THE DIVINE SAGE tells the tale of a voyage to Latin America in the 1820s, and a captain who is persuaded to embark on a mysterious quest by one of his passengers. This is a book for readers who are looking for a gripping historical mystery, but one with an emotional undercurrent. Set on the high seas and along the coasts of Chile, Peru and Mexico, the twisting plot is filled with secret histories and lost gods as it unravels against a backdrop of breathtaking landscapes and glorious sunsets. Beneath all the intrigue and adventure, an unusual gay love story gradually reveals itself.


The book is based on the journal of Captain Basil Hall and his voyage on the HMS Conway, together with a collection of letters written by Hall and the ship's surgeon regarding a tragic death that was never disclosed. In this fictional retelling, Captain Hall begins rewriting his journal when he is incarcerated in a mental asylum at the end of his life. Is he finally revealing the truth about what happened, or is this the cathartic fantasy of a man whose mind is failing him?