"Blending modern day piracy and the high seas with international and government intrigue and deception, Pirog has crafted yet another novel that is chock full of WTF moments that will have you skipping sleep and possibly meals just to find out what happens next. It's a real page turner, that's for sure. If I could give it more than five stars, I would." —Todd Barselow "Where there is a ship, there are pirates." —Greek Proverb"They should have picked a different ship." —Thomas PrescottIntimate in scale, but grandly outfitted, the luxury cruise liner 'The Afrikaans' hosts no more than 208 pampered guests, among them; former FBI contract agent Thomas Prescott. When the ship is overtaken by African pirates who are demanding the U.S. send AIDS relief to a small Zulu village in South Africa, it is up to Prescott to keep the 400 hostages alive. As the U.S. tries to figure out how to combat the terrorists’ plot from the outside, World Health Organization doctor Gina Brady, undertakes the impossible task of rescuing three children from the secluded village. As the deadline draws near, Prescott and Brady must race against the clock to discover the truth; is it AIDS relief the pirates seek or a two billion dollar ransom from one of the richest men in the world. Or could the implications be so profound, and the stakes so high, a war hangs in the balance. Taut, riveting, with a plot snatched from the headlines of tomorrow, THE AFRIKAANS will leave you begging for more.