Daddy issues and gay panic reiterated over and over and over again. Descriptions of things repeated over and over again. Felt like she was trying to pad out the book and the pay off was not worth it. By the last 20% I was listening out of spite and literally yelling in my car to just GET ON WITH IT. I had thought there would be more fantastical elements from a description I read about it blending truth and fiction, but I was wrong. This was a lot like The Lost Apothecary, in that the historical bits were cool but the modern day I wanted to slap the MC and tell her to grow up and develop a personality.

Wayyyy too short.

The story had so much potential but it fell flat. The world building was great and I felt compelled to learn more about the characters, but it just delve deeply enough for me to end up caring for anyone. Felt unfinished...