Strangely Wonderful — Karen Mercury

Along with his pirate crew, captain Tomaj Balashazy rules the Madagascar coast from his tropical plantation -- a fortress built to defend against the enemies he's made cruising the Indian Ocean. But when the American naturalist Dagny Ravenhurst falls into Balashazy's lagoon during an expedition seeking a dreaded and mystical species of lemur, it spells the end of the temporary peace on the island. Ravenhurst is beholden to the French industrialist Paul Boneaux -- who enjoys a monopoly over the island's manufacturing and commerce -- and needs his patronage to survive. When the two adversaries, Balashazy and Boneaux, are pitted against each other, the island boils with blood, and only one will emerge triumphant.