Blood Ransom

For the first time in history, the navies of every superpower on the planet have united against a common enemy-a couple thousand ragtag underfed men and boys. Crammed together in tiny open boats, they range up to a thousand miles away from their home shores. Armed with ancient AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades, they scour the western Indian Ocean. No one knows how many simply die at sea. But occasionally these modern-day pirates hit the jackpot, seizing vessels and crews that will be ransomed for millions of dollars. This is a war that's estimated to cost the world economy eighteen billion dollars every year and has so far seemed impossible to win. A lawyer turned filmmaker, John Boyle builds up the story of the Somali pirates using his experiences on the ground while filming forNational Geographic, as well as interviews with key figures, including prosecution and defense lawyers, a prison governor, pirates serving life sentences, freed hostages, and a skipper of a Maersk containership identical to that c