Charles Town: The novel

Many of us remember “Treasure Island” and “Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” and some recall “Kidnapped” and “Catriona,” Stevenson’s historical novels about a Scottish lad’s abduction orchestrated by a greedy uncle who paid the onerous Captain Hoseason to haul the young heir off to the Carolina colony for a life of rank servitude. Baldwin’s “Charles Town” picks up where Stevenson left off. Teenager David Balfour was kidnapped aboard the sailing ship Covenant, as first reported by author Robert Louis Stevenson, but the Scottish lad was never shipwrecked as originally told. No, young David and his zealous Highlander friend Alan Breck actually do reach the Carolina Colony in September 1751. Author William P. Baldwin continues Stevenson’s tale, explaining in vivid detail that both men land in Charles Town to face the horrors of slavery, angry savages, romantic seduction, a bloodthirsty fencing master and three very strong-willed heroines. This is a must read for Robert Louis Stevenson fans. A masterpiece for South Carolina author William Baldwin.