From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Killers of the Flower Moon comes a gripping true story of shipwreck, survival, and the dark side of empire.

In 1742, a battered vessel washed ashore in Brazil carrying 30 starving British sailors, survivors of The Wager, a warship wrecked during a secret mission in the South Seas. Hailed as heroes, their tale quickly unraveled when, months later, another handful of castaways landed in Chile—accusing the first group of mutiny.

What followed was a dramatic court martial full of conflicting accounts: a tyrannical captain, a crew torn apart by starvation and violence, and a fight for power in the wilderness.

With vivid detail and narrative mastery, David Grann brings this harrowing episode to life—an epic tale of loyalty, betrayal, and the collapse of order in the face of desperation.

The Wager is both a thrilling survival story and a powerful reflection on justice, truth, and the cost of empire.