The Dying Trade

Privateersman Mysteries #2

by David Donachie

1794: Arriving in the squalid, seething port of Genoa, Harry Ludlow and his partner and younger brother, James, find it a tinderbox of tension, fed by the discovery of a hanged British sea captain and packs of English and French sailors at each other's throats.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Military Fiction, Mystery, War, Adventure

383 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

aka Tom Connery, Johnny 'Two Combs' Howard, Jack Ludlow, Jack Cole.

David Donachie was born in Edinburgh in 1944. He has had a variety of jobs, including selling everything from business machines to soap. He has always had an abiding interest in the naval history of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, which he drew upon for the many novels he has set in that period. The author of a number of bestselling books, he lived in Deal with his wife, fellow A&B author Sarah Grazebrook.

Reviews

[Jean]

This is a series about the dying trade of privateerman. This is book two. I have not read book one.

Privateerman Harry Ludlow and his partner and brother James arrive in the squalid, seething part of Genoa. They find it a tinderbox of tension, fed by the discovery of a hanged British sea Captain. The story is set in late 1700 and early 1800 when the British and French were fighting during the Napoleonic War. Admiral Hood assigns Harry to investigate the death of the British officer.

Donachie tells about smuggling boys and young girls from Eastern Europe and Russia to sell as slaves to the Ottoman Empire. There is some sea action toward the end of the book but mostly it is a murder investigation or murder mystery story. The book is well written and the characters are interesting. I read this as an audio book download from Audible. Peter Wickham narrated the book.

[Cindy Vallar]

Revolution, Jacobinism, ancient feuds, and business rivalries make Genoa difficult for visitors, like Henry and James Ludlow, to know who is friend and who is foe. Coupled with the city’s labyrinth-like streets and alleys, where government neutrality is bought with gold, the republic teems with sudden danger. Just ask the brothers when they first set foot in the neutral port city and are set upon by assailants out for blood. No noise warns of their presence, although at least one bears a distinctive mark. Are they local cutthroats, or have they come from the French warship anchored in the harbor? Rumors suggest the French are responsible for the recent murder of a Royal Navy officer, or are they a convenient scapegoat designed to keep others from digging too deep for the truth?

Having lost his privateering vessel – a casualty of war and the vindictiveness of a senior officer – Harry wants a new vessel and exemptions to replace the crew he lost. Admiral Hood, a family friend, wants tit for tat. Solve the murder in Genoa and perhaps those exemptions will be granted. James isn’t keen on being involved in another mystery, but once Harry makes up his mind, there’s little anyone can do to stop him. Being the older sibling, Harry knows that his brother prefers the land and, as a renowned portrait artist, is more at home with those of higher social circles than seamen. Harry remains noncommittal, but they do go to Genoa where he’s certain he can find a new privateer.

Pious Pender, a former lockpick released from the navy and hired as a servant, accompanies the Ludlows. His ability to infiltrate and communicate with lower levels of society always comes in handy in ways that Harry never expects. This occurs after the Ludlows make the acquaintance of Count Toraglia, who must sell his beloved ship Principessa, a sleek vessel perfect for Harry’s needs. But he will only sell to the right buyer and he’s only doing so to provide for his lovely wife before he succumbs to the ailment that is robbing him of his health and his youth.

Although specific permission to visit Principessa has only been alluded to, Harry and his companions venture aboard. She will be exactly what Harry desires in a vessel, if she proves to be as good a sailer as he suspects. What is unexpected is what they find in the captain’s cabin – the body of an American who also wanted to purchase Principessa and is tied to a privateering syndicate. The few interactions Harry’s had with the leader of the privateers raises numerous red flags, as does the presence of a seaman who once crewed aboard Harry’s ship. Even more curious is the fact that none of the privateers offload their prize cargoes in Genoa, yet they have money to spend. All Harry wants is a ship and crew. What he gets are more mysteries to solve with little knowledge of the inner workings of Genoa and enemies concealed behind every corner.

Donachie spins a tale as complicated as the maze-like layout of Genoa, and we are never quite sure who to trust in this second volume in The Privateersman Mysteries. We experience firsthand the rivalries and dangers that the Ludlows encounter, the true mark of a good storyteller. There are cleverly crafted sea engagements between Harry and the privateers in addition to the escapades ashore. This isn’t a story for the faint of heart. Harry ends up fighting for his life against rats trained to kill, and the truth behind the syndicate’s wealth is far more egregious than waging war on enemy shipping. Are you clever enough to spot the intricately woven clues of this whodunit, or will the true murder escape detection – a real possibility as time grows short and Harry gets too close?


(This review originally appeared at Pirates and Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/Donachie.h.... I read the 2026 McBooks Press edition for this review.)

[Robin]

The brothers Ludlow, Harry and James, have survived the loss of their privateer schooner and crew, solved a murder mystery and reunited with a sort of adopted uncle who happens to be the Royal Navy admiral in charge of the Mediterranean fleet. It's 1794, there's a war on, and privateers and Navy men generally aren't on good terms with each other because they have to compete for a limited number of prizes. Nevertheless, Adm. Howe sends them ashore in Genoa with a hint that he'll consider helping Harry continue his privateering career, provided that Harry helps him solve the grisly murder of a Navy captain found strangled in the city's streets.

Harry and James don't get very far ashore before someone tries to kill them, too. In no time at all, they find themselves entangled in a complex weave of villainous conspiracies, from a squadron of privateersmen who suspiciously don't bring any prizes ashore to a French warship that somehow has the liberty of a port that is supposed to be allied with Britain. While Harry shops for a new vessel and a crew to sail it, James struggles in vain to check his brother's tendency to poke his nose into other people's business – like a sickly Italian count and his too-beautiful-to-be-believed wife, a ship's captain who everyone knows is not sailor and whose second-in-command is a known thief, a corrupt port admiral, an inkeeper who fleeces sailors of their hard-won prize money, and another captain with whom Harry soon shares a mutual death grudge.

Half murder mystery, half naval adventure, it starts to look like it's all going to unfold on shore, but then there do come some pretty exciting sea battles – all while Harry probes deeper and deeper into some disturbingly evil doings. There's combats on board a mostly abandoned ship, exchanges of gunfire between ships, fiendish traps, and a particularly nasty episode in which a man must fight for dear life against a bunch of rats. And in case it isn't already clear that an Adult Content Advisory is in order, there's also some pretty graphic nookie in this novel.

You'll go from wishing you were Harry Ludlow to being glad you aren't in only a couple of pages. You'll be brought to the edge of your seat, even if you're lying down, during several thrilling, suspenseful and shocking passages. And two books into your cruise with David Donachie's Privateersman Mysteries, you'll be on board for the next book, A Hanging Matter.

[Marc Altman]

Redeems the first book in the series. I will be continuing.

Needs more of the naval action I read these types books for, but it holds up as a straight forward mystery.

[Leioth]

It would be great book if it was not for the awfully written females characters and the way Harry and James treat/react to one of them. Made me sick

[Bettie]

workaday mp3



Read By: Peter Wickham
Year of Recording: 2008
Year Book Published: 1993
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Soundings Audiobooks
Abridged: No
Total Duration: 13hrs 25mins

Synopsis: From FF: Part naval swashbuckler, part mystery story, "The Dying Trade" tells the story of smuggling and death in the Mediterranean at the time of the Napoleonic Wars. Harry Ludlow and his brother James find themselves in Genoa where Harry is commissioned to investigate a British officer's death.

How is it that David Donachie is not better known - injustice! I enjoyed the Ludlow brothers so much I have ordered the next book. Literature this isn't but adventure it most certainly is - high adventure of the privateers. 4.5*

[John Youngblood]

I approach these books as a bit of a history lesson that's delivered within a story that's usually compelling, even if the characters may be somewhat exaggerated. This one gives you a look at life aboard a ship in the 1790's that's not with the royal navy with a captain that's a privateer, unlike most of this genre. And while there is naval action aplenty, the main story runs along the lines of the classic english mystery with surprising revelations of guilt at the end. If you've enjoyed other authors of this genre, Patrick O'Brian etc., I think this work represents an interesting variation.

[Cecelia Hightower]

The setting for this story was the late 1700 and very early 1800 when the British and French were fighting over trade on the European coast and all countries used privateers (i.e. basically pirates, but sailing under official letters/orders from some country). As with all adventure stories there were intrigue, double-dealing, and sea battles. All in all a fun light fun read with a very surprising ending.

[Tammy]

Started off a bit meandering but picked up when the action got going.