Key West, 1861. The country is tearing itself apart, and the war has reached the island before the first shots have faded from memory.
For Nate Van Doran, the sea has always offered a simple truth: find a wreck, save what you can, and live to sail another day.
The Civil War changes the rules.
Key West remains in Union hands while Confederate Florida surrounds it. Warships patrol the Straits. Blockade runners slip through the darkness. Captured vessels become prizes worth fortunes, and every wreck carries the possibility of riches—or accusations of treason.
Nate wants no part of the war. But when salvage, politics, and an ambitious naval officer collide, neutrality becomes impossible.
His enemies have uniforms, influence, and the law on their side. His allies include a federal marshal, a woman with dangerous family ties, and the hard men who make their living from the unpredictable waters surrounding the Florida Keys.
As the blockade tightens, Nate is drawn into a struggle involving wreckers, warships, Confederate runners, hidden loyalties, and a prize that could change his future—if it doesn't get him hanged first.
Set against the reefs, wrecking grounds, forts, docks, and narrow streets of Civil War Key West, Blockade is a historical adventure of ships, salvage, betrayal, and survival at the southern edge of a divided nation.
