When Thomas Jefferson became president in 1801, America faced a crisis: the new nation was deeply in debt, but its merchant ships were under attack by pirates from North Africa's Barbary Coast, who routinely captured American sailors, demanding ransom payments far beyond what the new country could afford. Knowing that the pirates' religion justified their plunder of foreign ships, Jefferson decided to forgo diplomacy, sending the U.S. Navy's new warships and a detachment of Marines to blockade Tripoli, launching the Barbary Wars and beginning America's journey toward superpower status. As they did in their previous bestseller, George Washington's Secret Six, Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger have transformed a nearly forgotten slice of history into a dramatic story.

"Thomas Jefferson. Pirates. And national security. This is how you make history exciting. I dare you to put this book down."—Brad Meltzer