The Bastard Boy

'An absolute masterclass in historical fiction writing.' Joanne Limburg What is the truth behind the mystery of the bastard boy? Ned Gudgeon wakes to find himself in a cell. He has no idea where he is or how he came to be there, but - seeing pen and paper - he begins to write. What follows is Ned's remarkable story, the story of his quest for his missing nephew, taking him from the corrupt and teeming slaving port of Bristol to the turmoil of the colonies on the brink of revolution. What is the truth behind the mystery of the bastard boy?

James Wilson has written plays, TV documentaries (including the award-winning Savagery and the American Indian for the BBC) and a critically-acclaimed history of Native Americans, The Earth Shall Weep. His three previous novels were The Dark Clue, The Bastard Boy and, most recently, The Woman in the Picture, described by Kate Saunders in The Times as 'a multi-layered, deeply absorbing and entertaining novel'.