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Blood & Sugar

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Blood & Sugar

By: Laura Shepherd-Robinson
Narrated by: Ben Onwukwe
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About this listen

Blood & Sugar is the thrilling debut historical crime story from Laura Shepherd-Robinson.

June, 1781. An unidentified body hangs upon a hook at Deptford Dock – horribly tortured and branded with a slaver’s mark.

Some days later, Captain Harry Corsham – a war hero embarking upon a promising parliamentary career – is visited by the sister of an old friend. Her brother, passionate abolitionist Tad Archer, had been about to expose a secret that he believed could cause irreparable damage to the British slaving industry. He’d said people were trying to kill him, and now he is missing . . .

To discover what happened to Tad, Harry is forced to pick up the threads of his friend’s investigation, delving into the heart of the conspiracy Tad had unearthed. His investigation will threaten his political prospects, his family’s happiness, and force a reckoning with his past, risking the revelation of secrets that have the power to destroy him.

And that is only if he can survive the mortal dangers awaiting him in Deptford . . .

©Laura Shepherd-Robinson 2019 (P)2019 Macmillan Digital Audio Crime Thrillers Historical Mystery Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Exciting Scary

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Critic reviews

Laura Shepherd-Robinson has written a story that is not only a page-turner of a thriller but, to an extent unusual in historical novels, where you feel you really are listening to a voice from the eighteenth century. This is a world conveyed with convincing, terrible clarity’ (C. J. Sansom)
A striking historical thriller . . . Few first novels are as accomplished as this (Andrew Taylor, author of The Ashes of London)
Epic, harrowing, thrilling, brutal, addictive. I read it flat out in one day (C. J. Tudor, author of The Chalk Man)
Magnificent . . . A tense and gripping historical thriller that shines an unwavering light on a dark period in British history. Unmissable. (Antonia Hodgson, author of The Devil in the Marshalsea)
Phenomenal . . . A shoo-in for one of the books of the year (David Young, author of Stasi Child)
Extraordinary (Caz Frear, author of Sweet Little Lies)
Truly addictive (Jenny Quintana, author of The Missing Girl)
With a hugely likeable hero at its heart, this rich and beautifully written debut marks out Laura Shepherd-Robinson as a major new talent (Fiona Cummins, author of Rattle)
A remarkably assured debut (Elizabeth Fremantle, author of The Queen's Gambit)
A page-turning dive into the torrid depths of London in the 1780s (Mary Paulson-Ellis, author of The Other Mrs Walker)
All stars
Most relevant  
Beautiful written. Beautiful narrative. Fantastic characters woven together in an intelligent and interesting story. Just excellent

Brilliant Book

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Fantastic storyline. He made the characters came alive. Fantastic ! soothing voice! love it... !

Beautifully read! Beautifully written

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This story was brilliant! Fantastic narrator and what a gripping storyline. Kept me at the edge of my seat all the way through. I loved Captain caution fantastic protagonist.

Fantastic!

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A twisty who-dun-it which serves to illustrate the horrors of the slave trade and Britain's role in establishing it and reluctantly seeking it's abolition.

Murder and Misery

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Completed this at second attempt. Unfortunately found narration over the top, but persevered and enjoyed the historical elements of the story.

Good story, poor narration, sadly.

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There was a lot of twists and turns in this book which kept me listening to find out the ending. Not only was this a crime novel but interlaced with accounts of the slave trade and the awful treatment of those people. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Complex well written story

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I love historical fiction and really enjoyed this book - it took me away to another world and I was gripped by the storyline. Albeit it was harrowing at times, specifically relating to the horror of how people were treated during this time in history. And the evilness the people who perpetrated this treatment on them. I was put off previously by another review saying it was overly long - I really enjoyed the fact that each characters story was fully explained with no loose ends and didn’t find that I was bored or that the story was stretched out.

Gripping story

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This story has multiple continuity issues, especially for those of us who have read another of this author’s stories. Timelines related to several characters clash and are hence irritating. The story is rooted in historical fact but is strung out and made unnecessarily complicated

Confused and confusing

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A beautifully written story narrated impeccably by Ben Onwukwe. His deep, empathic voice added so much to the characters and I cared deeply for Captain Harry Corsham as we gradually learn why he so desperately needs to find out what happened to his friend, Tad Archer, and why they fell out years before. All against the wider story of slavery initiated and sustained by Britain and the East India Company in their hunger for the lucrative sugar trade (among other products of slavery). I enjoyed every moment of this vivid book, and it remains resonating in my mind days after I finished.

The cost of sugar was blood

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As others have noted, the story did rather go on and on without always moving forward. It is an important tale, though. in addition, the narration is superb. I kept listening to hear his dulcet tones. The historical epilogue is fascinating. Such a long struggle still to treat all humans as equal.

important story, brilliantly narrated

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