Kitto believes that he will follow his father into the business of making barrels, but secretly wishes he could become a sailor instead. He was born with a club foot and he knows that limits him in the eyes of the world. When he meets his uncle, the infamous pirate William Kidd, Kitto's life is thrown into turmoil. His father is murdered, his brother and stepmom are kidnapped, and Kitto joins forces with his uncle to get revenge on the man behind it all -- the Jamaican Governor. As advertised, The Dagger Quick is action-packed adventure. Plenty of battles, hand-to-hand combat, thrilling rescues, and treachery abound. It's a quick read, and episodic which would make for a good read-aloud. While Kitto is a well-developed character, I kept wishing that as much attention was paid to some of the other characters as well. Unfortunately, for me, many of the secondary characters were stereotypical and flat. I can see where more will be revealed in further stories about Kitto, so it may just be a "book one" flaw. All will be revealed in time. I give it a C+, a fine adventure story.
