The Rising Tide

Tom Pascoe #3

by Patrick Easter

September 1799. William Pitt is attempting to force through anti-slavery legislation, but many have a vested interest in preventing this change and would go to dangerous lengths to stop it.

Meanwhile, Tom Pascoe of the river police is grieving for the woman he loved and looking for solace at the bottom of a bottle. Tom's drinking has made him increasingly belligerent and unpredictable, so when he is called to investigate a body found in the Thames - that of an MP and a close associate of William Pitt - there's doubt whether he's up to the task.

But Tom must pull himself together, or be dragged under; Pitt's life is in his hands.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical

400 pages, Hardcover

First published October 24, 2013

About the author

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 national newspapers. He still writes, full time, but now concentrates on his novels. He lives in Sussex with his wife and three dogs, working out of a Victorian pump-house, complete with its own well and pumping machinery, in the grounds of his home.

Reviews

[Clemens Schoonderwoert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book in 2013, and its the 3rd part of the wonderful "Tom Pascoe" series, set during the War against Napoleon Bonaparte.

This tale is set in September, in the year AD 1799, and we find Tom Pascoe down and out for he's grieving for the woman he loved.

But William Pitt will need him urgently, because he wants to force through an anti-slavery legislation, and with many with a vested interest in slavery they will do anything to stop it.

When a body of an MP is found in the Thames, Tom Pascoe must pull himself together and assist William Pitt by finding out who the perpetrator is of this heinous murder.

What is to follow is a thrilling and suspenseful story, in which Tom Pascoe will need to go to any lengths to find out the truth behind this murder and finally stop and catch the culprit, before more casualties will become victim to this vicious killer and so protect at the same time the life of, William Pitt.

Highly recommended, for this is an excellent sequel to this great series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Truly Captivating Rising Tide"!

[V.E. Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is 1799 and Tom Pascoe, an officer in the Thames Marine Police, has taken to the bottle following the death of his beloved Peggy. But when the body of an MP is fished out of the river Tom must pull himself together if he is to stop a killer who is aiming to strike at the highest levels of the British Government. "The Rising Tide" is the third in the Tom Pascoe series but the first that I have read. Happily, I found it easy to engage with the characters, and to get a sense of them, without having read the previous two books. The author did a good job portraying the seething, huddled streets of 18th century London and it was clear he had done his research in this regard. Much of the book was concerned with the issue of slavery, as told through the eyes of an escaped slave, Ebenezer Samson. This part of the book was extremely sad and really brought home what a terrible trade it was. Some other parts of the plot dragged a little bit but overall it was a good read.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Third in the series and I like the mix of a new case for Pascoe with some continuing storylines running alongside. I also like that the novel takes a look at the issue of slavery, which of course was a key topic of debate in the late 18th century. It also allows for the inclusion of real historical figures sch as William Wilberforce, which adds an extra layer of authenticity to the novel. As ever, Easter paints a very vivid picture of London to the point that you can practically smell it and if you've ever read Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series, you'll find Pascoe somewhat Aubreyesque - especially in the physical description.

My one complaint would be the frequent use of the N-word. I appreciate it probably was used a lot by people at the time, but was it really necessary for the author to use it so often? Surely he could have had his characters use other terms to describe a black man?

[Patriciagoodwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book until about half way then got bored! I liked the feel of the times (late 1700's) & the language but felt the author was 'padding' out the story & must say I skipped some content to the end. Story of newly formed Thames police in finding person who wanted to be rid of William Wilberforce (slave abolitionist).

[Fi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointingly, I didn't enjoy this nearly as much as I enjoyed the first two books in the series; not sure if it's because my reading taste has changed in the intervening years, or if this one really isn't as good?

[Mags Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third in a series; and while you can read it as a stand-alone, I would recommend starting at the beginning, as there are characters and ongoing story lines which mean more if you know the background.

I love this series: the sense of London and the river, the sounds and smells, the sense of privilege and deprivation just spring from the page. An enjoyable and thought-provoking book - I'm looking forward to the next in the series.

[Pat Stearman · Rating 4 out of 5]

don't know how I'd missed this and his later one in the series, but now I've picked it up I enjoyed it as much as the earlier ones. Good story & characters and a different take on historical crime. This was interesting for the slave trade insights too.

[Wilde Sky · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 1799 a body is dragged from the Thames and an investigation begins.

The story was reasonable but the detective's weakness was laboured, the writing wasn't sharp enough and the plot often diverted into what felt like “history lessons”.