Awards

• Long-listed for Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2023 (UK)
• Short-listed for CWA Historical Dagger 2023 (UK)

Overview

This is the secret report of Laurence Jago. Ex-clerk. Unwilling spy. Reluctant sailor. Accidental detective. New Year 1795, and Laurence Jago is aboard the Tankerville mail ship, en route to Philadelphia. Ostensibly travelling as assistant to the irrepressible journalist William Philpott, Laurence's real mission is to aid the civil servant carrying a vital treaty to Congress. A treaty that will prevent the Americans from joining with the French in the war against Britain. However, when the civil servant meets an unfortunate - and supposedly accidental - end and the treaty disappears, Laurence realises only he can now prevent war with the US. Trapped on the ship with travellers including two penniless French aristocrats, an Irish actress and a dancing bear, Laurence must hunt down both the lost treaty and the murderer, before he has a tragic 'accident' himself...

Full Product Details

9781788165952

Table of Contents

Reviews

PRAISE FOR THE AUTHOR: Weaves the complex politics of 18th-century Britain into a gripping murder mystery * The Times * A joy from start to finish. Jago is a very sympathetic hero... and Philpott made me want to cheer -- Andrew Taylor Nimbly realised * Financial Times * A gripping, intricate story of Georgian high politics and low life... Top notch -- W.C. Ryan

Danger and mystery trapped inside a rocking barrel, far from home. Artful and authentic historical fiction at its best -- A.J. West, author of The Spirit Engineer Such a thrilling read. Characters who utterly drew me in and didn't let go until the final page. Spectacular -- J.M. Hewitt, author of The Eight Year Lie A compelling and spectacular nautical murder mystery. Superbly written characters in a convincing historic setting - I loved it! -- Guy Morpuss, author of <i>Five Minds</i> PRAISE FOR THE AUTHOR: Weaves the complex politics of 18th-century Britain into a gripping murder mystery * The Times * A joy from start to finish. Jago is a very sympathetic hero... and Philpott made me want to cheer -- Andrew Taylor Filled with memorable characters... first-class entertainment * Sunday Times * A gripping, intricate story of Georgian high politics and low life... Top notch -- W.C. Ryan Nimbly realised * Financial Times * I admired Black Drop. I loved Blue Water. Even more welcome than an extra rum ration on Christmas Day, and slips down just as easily -- Robert Lloyd, author of <i>The Bloodless Boy</i>

Danger and mystery trapped inside a rocking barrel, far from home. Artful and authentic historical fiction at its best -- A.J. West, author of <i>The Spirit Engineer</i> I loved this rip-roaring tale of murder and intrigue on the high seas. A locked-ship mystery, and a cracking sequel to the brilliant Black Drop -- Trevor Wood, author of <i>The Man in the Street</i> I absolutely loved this book. Full of intrigue and excitement with a brilliantly-realised cast of characters and a totally immersive setting, it's a superb historical thriller -- Philippa East, author of <i>Little White Lies</i> A compelling and spectacular nautical murder mystery. Superbly written characters in a convincing historic setting - I loved it! -- Guy Morpuss, author of <i>Five Minds</i> Such a thrilling read. Characters who utterly drew me in and didn't let go until the final page. Spectacular -- J.M. Hewitt, author of <i>The Eight Year Lie</i> PRAISE FOR THE AUTHOR: Weaves the complex politics of 18th-century Britain into a gripping murder mystery * The Times * A joy from start to finish. Jago is a very sympathetic hero... and Philpott made me want to cheer -- Andrew Taylor Filled with memorable characters... first-class entertainment * Sunday Times * A gripping, intricate story of Georgian high politics and low life... Top notch -- W.C. Ryan Nimbly realised * Financial Times * I admired Black Drop. I loved Blue Water. Even more welcome than an extra rum ration on Christmas Day, and slips down just as easily -- Robert Lloyd, author of <i>The Bloodless Boy</i>

Author Information

Leonora Nattrass studied eighteenth-century literature and politics, and spent ten years lecturing in English and publishing works on William Cobbett. She lives in Cornwall, in a seventeenth-century house with seventeenth-century draughts, and spins the fleeces of her Ryeland sheep into yarn. Her first novel, Black Drop, was published in 2021. Find her on Twitter @LeonoraNattrass

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