Is insanity the true villain? Is it black magic? Does death take them or can love conquer all? Read and find out. A novel of historical fiction that depicts Magellan and his slave from the island of Malacca as they make their way across the pacific to the islands later named Islas de Los Ladrones or 'Islands of the Thieves'. What happens is part history and part fiction and will captive you from the first scene until the gut-wrenching ending.

Buried treasure, villains, cars, and conflict--this humorous, fast-paced, action-packed novel is a page-turner. An ideal choice for the reluctant-to-read middle-grade boy.

“Hamilton has never been better.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) When a new security gig turns into a setup, expert thief Van Shaw finds himself the prey in a cross-country pursuit—in this electrifying sixth novel in Glen Erik Hamilton’s pulse-pounding and emotionally resonant thriller series. Van Shaw is hired to evaluate the safeguards for the art collection of eccentric business magnate Sebastien Rohner. Then Rohner reveals to Van the real reason he’s been recruited: to prevent another professional burglar from stealing the art. Rohner wants to set a thief to catch a thief. While questioning the bizarre nature of the job, Van accepts the lucrative offer and arrives at the island estate during an international summit that Rohner is hosting. Shortly after beginning his surveillance of Rohner’s highly secure gallery wing, Van stumbles across the murdered body of one of the honored guests along the rocky shore. Wary of Rohner’s true intentions, Van knows the homicide detectives on the case—and perhaps Rohner as well—think he’s the prime suspect and will turn his life upside down in their search for proof. Van begins to hunt for the killer himself, but scrutiny only digs his hole deeper, as one of Rohner’s own executives is then killed and the Seattle police find concrete evidence placing Van at the scene. With no other options, he goes on the run, alone and unaided. He’s hunted by the cops, the enraged Rohner, and a pair of psychopathic hitmen who chase Van from one coast to the next. To clear his name, Van Shaw will have to uncover the hidden motive of corporate espionage at a global level, even with a band of killers on his tail who are determined to add Van to their growing list of victims.

When his estranged grandfather is shot and left for dead, an Army Ranger plunges into the criminal underworld of his youth to find a murderer . . . and uncovers a shocking family secret From the time he was six years old, Van Shaw was raised by his Irish immigrant grandfather Donovan to be a thief—to boost cars, beat security alarms, crack safes, and burglarize businesses. But at eighteen, Dono's namesake and protégé suddenly broke all ties to that life and the people in it. Van escaped into the military, serving as an elite Army Ranger in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now, after ten years of silence, Dono has asked his grandson to come home to Seattle. "Tar abhaile, más féidir leat"—Come home, if you can. Taking some well-earned leave, Van heads to the Pacific Northwest, curious and a little unnerved by his grandfather's request. But when he arrives at Dono's house in the early hours of the morning, Van discovers the old thief bleeding out on the floor from a gunshot to the head. The last time the two men had seen each other Dono had also been lying on the floor—with Van pointing a gun at his heart. With a lifetime of tough history between him and the old man, the battle-tested Ranger knows the cops will link him to the crime. To clear his name and avenge his grandfather, Van must track down the shooter. Odds are strong that Dono knew the person. Was it a greedy accomplice? A disgruntled rival? Diving back into the illicit world he'd sworn to leave behind, Van reconnects with the ruthless felons who knew Dono best. Armed with his military and criminal skills, he follows a dangerous trail of clues that leads him deeper into Dono's life—and closer to uncovering what drove his grandfather to reach out after years of silence. As he plummets back into this violent, high-stakes world where right and wrong aren't defined by the law, Van finds that the past is all too present . . . and that the secrets held by those closest to him are the deadliest of all. Edgy and suspenseful, rich with emotional resonance, gritty action, and a deep-rooted sense of place, Past Crimes trumpets the arrival of a powerful new noir talent.

The hero of this historical novel is Martin Olden. The story is set against the researched facts of Magellan's voyage to Asia. In 1494 the division of the globe into two spheres of influence, between Portugal and Spain, left a vital question unanswered: which country's sphere encompassed Asia - particularly the fabulously wealthy Spice Islands? In 1519 Captain-General Ferdinand Magellan led a Spanish expedition, sailing westwards, to disprove Portugal's claim to the Spice Islands and establish that much of the rest of Asia were Spain's possessions. The voyage saw a series of dramatic events - by the time Magellan's fleet reached the Magellan Strait, mutinies had left all his Spanish Captains dead or marooned and there was appalling deprivation on the long voyage across the unexpectedly vast Pacific to the Philippines. It was there that Magellan, disregarding the Spanish king's orders, attacked Lapulapu a local ruler of Mactan Island. Prior to being captured on Mactan Island, Martin Olden helped Princess Lalu, Chief Lapulapu's half-sister, a skilful healer and powerful Shaman when she was assaulted by Santos - a misogynistic Spanish sailor. Captured by Lapulapu's warriors, Martin subsequently witnessed the fate of Magellan and fell in love with Lalu.