The Blighted Cliffs

Reluctant Adventures of Lieutenant Martin Jerrold #1

by Edwin Thomas

Not many men emerged from Trafalgar without an ounce of credit to their names, but courtesy of an over-fondness for rum and his habitual bad luck, Lieutenant Martin Jerrold managed it. In February 1806, he is given one final chance to redeem his reputation and dispatched to Dover.





Things don't augur well when, walking off the effects of a night in the tavern, Jerrold stumbles across a corpse lying on the beach. And they take a distinct turn for the worst when, to his horror and bemusement, he is suspected of murder. With a captain who despises him, and the local magistrate determined to see him hang, he knows clearing his name will require an imporbable reversal of his miserable fortunes. Somewhere in Dover's twisted streets, someone must know something. But Jerrold soon discovers that nothing is as it seems in a town where smuggling is a way of life, where everyone from the fishermen to the colonel of dragoons drinks only the finest French brandy...





Distrusted by his superiors, set upon by suspiciously well-informed thugs and attacked by the French at sea, Jerrold does find some sympathy in the less-than-respectable arms of the comely Isobel, but he knows he has but two weeks to save his skin - or perish in the attempt.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Nautical, Fiction, Mystery, Historical, Adventure, Humor

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Aka Tom Harper

Edwin Thomas grew up in West Germany, Belgium and America before returning to England to study history at Lincoln College, Oxford. His conclusion to the short story 'Death by the Invisible Hand' was published in The Economist in 1997, and the first chapter of The Blighted Cliffs was runner-up in the 2001 Crime Writers' Association Début Dagger Award for new fiction. The first two installments of the adventures of Martin Jerrold, The Blighted Cliffs and The Chains of Albion, are available in Bantam paperback.

Reviews

[Tiziana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an adventurous mystery, set against the backdrop of 1806 Dover when the city was infested by smugglers and threatened by the French tyrant Napoleon.

I found it nice and engaging from the start, but it became more compelling chapter after chapter, involving the main character in one adventure (or rather misadventure ) after another.
The second part is wonderfully fast-paced and I couldn't help but turn the page to see what would happen next.

This is the first mystery I've read where the main character belongs to the naval world.
Although I loved the "Hornblower" tv series and the "Master and Commander" movie ( both based on well known book series ) I never read a book in that genre until now.
Of course this one is far less dramatic than the two I named above, but the same it has been a captivating story.
I suggest it to those looking for a light, adventurous read.
I think I'll certainly try other adventure and mystery novels in this genre from now on.

__ PLOT IN SHORT __ England, 1806.
Lieutenant Martin Jerrold is sent by his uncle, the Admiral, to the White Cliffs of Dover, with one final chance to redeem his reputation, after his poor performance (or rather: no performance at all) during the Battle of Trafalgar.

On his first night in Dover, while loitering near the harbor, he stumbles upon a body that has fallen from the cliffs.
The consequence is immediate: he's now the prime suspect in the murder.
Distrusted by his superiors, set upon by intriguingly well-informed smugglers, and attacked by the French at sea, Jerrold has two weeks to clear his name and save his skin... or perish in the attempt.

__________________



__ MAIN CHARACTER __ A really nice main character.
He is a young man (about 25 years old) portrayed in the general plot as a coward, but he is not the kind of slimy person whose cowardice makes others pay the consequences. Absolutely not.

Jerrold is the kind of boy who is not yet very keen on taking on any kind of responsibility and is naturally inclined to do as little work as possible.
A young man who is still immature, we would say nowadays.

Unfortunately, fate and his impulsive and somewhat rebellious nature constantly lead him into trouble.
I couldn't help but love him and root for him though,because of his inherent goodness and because his impulsiveness, while causing problems, also compels him to act in recklessly heroic ways, often surprising even himself.

_ SIDE CHARACTERS___ They are equally well-developed.
Whether virtuous or villainous, each character effectively expresses themselves through vivid actions and dialogues. I found them all remarkably believable.

_ HISTORICAL PART___
The story is not only centered around a murder's mystery, but it tells us the significant problem of smuggling along the English coast at the time, as well as the threat of a French invasion.

Although it may appear to be a light read dedicated to pure entertainment, this story is actually based on historical facts and lesser-known events. Those events are not widely discussed in history books, but they're supported by clues and evidence.
I cannot tell you more, because if I did, I would spoil the mystery's resolution.
You will find out everything in the ending and in the author's historical notes.

Reading this story also revealed that hot air balloons already existed in 1785, a fact I was unaware of, in fact I used to think that people's adventures with these means belonged to the end of the 19th century.
That's why I love historical fiction: one always has something new to learn !

_ At the end of the book there are INTERESTING AUTHOR NOTES about true history and I suggest you not to read before the end of the story if you want to avoid spoilers.

_ READABLE AS A STANDALONE _
-----> It's book#1 in a series of 3, but it offers a satisfying happy ending with no cliffhanger.

_ SUITABLE TO ALL AGES _
----> Clean language, no gruesome scene.

Thanks for reading my opinion and please forgive any errors you may find in my review, since English is not my language.

[Clemens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book in 2005, and its the 1st part of the "Martin Jerrold" series, from the author, Edwin Thomas.

This story sets off in the year AD 1806, and after the Victory by Lord Nelson at Trafalgar, Martin Jerrold is one of a few who has not improved this station in life.

In February, AD 1806, he will get a last chance to redeem himself when stationed in Dover, where smugglers are doing their big illegal trades, when all of a sudden at the foot of the cliffs Jerrold stumbles upon a corpse, a corpse that's lying too far from the cliffs to be there accidentally.

At first he's accused of the murder of this man, but when he starts to investigate this case in Dover nothing seems what is seems to be, and where smuggling is a way of life.

While investigating he's mistrusted by his superiors, set upon by intriguing smugglers, and at one point attacked at sea by the French, but nevertheless Martin Jerrold will persist and eventually will reveal the culprit of this hideous murder.

What is to follow is an lighthearted and exciting mystery, in which Martin Jerrold in his clumsy but still very likeable way, after some setbacks but finally with the upper-hand by unravelling and solving the plot of this case, and thus be able to reveal the outcome of this case.

Very much recommended, for this is a very likeable start of this Martin Jerrold series, and that's why I like to call this first episode: A Very Enjoyable Blighted Cliffs"!

[Gilly McGillicuddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finished "The Blighted Cliffs: Book One of the Reluctant Adventures of Lieutenant Martin Jerrold" and by the end Jerrold had just naturally acquired a Bertie Wooster voice in my head. He really does read like a bit of a Regency Bertie without the added comfort of a Jeeves to keep him sober and out of trouble.

[Ian Racey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a little leary of this going in, because everyone talks about Jerrold's foibles and general not-hero-ness. Stories with a protagonist who doesn't want to be there or is awful at being the main character are generally not things I enjoy; I usually find them tiresome. But Jerrold is very likable and, though hardly an adventurer, not quite as craven as people seem to like to imply. Held up very well until the end, when there was more than a whiff of the resolution happening to Jerrold rather than him bringing it about.

[Matt Bird · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read! I read the second book in the series first (which in my opinon is a more fun read). They were both fantastic standalone stories and would recommend to anyone that's interested in historical fiction.

[Simon Burdus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had this on my shelf for 15 years and had never got round to reading it. What a little gem of a book. Really fun and fast paced with great characterisation. Will read the rest of the trilogy now.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining story of cowardice, incompetence and daring-do in Dover at the time of the Napoleonic War.
Lieutenant Martin Jerrold arrives in Dover in total disgrace and shortly thereafter, finds himself charged with murder, but then discharged, through lack of evidence, but still under suspicion.
His uncle, in the Admiralty, gives him two weeks to clear his name or he will be sent to the Indies, there to die of whatever ghastly fever he picks up.
The locals, deeply in with all the smugglers, aren't willing to give out any information they may have to an officer of the King's navy and his fellow officers keep him under short rein in case of his possible treacherous inclinations.
A fun, light read. An audible book extremely well read by the narrator.

[Gouty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book one of the Martin Jerrold trilogy. Poor Martin is a young lieutenant in the British navy, who is in disgrace after the battle of Trafalgar (he was asleep drunk in the hold during the battle). As punishment he is sent to Dover to try and catch smugglers. He would much prefer to be in a cozy bed with a glass of claret in hand and a buxom woman on his arm rather than running through the cold wet streets of Dover Being framed for murder.

The Martin Jerrold series is a good summer read that is well written. I prefer it to the O’Brien books, because while it is a naval story set during the Napoleonic Wars one does not need to have a Navel dictionary on hand to make sense of it.

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

After spending the battle of trafalga sleeping off a hangover in the hold, Lieutenant Martin Jerrold has a lot of work to do to improve his reputation. He's sent to catch smugglers in Dover but as the first thing he does is get drunk and end up getting arrested for murder, things don't look promising! His uncle at the admiralty gives him two weeks to clear his name or he'll be carted off to the west indies and left to rot.

[Lane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know, I know. This isn't great literature. But i so much enjoyed the protagonist, Lt. Jerrold. He's lots of fun and a coward to boot. I think this series is well written and a great romp. this is a time period I enjoy a lot (try the Richard Sharpe series if you haven't already...Bernard Cornwell) and this is a nice mix of fact and fiction.

[Captain Marcus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Horatio Hornblower, step aside. Move over Jack Aubrey. The Age of Sail has a new hero- drunk, cowardly Martin Jerrold, who is only in the Navy because his uncle is in the Admiralty. A wonderful send-up of stern, tough naval heroes, and the obsessively attentive-to-detail books they are portrayed in.

[Richard Mulholland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good story, very well told

[Kelsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was a bit too impatient to finish the book

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good fun