The Monsarrat Series: #1 The Soldier's Curse

Product Description

In the Port Macquarie Penal Settlement at the edge of the known world, gentleman convict Hugh Monsarrat hungers for freedom. Originally transported for forging documents passing himself off as a lawyer, he is now the trusted clerk of the settlement's commandant. His position has certain advantages, such as being able to spend time in the Government House kitchen with housekeeper Hannah Mulrooney, who, despite being illiterate, is his most perceptive companion. After the commandant heads off in search of a rumoured river, his beautiful wife, Honora, falls ill with a sickness the doctor is unable to identify. When she dies, it becomes clear she was being slowly poisoned. The commandant's second-in-command, Captain Diamond, a cruel man, has Mrs Mulrooney arrested for the murder. Since she will hang if she is tried, Monsarrat knows he must find the real killer.