This is the third book I read by Johanna Craven and like her
other books it is meticulously researched. She has set her story in 1740’s
cornwall , a time when taxes where high and smuggling therefore rife. We are
introduced to Isaac Bailey and his much younger sister Scarlet. After the death
of his parents, Isaac does not only have to care for his sister but also has to
pay of his father’s debt. The writer has put her characters in some desperate
situations and they don’t always take the noblest way to get them out of these
situations. This is what I like about this writer; her characters are flawed
and complex in their motives. Like Scarlet who is innocent and trusting of her
fellow man, but often finds herself descending into a dark and uncontrollable rage.
The wild country side and the unpredictable sea form an atmospheric back drop
and we can understand why the villagers are so superstitious. People where ill-informed
and couldn’t explain the strange events Mother Nature had in store for them. This
is the first of a trilogy and I can’t wait to see where the next book takes the
Baileys
