Books

The Contraband Killings

A Dan Foster Mystery (4)

The smugglers’ lanterns lit up the hollow and dazzled him. He made out half a dozen shadowy figures gathering around the entrance to the cave in a silent semi-circle. He would have time to fire one shot before they overpowered him, and he was going to use it.

Principal Officer Dan Foster of the Bow Street Runners is sent to collect smuggler Watcyn Jones from Beaumaris Gaol on Anglesey, and bring him back to London for trial at the Old Bailey. As if having to travel to the wilds of North Wales isn’t bad enough, Dan is saddled with an inexperienced constable as his interpreter and assistant. At least it’s a routine assignment and shouldn’t take more than a few days.

But when the prison escort is ambushed and Watcyn Jones escapes, a straightforward transfer turns into a desperate manhunt. And as Jones’s enemies start to die, the chase becomes more urgent than ever. Dan’s search for the killer brings him up against a ruthless smuggling gang – and his chances of getting off the island alive begin to look far from promising.

The Contraband Killings is the fourth Dan Foster Mystery. Bloodie Bones, the first in the series, was joint winner of the Historical Novel Society Indie Award 2016. A BRAG Medallion Honoree.

Find out about the history behind the book

A Journey to Eighteenth-Century Anglesey (pdf document) – read about eighteenth-century travel in Wales, and follow Dan Foster’s journey to Anglesey.

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Series: Fiction, The Dan Foster Mysteries

Formats available: Paperback, Ebook

First published: 18/09/22

Reviews for The Contraband Killings

Boyce possesses a sharp visual descriptive power which evokes strong emotions of landscape, the Welsh people, poverty, filth, starvation, and copper mining. Is it possible to feel wet and cold during a fictional storm or to feel flustered at the coaching depot departure stand? Apparently so, thanks to evocative writing! Foster’s unusual family dynamics add to his likeability. The frustrations of an investigation where no one is willing to talk is well-thought-out, and evokes understanding of what the police face every day. An interesting read, which gives the mystical isle of Ynys Môn a new dimension.

Read the full review here.

Fiona Alison, Historical Novel Society

The plot is a real page-turner; I stayed up well past my normal bedtime to finish the book and was genuinely sorry when I reached the last page.

Broad Thoughts From a Home

Running alongside a strong sense of history comes the added excitement of intrigue and mystery and with several twists and turns I didn’t see coming I can safely say that, for me, this is Dan Foster’s most exciting challenge yet.

Jaffa Reads Too

What a fantastic, well-written, mind-blowing and completely engrossing historical mystery! I absolutely loved every bit of this story. Though a fourth book in the series, I had no trouble following the character development as the readers are given a gist of Dan’s past.

Book Decoder

Using so effectively the landscape of Anglesey and the harsh nature of the times the author has really convincingly taken the reader back more than 200 years. A great story with a fabulous twist I didn’t see coming.

Lynda's Book Reviews

The Contraband Killings is superbly written…Lucienne certainly knows how to grab the reader’s attention and draw them into what proves to be one hell of a story…I love the way in which Lucienne makes the reader feel as though they are part of the story and at the heart of the action.

Ginger Book Geek