Book #6 - Quarter Share

I grabbed a sample of Quarter Share, not sure that I really wanted to read the story, but I found myself fascinated after a couple slow chapters. It's somewhat based on the Clipper age of trade on Earth, but in this case a kid needs a job. His mother dies at the beginning, and living on a corporate planet, he has 90 days to find work or vacate the planet.

Unsure of what to do, he signs on to a freighter, lucky to get a job as a cook's assistant. He impresses the old cook with his attention to detail and problem solving ability right away, but he is a kid. No experience and not a lot of confidence.

However that soon changes as he does well in his job and even inspires others around him to change. He begins trading on the side, which is allowed, and has a tremendous amount of success.

The book is well written, and guides you through what should be a slow time in space, weeks between ports, with the development of Ismael, he main character as he grows and makes friends in the crew. I couldn't put this one down and actually bought the next book as soon as I was finished.