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The Pictou Triangle

by Jean Lucas

308 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #07-0483; ISBN 1-4251-2079-2; US$21.24, C$24.43, EUR16.56, £10.98

One suffering loss of memory, another exiled by a crime, two young men go missing in this historical (1820s) novel, featuring an Atlantic rum-smuggling triangle between Jamaica, Pictou and Scotland...

About the Book

William Mackenzie's wealth came from the slave trade, plantations in Jamaica, and an Atlantic smuggling racket. He marries Delia, daughter of Judge Fogo, but the Judge discovers William's smuggling secret and, before he can lay information, dies in a shooting "accident." Robert Thomson, made a scapegoat by William, spends 13 years exiled in Jamaica.

At the same time, Angus Ritchie in Scotland persuades his family to emigrate. The powerful Lairds are turning the land over to sheep, and people fear eviction. A catastrophe on the Atlantic voyage means that Angus is almost drowned, and his injuries cause severe loss of memory. For 13 years he works at a fish-drying station in Newfoundland, acquiring the name of Barney. This is also a staging-post in William's smuggling activities.

Robert follows William to Scotland, determined to expose the smuggling crimes. He encounters "Barney" and tries to help him recover his memory. But "Barney" has fallen in love with Alice, who lives with her parents in the Codroy Valley. Her father bans their marriage until he knows Barney's true lineage, and "Barney" goes to Halifax to discover his identity.

Robert tells Delia that William has murdered her father, but is attacked by footpads hired by William,and is transported back to North America. A passenger on the same ship is Angus's sister, Elizabeth. Pooling their knowledge, they believe "Barney" to be the missing Angus. The families are eventually re-united. Delia separates from William; they quarrel, the house in Edinburgh catches fire, and William does not survive.

"Jean Lucas tells a spellbinding story about emigrant Scots to Canada, using authentic historical accounts. With its elegant prose and fascinating characters "The Pictou Triangle" will delight readers of all ages."
Dr. Lucille H. Campey (Scottish Emigration Historian)

About the Author

Jean Lucas has spent all her working life in Wandsworth (South London) Conservative politics, but has now turned to writing. An Edinburgh Lady, published in 2006, was widely enjoyed, and this companion book, with different main characters, but some familiar settings and minor characters, continues the theme of Scots emigrating to Canada, in the 1820s. Jean owes much to Lucille Campey, who has passed on much of her original research, and given great encouragement.

Excerpts