Found this at Dollar Tree.
Plan to read soon.....

Took me awhile but I finally finished it - I really enjoyed it a lot. It is set in 18th century England and involves a mining town, some lawyers and business, some men who mutineed aboard a slaving ship (one of whom managed to escape from prison), and how their paths mange to cross in various ways.
I would recommend it as a good source of historical information as an inside look at society at that time.

Available as a RABCK for anyone interested.....

Am sending this to teachermotivator as a RABCK! Enjoy!

As with Unsworth's stories, he makes one think hard as the book begins. I usually have to jot down characters as I read one of his books and this is no exception. I attached myself to Jane, clever girl, because of her response to feeling alone: she eats. As with the historical age, she follows Ashton - "Jane being obligated to hasten away with him" from the court of death. Being unmarried, she needed to stay with a man, her brother. Being a history teacher, these behaviors are still being practiced in other cultures today, yet in many Western countries, women would find this deplorable. But, I found that I didn't make the connection between Ashton and Jane until midway. The several themes intertwining the story are ones that I been told over in different ways, yet the history remains constant. Readers may wish to find a theme and character to follow throughout the book rather than focusing on the the many strands. Recommended reading!

I unfortunately have had this book for some time and have had to move 2X leaving items in boxes in storage. It's a long story I don't want to get into any further, but suffice to say I have found this book and read it now. Thank you so much to the man from Iowa who sent it to me. It is in perfect condition I promise and would you like it returned or shall I release it? What I liked about this book is first the author as I loved his book on Carthage and Sacred Hunger. This is the sequel & is Unsworth's last book published in 2011. A historical fiction, an Irish fiddler Sullivan, is caught up with his nemesis again after escaping jail having been imprisoned for the sinking of a Liverpool, England slave ship in the mid-1700s. He escapes prison to travel northward to tell the family of a shipmate how Billy died. The story weaves a tale of mining, poverty, coal & steel industries, banking as Britain moves into the industrial revolution. My specialty is ancient studies, so this story is a little late in time to really keep my interest.