A compelling tale of press gangs, smuggling and brutal murder – a fascinating picture of the dark realities of British 18th-century naval life, from the author of A Fine Boy for Killing.
Jan Needle’s first foray into the world of 18th-century maritime fiction – A Fine Boy for Killing – has quickly gained him a considerable reputation. In a compulsive story of a bloody mutiny on the Welfare, he related how young sea officer William Bentley learnt a harsh lesson about injustice as he witnessed the barbarity of his uncle Captain Daniel Swift.
At the beginning of The Wicked Trade Bentley is reluctantly back in the Navy, finding life on his new London-based Impress ship, the Biter, something of a shock. For Will’s duties in the most reviled branch of the Navy involve him in the desperate task of forcibly pressing into service all the men he can find – on shore and in coastal waters – for the fight against the French. Yet there are some compensations: when not on duty, Will is free to go ashore, and his worldly-wise friend Sam quickly introduces him to the wilder excitements of London – its alehouses and brothels.
While offering a colourful portrait of life on the Thames and a fascinating picture of the role of the Impress, The Wicked Trade has at its centre a powerful story of murder. Two Customs men have been killed by smugglers in Hampshire in a manner considered brutal even for those tough times. Soon Will and Sam are risking their own lives as they become caught up in the bloody affair, eventually unearthing a story of high-level corruption – a huge smuggling operation, backed by some of the richest and most powerful men in the country.
From the reviews of A Fine Boy for Killing:
‘Jan Needle’s tale is following in a great British tradition, but alters it savagely so that it is not the salt spray that remains in the memory but the steady trickling of blood. If you like your Hornblower with more than a lick of the cat, this is for you.’
the times
‘A painfully authentic portrayal of naval life in the 18th century. A powerful story of lost humanity... its violent emotions are shattering.’
guardian
‘Exciting drama... in this enthralling novel the tension builds until mutiny is inevitable and the characters are drawn into a destiny of fear, love, hatred and horrifying tragedy.’
yorkshire gazette
