A Parcel Of Rogues

by Pamela Belle

London in 1715 is a vibrant and dangerous place, and into this ferment of rogues and harlots comes Sam Jessop, desperate to find his missing daughter. He is given unexpected assistance from Andre Dark, an enigmatic Huguenot artist, and the beautiful Polly Paradice, woman of the town, who bears a startling resemblance to his beloved Mary. In company with the homeless link boy Gin, who has a secret of his own, their quest will take them to Bristol and Bath as well as the teeming streets of Covent Garden, Newgate Prison and the frozen Thames, and lead them all into mortal danger as the search for Mary becomes a frantic struggle to foil a lethal Jacobite plot before it's too late.

Genres: Historical

497 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 21, 2024

About the author

Belle, who also writes contemporary fiction as Alice Marlow, always wanted to be an author. As a child the books she read were adventure stories like "Treasure Island," "Swallows and Amazons," and the novels of John Buchan and CS Forester. She wrote her first book at the age of twelve and having visited the site of a lovely Elizabethan manor house called Rushbrooke and observing the bare, moated island which was all that was left, she wanted to bring Rushbrooke back and chose to do so in print.
Over the next few years 'The Epic', as it became known, grew and grew. Belle drew up a huge family tree and a plan of the house very like Rushbrooke.
Married and a teacher of a class of six-year-olds, she wrote in longhand and, while publishers made encouraging noises, no one was prepared to risk publishing a large book by an unknown author. Eventually the agent Vivienne Schuster was wonderfully enthusiastic about it and found a publisher.
"The Moon in the Water" and its two sequels were published in the UK and the USA with considerable success. Belle gave up teaching in 1985 to spend more time researching and writing. She plans to write a book about Alfred the Great if she can fit it in between looking after the children, dogs, cats and husband.

Reviews

[CLM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guest review: http://perfectretort.blogspot.com/202...

[Michelle Hyland · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great read.
A gritty historical set in Jacobite times.
Some spice but not too spicy.
The author does not conceal the more realistic aspects of the period.
Highly recommend.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're a fan of Pamela Belle's work, you'll initially be surprised by how different this book is from most of her others. But then, if you're a fan, you'll remember that Belle has been known to dabble with variations of genre and style - her amazing Silver City series comes to mind, along with her shorter, contemporary novels.
So, A Parcel of Rogues is different again. A different story, in a different style, in a different setting, but nevertheless a great read.
I have to say that I was thrilled to learn that after so many years my fave author was writing again and when the book was released I immediately bought a copy. I was not disappointed - once I got accustomed to how different it was.
But I quickly realised that Belle's signature cinematic descriptions, memorable characters and glorious language were all there, weaving a jaunty, adventurous tale through historical fact.
I can't honestly say it's Belle's brilliant best - absolutely NOTHING in my mind will EVER compare with the Wintercombe series - but putting my bias aside, this book was an entertaining read that has merely whet my appetite for the next in the series.

[Echo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so excited to see Pamela Belle had published another piece of historical fiction.

This one felt a little different to me, but I think it's just that when you've read a series by an author and grown attached to characters from that series, it takes a bit to adjust to new characters/settings in the next one you pick up. Once the story got going, though, I became invested in these characters as well.

There's Sam, a loving father who is trying to reunite with his daughter who ran off; Dark, an artist Sam goes to in order to help find his daughter; Gin, a street urchin who helps Dark from time to time; and Polly Paradice, a singer who helps Sam and Dark on their hunt for Sam's daughter.

I really enjoyed seeing the way all the characters formed relationships, and was surprised just how attached I grew to Sam and Gin, especially.

And, as usual, one of my favorite things about Belle's books is the portrayal of history. Everything is always so well-researched and well-written that it feels like looking through a window at actual events unfolding. This is definitely a book to give a try.

[Ben Bergonzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent 18th century historical fiction, introducing very compelling characters dealing with a 'missing woman' mystery at the time of the 1715 Jacobite rebellion. Funny and vivid with some plot surprises. My only reservation is a mention of 'a folded umbrella' which doesn't seem quite right for 1715.

[Charlotte Latham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book - a ripping yarn! Loved the characters and the brilliant sense of place and historical setting. Looking forward to reading more in the series

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the characters especially Gin but this book was slow and ponderous to read compared to some of her earlier ones - maybe because I absolutely loved her civil war novels so I’m judging her by a high standard