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1785: Whenever the topic of slavery is mentioned, no-one really thinks of it as being an issue which has much to do with London or the UK….
The Theft of Life (Crowther and Westerman 5)
What you need to know before your trail
The body of a West Indies planter is found laid out in the grounds of St Paul’s Cathedral in London. A former slave of the victim finds his watch on the street and is soon suspected of his murder.
But things are not as clear cut as they first appear. The murder of this man has repercussions for many people in the city and many of those people do not want their associations with the victim or the slave trade made public.
A sense of extreme nervousness envelopes the city and especially the former slaves who now live there – people like Francis Glass, a freed slave now working as a bookseller and printer in the city. And William Geddings, Harriet Westerman’s senior footman.
The pair come upon some uncomfortable truths. Truths for which some people are willing to do great evil in order to protect.
Travel Guide
St Paul’s Churchyard, London
The novel opens very dramatically in St Paul’s Churchyard, May 1785 –
“The body was staked out in the north-east corner of the church-yard. The first light of a warm spring morning glanced off the pale stone of St Paul’s Cathedral, and shone in full blank surprise on the corpse.”
The man is white but wearing the sort of ‘punishment’ mask that was used in the West Indies to prevent slaves from eating or speaking. Was a former slave to blame? Or are darker forces at work?
A particular delight when reading this author is how she evokes the setting and the atmosphere of the time period she is writing about – so well in fact that we are placed right at the same london streets as her characters.
“…. the Cathedral itself appeared smudged and indistinct….”
Afro-Caribbean community in London in the 1780s
We get an interesting glimpse into the tiny Afro-Caribbean community in London in the 1780s and the experience of many former slaves attempting to settle in the capital. William Geddings for example considers this after having seen the body in the churchyard –
Whenever the family he served came to London he would ask permission to go, once of twice, to the places where other Africans gathered, and there listen to the music and the songs of his childhood, and those he had heard first as a slave in Jamaica.
Throughout the book,the author deals with the subject matter sensitively and sympathetically, never letting the reader forget the human cost.
What follows is a detective story full of twists, turns and red-herrings which also gives an insight into a dark chapter of our history.
Streetview Maps
A) London - St Paul's Cathedral
C) London - Berkeley Square
Booktrailer Review
Susan: @thebooktrailer
Even though this book is written as a stand alone many threads from previous books continued. This really is a series which should be read in order to fully enjoy – especially the relationship between Westerman and Crowther since this is nicely developed here and it was good to see this occur.
Slavery is in the news at the moment due to such great films marking the disgrace that was slavery – Ten years a slave for example. This book should be an important part of that same homage. Slavery in Britain was finally abolished in 1833
The Theft of Life is an important book to read in so many ways – as it is a reminder that however life is stolen – by murder or by slavery – it is the theft of a life of a human spirit that is so devastating.
The Theft of life is theft of the human spirit
Booktrail Boarding Pass Information: The Theft of Life
Author/Guide: Imogen Robertson Destination: London Departure Time: 1785
Twitter: @RobertsonImogen Facebook:/ImogenRobertsonWriter Web: imogenrobertson.com
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