A pirate ship rescues a boy from a shipwreck, and he becomes their new cabin boy. Nicknamed "Shipwreck", he has a tenuous loyalty to the pirates, because they saved his life, but he is looking for an opportunity to leave them and make his way home on a trade ship. The pirate captain announces his intention to give up piracy and take up ranching just outside of San Diego, but the Mexicans are at war with America and the political climate is very unstable. Shipwreck has to rely on the captain for safety from bandits and the town militia, and the captain entrusts his greatest treasure to Shipwreck.

I liked the adventurous plot and interesting characters! Some of the pirates are not happy about the idea of giving up their life at sea, and Shipwreck learns of secret plans to mutiny and steal the captain's treasure. Shipwreck is an American himself, and he is terrified that he will be arrested by the Mexicans as a spy. The captain buys a huge ranch and hires cowboys, cooks, housekeepers, candlemakers, butchers, and lots of people to do a dozen other jobs. It's a busy place, and Shipwreck is swept up in the newness of it all, but he never forgets his former life at sea.
The captain encounters a bandit woman who intrigues him with her sass, and they have some funny repartee when she steals his red boots.

Shipwreck is torn between wanting to go home and wanting to stay with the captain. The captain takes Shipwreck under his wing, teaching and protecting and trusting the cabin boy. Shipwreck begins to look up to him and adopt his mannerisms, his way of walking with confidence. I really enjoyed seeing the character development as Shipwreck is trying to decide what kind of life he wants and where he wants to be.

Overall, it's a fun story, but they aren't ever at sea. The book begins when they come into port at San Diego, and they are mostly at the ranch or in the town. They return sometimes to the ship anchored in harbor, but they never go anywhere.
However, it was definitely an interesting exploration of the question of what do pirates DO when they stop being pirates.

I took off a half star because some of the plot twists were really predictable. Otherwise, it would have been a four star book.