July, 1806. Commanding a prison-hulk in the Medway guarding French captives, Martin Jerrold thinks his
war can't get much better. He's far away from storm, battle and the other disagreeable elements of naval
life, and he can keep his mistress, Isobel, close at hand; in fact, his most arduous duty is reining in
the zealous Francophobia of his deputy. It seems too good to last, and so it proves. When one of the
prisoners, goes missing, Jerrold's comfortable world is turned upside-down. Summoned to London, he is
ordered by the First Lord of the Admiralty to recapture the Frenchman at any cost. Jerrold does not know
it, but his pursuit will take him clear across England: from the slums of London to the stinking marshes
of Chatham; from the wilds of Dartmoor to the newly fashionable seaside resort of Brighton. But who is
this mysterious french man? At the Post Office, Jerrold's old friend, Mr Nevell, is curious; so too are
politicians from the highest levels of the Whig government; as is the Tory opposition led by the cunning
Spencer Percival. Even the seductive Princess Caroline takes an unexpected interest. nAs Jerrold - with
his usual mix of bad timing, bad luck and bad behaviour - closes on his quarry, he begins to uncover an
extraordinary tangle of deceit and treachery stretching back over twenty years, which reaches to the most
exalted levels of society on both sides of the Channel. And which some men will stop at nothing to protect...
About The Reader
David Thorpe has appeared in numerous stage plays, in repertory and on tour; his television credits include
The Brittas Empire, Peak Practice, and Jonathan Creek. Twice a member of the BBC Radio Drama Company, he has
been heard in many radio plays and readings.Although he now spends most of his time behind a microphone, or
teaching radio technique at theatre schools, he has also worked as a storyteller, puppeteer, clown, sandwich-
man and cleaner.Born in Sheffield, David grew up on the Isle of Wight, and now lives in London with his wife
and two children.
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