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The Watermen
(Tom Pascoe #1)
by
Thrillingly authentic historical crime novel set against the vibrant atmosphere of the 18th Century docklands; the first in a series starring former naval officer Tom Pascoe.
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Hardcover, 368 pages
Published
April 1st 2011
by Quercus Books
(first published March 31st 2011)
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Start your review of The Watermen (Tom Pascoe, #1)
Read this book in 2012, and its the 1st part of the "Tom Pascoe" series, featuring Watermen in the Port of London during the War against Napoleon Bonaparte.
This tale is set in the year AD 1798, and this story tells us about the duel between the River Surveyor of the new marine police, Captain Tom Pascoe, with Wapping in East London as the main base, and the King of the underworld, Boylin.
Working alongside Tom Pascoe, there's also the Jewish immigrant with his own agenda, Sam Hart, and in search ...more
This tale is set in the year AD 1798, and this story tells us about the duel between the River Surveyor of the new marine police, Captain Tom Pascoe, with Wapping in East London as the main base, and the King of the underworld, Boylin.
Working alongside Tom Pascoe, there's also the Jewish immigrant with his own agenda, Sam Hart, and in search ...more
This was extremely underwhelming.
I was interested in this book for its unusual setting since I've never read a book set in the London ports of the late 1700s before. I did like that aspect of it and also thought the style of writing was quite nice, but that's about it.
The plot is DULL, to say the least. It fails to engage entirely and since it's written from multiple POVs, there is nothing much the reader doesn't know. Essentially the plot trundles along as the characters figure out what's happe ...more
I was interested in this book for its unusual setting since I've never read a book set in the London ports of the late 1700s before. I did like that aspect of it and also thought the style of writing was quite nice, but that's about it.
The plot is DULL, to say the least. It fails to engage entirely and since it's written from multiple POVs, there is nothing much the reader doesn't know. Essentially the plot trundles along as the characters figure out what's happe ...more
1798 – the Port of London. Villainous Irishman Boylin gets the opportunity to take revenge on his nemesis, Captain Tom Pascoe, the man responsible for giving Boylin 200 lashes on board ship. When Pascoe is offered the position of River Surveyor in the newly formed marine police, he must investigate thefts from ships that have caused a loss of government revenue. But with Boylin in charge of unloading, Pascoe knows he must at least be civil to the Irish rogue and use his new position of authority
...more
Brilliant book with a brilliant plot. Thoroughly enjoyed it from start to end. What struck me most about the book was the authors use of his english. Much more complex than basic however adaptable and a great way to expand your vocabulary, it also allows you to interpret situations from an interesting perspective as you'll find out for yourself.
It didn't get my 5 stars though as i felt at times it was quite dull and bland ...more
It didn't get my 5 stars though as i felt at times it was quite dull and bland ...more
An interesting first book in a series, highlighting the corruption round ports in late 18th century England.
What I found fascinating in this book was the language, a type of English I'd never encountered before eg people greeting each other by saying "Give you joy, sir,"and the person being addressed responding by saying "Joy, Miss....." I assume it's part of some kind of religious ritual, as I've never struck it before, perhaps Quaker or Wesleyan.
Tom Pascoe, formerly a ship's captain, loses his ...more
What I found fascinating in this book was the language, a type of English I'd never encountered before eg people greeting each other by saying "Give you joy, sir,"and the person being addressed responding by saying "Joy, Miss....." I assume it's part of some kind of religious ritual, as I've never struck it before, perhaps Quaker or Wesleyan.
Tom Pascoe, formerly a ship's captain, loses his ...more
Absolute peach of a read. Set in London in 1798. A young Captain of a merchant vessel and ex-Royal Navy brings his ship into the port of London. His arrival coincides with the forming of a marine police force. Through a set of twisting circumstances, our hero Tom Pascoe embarks upon a new career as a marine policeman. He comes up against a formidable gang of villains led by a notorious Irishman named Brolin. Lots of twists and turns - friendship, murder, mystery and mayhem all the way. I enjoyed
...more
3.5 Takes place in 18th century London on the waterfront. Two people with a personal history try and get the best of each other. Boylin, a cruel villain with a lime-scarred face and Tom Pascoe, a marine policeman responsible for Boylin's 200 lashes after a court martial some years before. Pascoe is trying to find evidence that Boylin is stealing & reselling sugar from shipments coming in. The money lost from this is less money to fight the war against Napoleon. A pretty good read. Took about a t
...more
The first book in a series set in the late 18th Century . A beached naval captain finds himself in charge of a newly formed River Police on the Thames in London . So much of cargoes arriving there is going missing that the Exchequer is concerned by its loss of revenue . Tom Pascoe 's first task is to discover where the losses are occurring and who is behind the thefts . An easy and entertaining read , enjoyable enough to want to try another by the author .
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Really enjoyed this book!
I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was excellent.
Has to google a lot of the terms and names and places but that's just who I am. You could enjoy the story without. ...more
I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was excellent.
Has to google a lot of the terms and names and places but that's just who I am. You could enjoy the story without. ...more
Enjoyable read. Easy to follow and get involved with. This is the first book I have read by this author, but I have the next two in the series already. Looking forward to reading those and see where we end up!
Could not finish. I persevered over half way in the hope it would improve but it was just so dull. The characters didn't engage me at all and it just felt very repetitive.
Odd because my elderly father really enjoyed this and the others in the series.. ...more
Odd because my elderly father really enjoyed this and the others in the series.. ...more
Superb
What a stunner of a book, it was enthralling and I was sorry when it finished. Looking forward to the next book.
What a stunner of a book, it was enthralling and I was sorry when it finished. Looking forward to the next book.
Excellent book took you back in time to the harsh living of that era, very enjoyable
Slightly reminiscent of Edward Marston's Bow Street Runners books - which, considering how much I enjoyed those, would explain how much I enjoyed this; looking forward to reading more in the series!
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A different perspective of working on/by the Thames.
This book is so engrossing that I've read it in the space of about four hours this evening. Tom Pascoe is a former Navy captain, working on a merchant ship at the start of the novel when an incident sees him sacked from that job, but offered the chance to work for a newly-formed unit policing a stretch of the Thames. England is at war with Napoleon and the government wants to cut down on the revenue being lost to customs fraud. Tom thinks he knows the man behind it all, but proving it is another
...more
Jul 25, 2013
Kay Bolton
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
4-star,
hailsham-book-club
I was lucky enough to meet the Author, Patrick Easter at the Hailsham WI Book Club a month or so ago, and I have to say that the impression I had gained from him at the time was that he seemed to have certainly researched his subject well, and also had personal experience in policing (albeit of the modern day variety). He was also charming and packed full of charisma .... yes, it's true I have a bit of a crush on him!
Luckily, the organiser of the Group, Diane, lent me her copy of his novel to re ...more
Luckily, the organiser of the Group, Diane, lent me her copy of his novel to re ...more
Written as the first in a series of 'faction' novels designed to chart the antecedents of London's Marine Police by a former member, it is an undemanding read. The book is set in Georgian London in 1798. The British Empire is thriving and exotic cargoes are arriving daily in the Port of London but a failure to adequately police the docks and roads means that organised gangs can raid ships and make off with goods almost unmolested. This loss of tax revenue threatens the government which has to co
...more
This is a thriller based around the founding of the Marine Police Force in 1798. Details of the formation of the Force, and how they operated in the Port of London, suggest a degree of research that makes for interesting background. The novel also catches the horror of the poverty in London at the time. But the sense of period is not well maintained. One character carries a sword as a matter of course – unusual in London by 1798 but passing without comment. The cover illustration of a man in a t
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I enjoyed my introduction to Tom Pascoe and the London river police, the story flowed nicely, the characters are interesting and varied enough, though there were a couple of slightly irritating points. First among them is the author's over-indulgence in trying to write speech as if it were word perfect for the time period. I didn't need every Irish character to be scripted like an episode of 'Father Ted' to understand that he was Irish, nor did all female characters need to sound like pantomime/
...more
I enjoyed my introduction to Tom Pascoe and the London river police, the story flowed nicely, the characters are interesting and varied enough, though there were a couple of slightly irritating points. First among them is the author's over-indulgence in trying to write speech as if it were word perfect for the time period. I didn't need every Irish character to be scripted like an episode of 'Father Ted' to understand that he was Irish, nor did all female characters need to sound like pantomime/
...more
I very much enjoyed reading this book. The author works hard to convey the atmosphere on the River Thames in the last years of the 18th century. Particularly how dirty and smelly living conditions were at that time. Reading the book made me very grateful I am alive now with the National Health Service and advanced medical practise. The formation of the River police is of particular interest to me as my Uncle, Ronald Main, was a senior member of that force for many years.The author and my Uncle m
...more
Apr 23, 2014
Wayne Farmer
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical,
historical-who-dunnit
This book was excellent and really captured a period in history that I hadn't really known about before - the creation of the Thames River Police in the late 1700s. I found the history fascinating and the characters really brought the period to life. If you enjoy either maritime novels or murder mysteries set in historical times then you could do worse than giving this book a try. I eagerly await the next novel in the series!
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A great book for crime enthusiast as well as history buffs. The story brings to life an era when stealing cargo from ships was rampant, to the point of causing a national crisis, and the men who were given the task of putting a stop to it.
A great read with plenty of heroes and villains to go around.
A great read with plenty of heroes and villains to go around.
A tale of 18th century London and rogues and heroes. Gripping stuff written by local boy Patrick Easter. As an Isle of Dogs resident loved reading about the historic environs. A really atmospheric book, you can feel the chill in the air and taste the smog!
Really excited about reading pre 19th century London and the age, but i felt the story lost abit of itself near the end. It does set up the character for the sequels but its not for me. However I thought Boylin was an excellent creation.
I quite liked this book, its different to anything I have read before. The language is quaint and some of the characters are predictable, but the same can be said of many books. I liked the history behind it, its well researched and does bring the 1700s to life. All in all a nice read
good book, but very much a "boys' story"
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Competent but undistinguished crime story set among the Thames river police at the end of the 18th century. A lads' tale.
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good book, enjoyed the main character
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The son of a colonial police officer, Patrick was born in Cyprus at the tail end of 1943 and lived there until, at the age of 12, when he was sent ‘home’ to school in England.
At 19 Patrick joined the Metropolitan Police in London and three years later went onto the river.
On leaving the police service in 1994, Patrick became a journalist chasing deadlines for technical magazines and articles in n ...more
At 19 Patrick joined the Metropolitan Police in London and three years later went onto the river.
On leaving the police service in 1994, Patrick became a journalist chasing deadlines for technical magazines and articles in n ...more
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