Book description
January, 1721. London is reeling from the effects of the greatest
financial scandal of the age - the collapse of the South Sea Bubble.
William Spandrel, a penniless mapmaker, is offered a discharge of his
debts by Sir Theodore Janssen, a director of the South Sea Company, on
one condition: he must secretly convey an important package to Amsterdam.
The package safely delivered, Spandrel barely survives an attempt on
his life, only to discover the recipient has been murdered, and
Spandrel is the prime suspect. Spandrel quickly realises that he has
become a pawn in several people's games - British Government agents,
and others, are on his trail, believing that the mysterious package
contains secrets that could spark a revolution in England.
Spandrel's only chance of survival is to recover the package and
place its contents in the right hands. But what are the contents and
whose exactly are the right hands?
Robert Goddard was born in Hampshire and read History at Cambridge.
His first novel, Past Caring, was an instant bestseller. Since then his
books have captivated readers worldwide with their edge-of-the-seat pace
and their labyrinthine plotting. His first Harry Barnett novel, Into the
Blue, was winner of the first WHSmith Thumping Good Read Award and was
dramatized for TV, starring John Thaw.
