Looking for a book

[Bilgemunky]

I'm trying to find the title of a book that I started reading in highschool, but never finished. It was about space pirates, but I can't for the life of me remember the author, title, or anything else useful in finding it.

All I can say is the following - I bought it off the shelf around 1990. It was a paperback and I believe the cover featured two spaceships, one of which flew a Jolly Roger. The opening chapter of the book featured a torture scene in which the victim offered to share whatever knowledge they had, to which the torturer replied that he already knew what he wanted to know, and that any torture would take place solely for his own pleasure. I believe the chapter ended with him telling his assistant to "start with the eyes." (funny the things we remember, eh?)

The only other little tidbit I can recall is a conversation, I think in the second chapter, in which a gentleman discusses his famous ancestor, dubbed [somebody] the "un-uncled", due to his refusing to give in to aggression (hence refusing to yell "uncle").

And that's all I have. Does this remotely ring any bells???

[blackjohn]

Rings no bells, but I'll pass it along and maybe some of my friends or aquaintances will know.

[blackjohn]

Well Bilgy, 60 or so people on a site much geekier than this (from a SF perspective at least) saw your message, and no one remembered it. Sorry.

[Bilgemunky]

Thanks for the effort. I'll figure this one out eventually