The Covert Buccaneer

EDITOR'S PICK (BOOKLIFE, PUBLISHERS WEEKLY)
RECOMMENDED ON KIRKUS REVIEWS FICTION ALONGSIDE THE NIGHTINGALE AND THE WOMEN
FEATURED IN THE TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT
San Francisco. Two trailblazing women-separated by a century and bound by blood-fighting for their futures.
The Covert Buccaneer is a sweeping dual-timeline women's historical fiction novel that blends legal drama, emotional resilience, and intergenerational mystery into one unforgettable story.
1867-1919: Theodora "Teddy" Ellis defies the expectations of her time. A pioneering miner, suffragist, and real estate developer, she infiltrates male-dominated spaces in disguise, stakes claims in the Klondike, and fights for women's rights and healthcare alongside her Miwok best friend. From escaping the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 to rebuilding San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake and fire, Teddy's life-and her unconventional relationships-challenge the boundaries of her era.
2019-2020: Georgina "Ellie" Benvenuto is a climate migrant attorney and special needs mother in San Francisco. Divorced, exhausted, and walking a fault line to salvage her derailed career while managing unmanageable responsibilities, Ellie discovers Teddy's long-hidden diary upon the death of her grandfather. What begins as a curiosity becomes a lifeline-connecting her to a legacy of reinvention, justice, and a long-forgotten heirloom that holds the key to solving a pivotal legal case.
Rooted in primary source material and real but overlooked histories, The Covert Buccaneer explores the collision of personal, social, and political power through the lenses of climate justice, gender nonconformity, the immigrant experience, caregiver discrimination, and unsung Indigenous voices.
Featuring frontier bull trains, fortune tellers, legal showdowns, women's suffrage, and long-buried family secrets, this richly researched, emotionally resonant novel celebrates identity, resilience, justice, love, friendship, and the legacy of reinvention across generations.
With humor, heart, and a defiant spirit, The Covert Buccaneer asks: What do we owe the women who came before us-and what might we still become if we dare to follow their trail?