The Wicked Trade (The Sea Officer William Bentley Novels) [Paperback]

Jan Needle (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Sea Officer William Bentley Novels | Publication Date: April 1, 2001

Young William Bentley, survivor of the bloody Welfare mutiny, reluctantly resumes his naval career as an officer on the press tender Biter. When the Biter is reassigned to combat the wicked trade of smuggling, Bentley is caught up in the investigation of the murder of two customs officers.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The title refers to smuggling operations on England's coast during the 18th century, when customs men and smugglers battled over piles of booty. Now young midshipman William Bentley of the Royal Navy is up to his cutlass in plots, treachery and murder in the second volume (following last year's A Fine Boy for Killing) of Needle's series about the adventures of this intrepid naval officer. After several years ashore, hunger forces Bentley to return to the service, although he hates the navy and the sea life. He is not surprised, therefore, to be posted to an impress ship, a drab scow charged with forcibly recruiting sailors, to fill the king's warships with seamen in the current war with France. Bentley and his fellow midshipman friend, Sam Holt, are soon drawn into a complicated conspiracy after two customs men are brutally murdered by a well-organized smuggling gang. Greed, corruption and betrayal reach high levels in the navy and the government, and the two midshipmen soon are way over their heads in a cesspool of savagery and duplicity. This is an entertaining but gruesome swashbuckler, albeit without the glory of a Hornblower or the class of a Ramage. Needle grimly and accurately portrays naval existence and the life of the poor as dirty, cruel and ruthless scenes of young whores having their teeth pulled out to make impromptu dentures for the wealthy are particularly graphic, as is the brutish treatment of women overall. Expectedly, Needle's conclusion is vague and unfulfilling, leaving scores of loose ends to be tidied up in the next book in the series.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

". . . the characters are drawn into a destiny of fear, love, hatred, and horrifying tragedy . . ." -- Yorkshire Gazette & Herald

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: McBooks Press (April 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0935526951
• ISBN-13: 978-0935526950
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,266,235 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another excellent historical novel by Jan Needle, July 10, 2002

By 

Ronald Leonardo (North Kingstown, RI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wicked Trade (The Sea Officer William Bentley Novels) (Paperback)

Read my review of "A Fine Boy for Killing," as the comments
all apply to this work as well. This is the second novel in the William Bentley naval fiction series, though on an entirely
different tack. As in the first novel of the series, Jan Needle has presented us with a dark, brooding, (sometimes revolting) mystery. The setting is mid-18th century England. The land and sea settings are drafted with excellent visual imagery. The protagonist is still William Bentley, albeit now a somewhat older (but not too worldly) midshipman. His uncle, a sadistic cynical Captain lurks in the wings, occasionally sticking his oar in to terrify and ensnare William in his disreputable schemes. Were (and are) people really like this? Unfortunately, yes, they are our fellow man. "We have met the enemy, and they is us...."

Definitely not in the style of the lightweight fantasy "Hornblower" series. As intellectual as Patrick O'Brien, but without the niceguys and heroics. If you like historical novels which require some gray matter, and which contain a strong element of psychological drama, this is your sea biscuit. Like O'Brien and David Donachie, a great find for those who enjoy a cut above the average, "grapple and board" type of naval novel. Prepare to be horrified at times, like when you read about the sale of Cicely's entire mouthful of teeth! If you like the genre, you will like this book. Full of the socio-cultural backdrop of 18th century England. Not too much dialect, so one can comprehend the characters' language. Highly readable, though one has to pay close attention--not a skim read. Don't bring it to the beach--this is for bedtime after your spouse has fallen asleep.

Of course the first book in every series tends to win the toss-up, but this second book is so unlike the first it does not disappoint. Good writer, interesting subjects. Jan Needle will eventually be as collectable as Woodman, Lambdin, Pope or Donachie, (probably not the tremendously popular god of sea novels Patrick O'Brien though), once he becomes more widely known. I bought the second book in the series when I got half-way through his first. Since Donachie is not as prolific as we would hope, and Pope and O'Brien are now deceased, Needle is all the more welcome. Hope he doesn't return to children's books and screenplays!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Slow-paced and disjointed., December 24, 2002

By 

A. J. Watson "Bones" (Newcastle-on-Tyne, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Wicked Trade (The Sea Officer William Bentley Novels) (Paperback)

If I didn't know any better, I could swear that this book and the previous (A Fine Boy for Killing) were written by two different people ... the first one rattles along at a great pace, but alas not this... It has taken me weeks to get through it, whereas I devoured 'Fine Boy for Killing' in a couple of days.
There are several seemingly disconnected threads running in parallel in this story. Ostensibly about Will Bentley joining a press tender, we gather that this is not the crux of the matter; the disappearance of 2 men and his uncle's hints at 'trade' lead one to understand that smuggling is the hidden agenda.
However, the story takes its own good time getting there; I found this lack of progress to be disturbing, and combined with the stilted delivery, was almost persuaded several times to give it up as a bad job. But some quality kept dragging me back; maybe it was the hanging tale of the girl selling her teeth and the judge's wife who was to be the recipient; perhaps the fate of the 'spies'; maybe the underlying good story - for sure it was not the flow of the tale.
The style is not my cup of tea, but then I don't care for Steven King either... ***

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Wicked Trade, April 5, 2002

By 

K. Freeman (Apple Valley, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Wicked Trade (The Sea Officer William Bentley Novels) (Paperback)

This is the continuing story of William Bentley and his ongoing process of personal disillusion and embitterment.

Set in the early 19th century, The Wicked Trade is about smuggling, press gangs, and really nasty amateur dentistry. It's an outstanding book, though not a perfect one, and is not for the weak of stomach.

I characterized Needle's writing in his previous book, A Fine Boy for Killing, as a blunt instrument. Here, he's refined it to a stiletto. Dialogue in particular shines, even evoking Shakespeare in its rhythmic qualities. His action scenes are still a little static and there's too much exposition -- one annoying habit he's picked up is to add an expositional paragraph before an action sequence, wrecking the suspense by telling the reader what's going to happen.

For the most part, characters are strong, vivid and well drawn. I particularly appreciate Needle's ability to create female characters who, while believable for the period, are individuals.

The plot, while exciting, doesn't have the gripping quality of the first book in the series. I think the author tries to do too much. Perhaps focusing on either the press or the smuggling, with the dental horrors as a subplot, would have been stronger. More detail on either of those would have been appreciated. As it is, there are fascinating themes here, but I felt the lack of a dramatic climax, and there are times when the plot bogs down. Readers should be warned that some of the teeth scenes are beyond disgusting.

The finale is ambiguous, leaving the door open for, I hope, a third installment.