My latest, Limehouse Boys, will be available from the 31st July. It can already be pre-ordered on Kindle from Amazon, and will soon be available in paperback as well from all the usual outlets. As I've remarked in previous posts leading up to this, it has been a fascinating journey. The research into the life of the working men and women of the 1830s in London, and of the manner in which children from the slums were treated, has been heartbreaking, at times infuriating, and at others appalling as a journey of discovery. I'm sorry to say that many of the attitudes and mindsets still persist among the moneyed and powerful.
The story has been described by some of the trial readers as 'Dickensian' and in a sense it is. I take that as a compliment, since Dickens was a keen observer of the social ills of his time. Some things change only on the surface it seems. They were a new face, dress more smartly, but still hold the same views of patronage, class and 'fitness' for any place in society.
Limehouse Boys is a tale woven round the fate of three orphans caught up in a corrupt system, the target of shadowy and immoral men. There are others involved, men with axes to grind, or who genuinely wish to bring improvement in the face of official obstruction, corruption and criminal gangs. All the ingredients for the adventure of a lifetime.