Thieves of the Black Sea. Joe O'Neill

      CHARACTERS RETURNING FROM

      REBELS OF THE KASBAH, WRATH OF THE CAID, and LEGENDS OF THE RIF

      Tariq (tah-reek): An orphan; kidnapped and sold to Caid Ali Tamzali to race in deadly camel races

      Fez: A friend of Tariq’s; fellow slave to the tyrant Caid Ali Tamzali

      Aseem (ah-seem): A friend to Fez and Tariq; fellow slave to Caid Ali Tamzali

      Margaret Owen: An English girl; kidnapped and sold to Caid Ali Tamzali

      Aji (ah-jee): Tariq’s best friend on the streets of Tangier; killed by a street thug named Mohammad

      Sanaa (sah-nah): A beautiful Moroccan assassin; part of the resistance, instrumental in prison escape

      Malik (ma-leek): A respected tribal leader; part of the resistance

      Zijuan (zee-wan): A gifted Chinese woman and sage martial artist; rescued Tariq from streets of Tangier

      Charles Owen: A decorated colonel in the British army; kidnapped by pirate crew, father to Margaret and David

      Louise Owen: A devoted wife to Charles; mother to Margaret and David

      Caid Ali Tamzali: An evil warlord; feared ruler of the Rif Mountains, killed in an epic battle

      Note: For definition in this series, a Caid (k+aid) is a warlord in Morocco who answers only to the Sultan, the sovereign ruler of Morocco. He controls his own territory, but pays taxes and owes all allegiance to the Sultan. However, a more common definition of a Caid is a Muslim or Berber chieftain, who may be a tribal chief, judge, or senior officer.

      The Black Mamba: The most ruthless assassin in Morocco; a loyal servant to Caid Ali Tamzali, killed by the honorable assassin Sanaa

      Melbourne Jack: An Aboriginal adventurer trained by Foster Crowe in Australia; searching for the diary of Alexander the Great, assisting the boys in a battle to take down the Caid, died tragically in a hot air balloon crash

      Foster Crowe: A master of the Red Hand. He runs a circus that travels across the world which is actually a training ground for agents of the Red Hand. Pursuing Wu Chiang; determined to protect the Red Hand teachings.

      Amanda: A teenage girl; took care of young Melbourne Jack in the circus

      Timin: A former betting parlor boss, imprisoned and left homeless; friend of street boys

      Sister Anne: Head of St. Catherine’s School in the south of France

      The French Students: Sophie, Etienne and Inez; roommates of Margaret’s at St. Catherine’s

      Wu Chiang: A suspicious character plotting a world war

      Azmiya (az-mee-uh): A girl rescued from an evil uncle by Tariq and friends

      CHARACTERS INTRODUCED IN

       THIEVES OF THE BLACK SEA

      Captain Scopas: The Captain of a band of sea gypsies. He is seeking Abdullah Ozek.

      Lhak-Pa: A mysterious sage that young Foster Crowe meets in the Himalayan Mountains.

      Major Lars Hostetler: The officer in charge of the German internment camp.

      Leopold: A former advisor to the Kaiser. Inez and Margaret meet him in the German internment camp.

      Mia: The leader of a resistance group in Germany.

      Pakize: A thief who assists Fez, Tariq, and Aseem in Constantinople.

      Abdullah Ozek: An evil gangster in Constantinople and the rival of Captain Scopas.

      Reinhold: A German boy who helps Inez and Margaret.

      PREVIOUSLY IN THE RED HAND ADVENTURES

      Morocco. 1912. In Book I, Rebels of the Kasbah, Tariq, Fez, and Aseem are three young boys kidnapped and sold into the Kasbah of Caid of Ali Tamzali to race in deadly camel races. Along with Margaret, an English girl who was also kidnapped and sold into the harem of Caid Ali Tamzali, they plan a daring escape with the help of an undercover assassin named Sanaa, who was dispatched to help Tariq by his guardian—the venerable sage Zijuan.

      Following their successful escape, the kids join a resistance tribe in the Rif Mountains led by a man named Malik. After gaining valuable information on the kasbah’s vulnerabilities, Malik and his warriors stage a daring raid on Caid Ali Tamzali and his kasbah.

      Meanwhile, Margaret’s father, Charles, is kidnapped by a pirate named Captain Basil and joins forces with him when he learns a corrupt British Lieutenant named Dreyfuss is attacking helpless African fishing boats and villages.

      In Book II, Wrath of the Caid, the Caid unleashes a man named The Black Mamba to find and kill, Tariq, Aseem, and Fez, and destroy the resistance tribe. Margaret is sent to live in England, as it’s no longer safe for her in Morocco. In England, she gets in a bit of trouble and is quickly sent to Saint Catherine’s boarding school outside of Marseilles, France where she befriends some French school girls.

      Lieutenant Dreyfuss sends a spy by the name of Sharif Al Montaro to capture Captain Basil and Charles Owen.

      Tariq, separated from his friends, meets a friendly Aborigine named Melbourne Jack who begins to explain the secrets of the Red Hand and the exploits of his mentor—Foster Crowe.

      In Book III, Legends of the Rif, Tariq, Fez, and Aseem are adrift in the Mediterranean Sea and clinging to life after their hot air balloon crash landed. Melbourne Jack, their friend and mentor, tragically died in the accident.

      Sanaa, Zijuan, and Malik successfully defeated Caid Ali Tamzali and his evil henchman, The Black Mamba, to free the countryside of Morocco from his iron grip. Inez was suddenly missing after identifying German spies near her school in the French countryside.

      Finally, Foster Crowe follows the mysterious Wu Chiang to Europe from the jungles of Ceylon after discovering Wu Chiang’s dark vision to plot a war the likes of which the world has never seen.

       Thieves of the Black Sea