Blood Ransom : Stories from the Front Line in the War against Somali Piracy By John Boyle
Hardback
For the first time in history, the navies of the world have united against a common enemy – a couple of thousand rag-tag, underfed men and boys in the western Indian Ocean. Crammed into open boats and armed with ancient AK-47s, they range up to a thousand miles from home shores in Somalia. No one knows how many die at sea. But occasionally they hit the jackpot, seizing vessels and crews to be ransomed for millions of dollars. This is a war that has estimated to have cost the global economy as much as $18 billion in a single year.