Description

The Wicked Trade (A Sea Officer William Bentley novel) Needle, Jan Book Description: Harper Collins, UK, 1998. Hard Cover. / w/dj, 6 1/4 x 9 1/2, 378 pages, Book Condition: Very Good -. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good -. First Edition. 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. ****************************************************************************************************************** THANK YOU FOR SHOPPING WITH US - WE VERY MUCH APPRECIATE YOUR BUSINESS. If you have further questions - happy to answer them - please email us. Please browse our other items and bookmark our site - we constantly add new items. We pack your item extremely carefully so you will receive it in the best condition. This sometimes causes us to be a day or two late in processing orders if we have a good number of sales - Please be patient- we aim to provide the best service we can. We have been in business 50 years. POSTAGE WILL BE COMBINED ON MULTIPLE ITEMS PURCHASED. PLEASE WAIT FOR ME TO SEND YOU AN INVOICE BEFORE PAYING - I MAY BE ABLE TO SAVE YOU POSTAGE. ON PAPER BACK BOOKS & MAGAZINES, MANY TIMES WE CAN COMBINE SEVERAL BOOKS, AND / OR SHIP CHEAPER BY FIRST CLASS AIR MAIL ( A LITTLE SLOWER THAN PRIORITY)- PLEASE ASK ME ABOUT RATES . Please remember that the binding glue in vintage paperbacks is likely to be much drier than newer books, and thus more fragile than more modern printings. Paper also can be sometimes somewhat brittle. All vintage paperbacks require proper & careful care in handling or the spine glue will crack !!. INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE NOTICE ! PLEASE WAIT FOR INVOICE BEFORE PAYING IMPORTANT NOTICE- AS OF MAY 14th, 2007, THE US POSTAL SYSTEM HAS COMPLETELY CHANGED INTERNATIONAL MAIL RATES - ALL SURFACE MAIL HAS BEEN DROPPED , THERE WILL ONLY BE TWO CLASSES OF AIR MAIL= PRIORITY OR FIRST CLASS, AND THE RATES HAVE GONE UP SUBSTANTIALLY. FURTHER IMPORTANT NOTICE - AS OF 2012 U.S. POSTAGE RATES HAVE BEEN RAISED AGAIN QUITE A LOT. IT LOOKS LIKELY THAT POSTAGE WILL RISE EVERY YEAR IN THE FUTURE. WE HAVE NO IDEA HOW FAST THESE NEW RATES WILL ACTUALLY BE, SO PLEASE BE PATIENT. WE ARE EXPERIENCING 2 – 6 WEEKS AS BEFORE DEPENDING ON THE CLASS OF AIR MAIL USED AND IF ITEM IS HELD UP IN CUSTOMS, BUT SOMETIMES FOR LONGER FOR NO KNOWN REASON. IT WILL TAKE AT LEAST THE TIMES STATED ABOVE. PLEASE DO NOT START ASKING WHERE IT IS IN A WEEK OR TWO AND ACCUSE ME OF NOT SENDING THE ITEM - SLOW DELIVERY TIMES BY THE POST OFFICE ARE NOT MY FAULT, PLEASE BE PREPARED TO WAIT THE AVERAGE TIMES I HAVE STATED. ( due to be budget shortfalls and massive job cuts, and projected closing of many distribution centers, that are being implemented by the US Post Office- we are already seeing delivery times longer than was seen previously – please be patient ) WE HAVE BEEN IN BUSINESS FOR OVER 50 YEARS & WE KNOW BY BITTER EXPERIENCE JUST HOW SLOW THE MAIL CAN BE. IF YOU BID ON SOMETHING AND THE POSTAGE IS TOO HIGH, I WILL CANCEL THE SALE AT YOUR REQUEST WITH NO ADVERSE COMMENTS. IF YOU WISH A POSTAL QUOTE BEFORE BIDDING , JUST ASK ME. THANK YOU FOR LOOKING . Bob Ruman