Coming in April 2006

Published by Bantam Press on 6^th April 2006, price £16.99

TREASON’S RIVER

Edwin Thomas

Lieutenant Martin Jerrold is back!

In the third instalment of this wonderfully entertaining historical adventure series, the reluctant hero finds himself in another swashbuckling yarn.

A Lieutenant in Nelson’s navy during the Napoleonic wars, Jerrold, a natural coward, prefers drink and women to battle and glory. But dogged by his usual bad timing, bad luck and bad behaviour, Jerrold’s misfortune sees him unravelling another murky mystery. When you have just offended the most powerful men in England, you can stand firm, or you can run. Which is why Martin Jerrold finds himself sailing away as fast as the wind can carry him, in the employ of the Secret Office. There are rumours of a conspiracy in America and Jerrold's mission is simple: infiltrate the conspirators and stop them at all costs. His journey will take him across pirate-infested seas, through the American wilderness and down the mighty Mississippi river. Enemies are ranged against him - agents of Spain and America are trying to kill him, and the plotters are growing suspicious of his intentions. Then there is the lovely Miss Lyell who seems to have her own plans for Lieutenant Jerrold.

His instructions ring in his ears, find out what the conspirators intend and stop it. But as each bumbling step takes Jerrold further into danger, he slowly realises that his very presence within the conspiracy could be the spark that ignites a disastrous war between England and America.
The stakes are high - the entire future of Britain's war against Napoleon rests in his not-so-capable hands. One wrong move and the consequences would be catastrophic, even by Jerrold's own lamentable standards. With thoroughly researched references to maritime events during the early 1800s, Edwin Thomas has created another fast-paced novel to establish him as a major new talent in the genre of historical whodunnits.

“At last, the nautical Flashman! Martin Jerold looks set to become one of the great

British anti-heros, boozing and lusting his way through Regency England”

ANDREW ROBERTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Edwin Thomas was born in 1977 and grew up in West Germany, Belgium and America before returning to England to study history at Lincoln College, Oxford. He is now settled in York where he lives with his wife. Edwin’s writing career was given a head start whilst at University when he entered a short story competition in The Economist. His conclusion to Death by the Invisible Hand won and his prize was a laptop on which he wrote The Blighted Cliffs, the first instalment in the reluctant adventures of Martin Jerrold. The Blighted Cliffs was runner up in the Crime Writer’s Association Debut Dagger award for new fiction and is available in Bantam paperback along with the second book in the Jerrold series: The Chains Of Albion.

Edwin is a member of the group Criminal Minds, a gathering of six diverse acclaimed crime and thriller writers who offer forum appearances, talks and interviews, etc. at various events and festivals around the country. Further information can be found at www.criminalminds.net.