Between 1839 and 1843, the Rebecca rioters of west Wales rode out at night to tear down toll gates and make their protest against the high tolls charged on the roads by the businessmen and investors who ran the Turnpike Trusts. The rioters blacked their faces and wore women’s dresses, and they were armed with guns and other weapons. Their visits were sometimes announced in advance by threatening letters signed by “Becca”. Some rioters were arrested and transported, and the unrest affected many lives. The history makes for a powerful setting for None So Blind . As Alis Hawkins explains in a historical note at the end of the novel, she has taken the story of the Rebeccas a little further by imagining that they have branched out into being a sort of moral vigilante group. It’s an idea that works really well, and even has an interesting feminist twist as at least one man gets visited for taking advantage of his female servants.  The public turmoil is matched by barrister Harry Prob...

The Contraband Killings : A Dan Foster Mystery is on a blog tour this week (5-11 December 2022). The tour will feature unique extracts, reviews and guest blogs. The schedule is below, and the links will go live as the blogs are published. Anglesey 1799: Bow Street Runner Dan Foster is sent to fetch smuggler Watcyn Jones from prison on Anglesey to stand trial for murder at the Old Bailey in London. When the prison escort is ambushed and Watcyn Jones escapes, a straightforward prison transfer turns into a desperate manhunt.   As Jones’s enemies start to die, the chase becomes more urgent than ever – and Dan’s chances of getting off the island alive begin to look far from promising. Out now at Amazon ( Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com ).     Blog Tour Schedule Monday 5 December 2022 Jera's Jamboree  - Review.   Northernreader The Book Decoder - Review Tuesday 6 December 2022 Kathryn Books - Review Sharon Beyond the Books - Review Celticlady's Reviews  Wednes...

Gallows Wake: The Sixth Voyage of Jesamiah Acorne by Helen Hollick  Earlier this month, Gallows Wake dropped anchor at Scriblerus as part of a blog tour. In a guest blog, Helen considered the question: What makes a good hero, a good heroine or even a good (bad?) villain? (Link below.) This is my review of this gripping adventure... Gallows Wake is the sixth of the Sea Witch voyages. Set early in the seventeenth century, they follow the adventures of adventurer and one-time pirate, Jesamiah Acorne, and the white witch, Tiola Oldstagh. They’re an exciting blend of historical fact, fantasy, and swash buckling, with a strong dash of romance thrown in. Gallows Wake is a story with its origins in the past: a woman hung for a crime she did not commit; old enmities snapping at Jesamiah’s heels; the aftermath of a raid by Barbary pirates and Jesamiah’s daring rescue mission. The writer has a keen sense of the nearness of the past: Tiola in Lisbon is aware of “the presence of the past...