The Contraband Killings: A Dan Foster Mystery - The Dan Foster Mysteries 4
Formats: E-Book, Paperback
Anglesey, 1799.
Principal Officer Dan Foster is sent to collect smuggler Watcyn Jones from Beaumaris Gaol on Anglesey, and bring him back to London for trial at the Old Bailey. As if having to travel to the wilds of North Wales isn’t enough, Dan is saddled with an inexperienced constable as his interpreter and assistant. At least it’s a routine assignment and shouldn’t take more than a few days.
But when the prison escort is ambushed and Watcyn Jones escapes, a straightforward prison transfer turns into a desperate manhunt. And as Jones’s enemies start to die, the chase becomes more urgent than ever.
Dan’s search for the killer brings him up against a ruthless smuggling gang – and his chances of getting off the island alive begin to look far from promising.
Reviews
As a frequent visitor to the Isle of Anglesey and the area around Beaumaris, I was particularly keen to read this novel. It did not disappoint. The characters are very well drawn, and the setting and the era really come to life on the page. The author has clearly done her research meticulously – both about the practice of smuggling and about the history of Beaumaris. And the plot is a real page-turner; I stayed up well past my normal bedtime to finish the book and was genuinely sorry when I reached the last page.
Boyce possesses a sharp visual descriptive power which evokes strong emotions of landscape, the Welsh people, poverty, filth, starvation, and copper mining. Is it possible to feel wet and cold during a fictional storm or to feel flustered at the coaching depot departure stand? Apparently so, thanks to evocative writing! … An interesting read, which gives the mystical isle of Ynys Môn a new dimension.
‘The Contraband Killings’ is superbly written. Lucienne has one of those easy going writing styles that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with. Lucienne certainly knows how to grab the reader’s attention and draw them into what proves to be one hell of a story…In short, I loved reading ‘The Contraband Killings’ and I wholeheartedly recommend this book to other readers.
