This book can best be described as heavy. Hard copy from the library was physically heavy, the sole focus on the slave trade (to the exclusion of all other trades and activities of a busy port town) was heavy handed and the prose was heavy and rather turgid. Described as a thriller, it didn't have me rushing to turn the next page.
There's almost too much going on here, the start of the abolitionist movement, homosexuality, a scandal and murder are all mixed up. It became rather a mire that I waded through. There are good elements, but its not taught enough to carry off the complicated plot. Harry Corsham is far too at sea to actually work out what's going on, it's only when he finally turns to his wife that there's clarity of thought and purpose - now she'd make an excellent subject for a novel. ( )

This was really interesting insofar as it described Britain's attitude to the slave trade in the late eighteenth century, but the actual plot was ultimately disappointing. I didn't really warm to Harry that much; he seemed to have little regard for the consequences of his actions, and was nearly murdered so often it was a miracle he made it to the end of the book. There was just such a lot going on. Almost all the multitude of characters were villains in one way or another, and the list of crimes they were guilty of was endless. I think more of Caro, Harry's wife, and more of a partnership between her and Harry would have made it a better book. ( )

Harry Corsham is set for a successful political career, returned a hero from the American War, his marriage to Caro Craven has brought money, a position at the War Office and a beloved son. However when Harry is visited by his old friend's sister asking for help finding her brother, he enters a completely different world. When he arrives at Deptford he finds Tad is already dead, tortured and vilified for his abolitionist views. Harry vows to find whoever is responsible but this leads him into the world of slavery, a scandal hushed up and several more deaths.
I loved this book but found it quite intense. There is a lot of plot and a lot of side stories never quite followed through which makes it exhilarating but complex to read. The themes of politics and slavery are writ large and are true to the late 18th Century mentality where England is always at war and people want tobacco, sugar and cotton without caring where they come from. I had read about The Zong several years ago and the plot here lifts from that, profit is more important than slave lives and corruption runs deep. The research is impeccable and the sense of time and place immaculate. This is a wonderful first novel and I hope to read more. ( )