Blue Water: the Instant Times Bestseller (Laurence Jago)

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The treaty has disappeared, and several of Jago’s fellow passengers, who include French aristocrats fleeing la Terreur, an American plantation owner and a mysterious Irish actor with a dancing bear in tow, appear to have motives for stealing it. Your enjoyment will largely depend on your view of the main character, Gary, whose quirkily comedic observations will amuse or irritate, according to taste. And of course, there are plenty of colourful new characters amongst the passengers, including two French aristocrats, an American plantation owner and an Irish actress with a dancing bear! This sense of imminent threat is a recurring motif throughout Blue Water and mirrors that which Laurence Jago faces on board, although admittedly he’s far less alert to the risk posed to him than the Captain and crew of the Tankerville and his attempts to outrun it are certainly less skilful than theirs.

An interesting take on a ‘locked room’ mystery, Blue Water lures readers onto a voyage with a missing treaty and a murderer.I would have liked more fleshing out of the recurring characters such as Jago and Philpott, since I didn’t feel I learned anything new about either beyond Black Drop. He must keep an eye on an official who is carrying a vital document – the Jay treaty, which will prevent the Americans joining the French in their war against Britain – but his work becomes a great deal more difficult when the man is killed, apparently by accident. I was pleased that Leonora Nattrass had opened with a cast of characters and a map of the Tankerville’s circuitous route that included stops in Barbados and New York before reaching Philadelphia.

The new page-turning historical mystery from the author of BLACK DROP, a 2021 TIMES Book of the Year. His real mission is to deliver the Jay Treaty, a document of great importance to the peace between the US and Britain.Neuware - \*\* SHORTLISTED FOR THE CWA HISTORICAL DAGGER AWARD \*\*\*\* AN INSTANT TIMES BESTSELLER \*\* \*\* A FINANCIAL TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR \*\*'A TRULY GRIPPING READ' - GUARDIAN'FABULOUS, A DELIGHT' - S.

The writing was superb and the period setting well rendered, but the plot development suffered from the limited scope offered by the book's setting. This historical detail was great and I really felt like I was on board the Tankerville thanks to Nattrass' descriptive writing.As the Tankerville is chased across the ocean, Laurence Jago tries to discover the treaty’s hiding place before any of the other passengers or crew, all while trying to fathom their motivation for wanting it themselves and whether or not he can trust any of them. Britain, like Europe, is still under German rule, with Queen Wallis – widow of King Edward VIII – on the throne. Trying to work out who was behind the disappearance of the Treaty and having suspicions about each and every character aboard, I was well and truly sucked into the story. A very likeable main protagonist plus an interesting setting aboard a ship, some characters from the first book in the series, some new. I had no idea who all the characters were, and even as the plot progressed it was confusing as mostly they lacked any real distinctions.

By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions. Peter Williams’ presence is strangely reassuring, as he quietly goes about his tasks, and we come to learn more about him. With short chapters and a story that had me hooked from the get go, I found this to be a fairly quick read. However, when the civil servant meets an unfortunate - and ostensibly accidental - end and the treaty disappears, Laurence realises only he can now prevent war with the United States.This is a good historical thriller which gains momentum and more excitement as the ship's voyage progresses. Frederick Jenkinson, a War Office official and the only person onboard who knows Jago’s true purpose, ends up dead. Her historical note served to place the novel in context as well as providing fascinating details of the Jay Treaty, which was so vital to the plot and what is known of the Tankerville’s 1794 voyage. Not to mention the cormorant which began the voyage on the ship, much to the horror of the crew as it is a bad omen. The way the book is written in report form, from Jago and interspersed with entries from the Captain’s Log and a journalist’s articles which are being sent home, you form a clear picture of exactly the mood of the crew and passengers and the dastardly events directly as they happen.