Aberrant Robber
by
James Gervois
Set in 1680, England is almost a lawless country,
especially if you are one of the many keen to travel in the new coaches plying
their trade along the highways. Following
the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 under Charles II, the numbers taking to
robbing, mugging, rape, pick-pocketing, burglary and other crimes, reach
unprecedented levels. At the top of the order
of criminals sits the highway robber, romantically portrayed as a gentleman,
one who only robs the rich, who does not harm his victims, who looks after the
poor. ‘Aberrant Robber’ introduces the reader to the real villainy, the
real harshness, the real corruption of the times.
Wilful, determined and resourceful, Tamar Ellerby (21 years old), the
daughter of a vicar, refuses to accept her father’s choice of marriage partner,
running away from home to make her own life in London. She has always been a tom-boy, trained in the
art of swordsmanship and the use of pistols - a match for most men. Tamar enjoys the thrill of the unexpected and
the excitement of holding people up, acquiring a considerable amount of money
in the process. She meets and falls in
love with the son of a Lord, prepares to accept marriage, only to catch her lover
in the arms of another at the same time she realises she is pregnant.
Taking poison, Tamar almost dies but is
saved by Will Hugill (aged 18) who
has been banished from the Earl of Danby’s estate, falsely accused of raping
the Earl’s youngest daughter. Will was
blackmailed by others to inform on a well known highwayman – Bill Nevison,
doing as he was instructed with tragic consequences. He escapes, heading for London when he meets
Tamar, robbing her and later being caught by her. Together they set off after Nevison only to
be thwarted when Will is unfortunately killed.
Tall, good looking, the younger son of a
local squire with a passion for gambling and women, Cornelius Clarkson (aged 28) is befriended by John Bannister (aged 35), the main handler of stolen goods in the
North of England. However, even with
Bannister’s generosity, Clarkson needs an increasing amount of money to pay off
his gambling debts, keeping stolen goods for himself with the result that
Bannister arranges for Clarkson to be arrested, tried and sentenced to
death. Clarkson escapes the hangman’s
noose, seeking vengeance against those who set him up. He meets Tamar Ellerby at the time of Will’s
death, saving her from Nevison and then using her to help him deal with
Bannister. Clarkson succeeds but not in
the way he expects, Tamar being the one who obtains the bulk of Bannister’s
wealth.
‘Aberrant
Robber’ builds slowly, absorbing the reader into
the 1680’s, the pace of the novel quickening as events unfold, gripping the
reader to the end. ‘Aberrant Robber’ is a novel aimed at the adult fiction market,
appealing to both men and women of all ages.
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