Imogen Robertson – Theft of Life
"Once again Imogen Robertson brings the eighteenth century to life..."
Synopsis:
Outside St Paul's Cathedral a body is found staked to the ground. On his way home after a night of revelry, Harriet Westerman's black servant, William recognises the man and the extraordinary contraption he is wearing on his head.
This is the start of a journey back to the time when Harriet's husband was alive and into the horrible world of the slave owners and the length to which some of them were prepared to go to keep their slaves under control. There are a few black men living in London, and one of these is Francis Glass, a printer and shop owner. He becomes involved with the family of the Earl of Sussex, with whom Harriet is staying. When the love of his life is found dead in mysterious circumstances he tries to track down the killers. Many of the supporters of the slave owners are living in London and are prepared to go to extraordinary lengths to maintain what they believe are their rights.
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Review:
Once again Imogen Robertson brings the eighteenth century to life as she tackles head on the troubling issue of the slavers of the West Indies and their strongly held beliefs about the nature of their black slaves. To modern eyes this is hideous and perverted but Imogen Robertson conveys the genuine feelings of some people at the time that drives them to vile lengths in order to maintain their ill-gotten fortunes. At the same time Harriet Westerman has to struggle with the discovery that her late husband bought a slave, albeit to treat him well and to free him later. As always, the delightful characters of Harriet Westerman and Gabriel Crowther continue to develop and entrance. They shock polite society, as does the upbringing of the earl of Sussex and his sister, but they are independent and moral thinkers that are in tune with today. Above all, this is a rattling good story that grabs your interest from the first and holds it to the last.