Spy turned indentured servant, Calumny Spinks started off doing his patriotic duty to his country. However, he is quickly double-crossed by his supposed best friend, and is branded as a runaway slave. Now Spinks survival is tied to his family's survival as well, and so he set out to earn their freedom by killing the most powerful man in the Caribbean - Lord Montalbion. Calumny is aided by the Maroons, who are a group of slaves who managed to escaped the horrible confines of slavery and are attempting to cause a civil war in order to free everyone else.

Outside of the plot and intrigue, Piers Alexander does a fantastic job setting the historical backdrop for Jamaica as well as including the appropriate 17th century slang for the slaves, indentured servants and other characters. It is evident that a lot of thought went into creating this novel. The beginning did seem like it was the continuation of another book, and upon research I found out that it is in fact the sequel to Alexander's The Bitter Trade. After reading Scatterwood, I am intrigued as to how our main protagonist ended up in such a predicament, so I will probably go back and read this first novel.

Piers Alexander introduces historical adventure and suffering in Scatterwood where Catholic indentures in the West Indies and revolt of the African slaves, the maroons, coincide at the time of Charles II. Brutal times and brave individuals.

I chose this book because it seemed interesting enough to force me out of my normal areas of reading. The late 17th century setting was compelling, taking the reader from the streets of London to the plantations and mountains of Jamaica. The author clearly has a passion for the history that is the basis for this novel, and I enjoyed the authenticity of the story.

Unlike many novels that romanticize their setting, Scatterwood delves deep into the horrors of the slave trade, indentured servitude, and early sugar plantation work. Some scenes made me cringe and hope that no person had truly had to suffer such indignities (knowing full well that they did). From devilish overseers to swarms of biting insects, the trials of our protagonist, a man blackmailed into indentured servitude with an impossible mission to accomplish, are brought to life.

I do feel that I would have had a bit of an easier time following the action and keeping track of the cast of characters had I first read The Bitter Trade, which introduces them. Everyone is brought onto the scene in this book as though the reader should already know them, and the action happens so quickly that I sometimes found myself a bit lost. However, for those looking for a fast-paced adventure that reveals some dark aspects of history, this book is a great choice.

Straight from not so merry old England, back in the olden days circa late 1690’s, where many impoverished souls were kidnapped, coerced, conscripted unwillingly or forced to indenture themselves for any number of reasons. Jamaica was an abundant source of sugar cane and ripe for plundering. Slaves by the millions were brought to work the plantations to supply the world with molasses and rum, forging a lively trade for ships to carry the results of the slave labor back to England and beyond. These were the days of wooden ships and iron men and a brisk waterfront at the Jamaican harbor at Port Royal. The waterfront was plagued with the drunks, prostitutes, slave markets and the human dregs no longer fit to serve any useful purpose. Indentured men were sold to the highest bidder and began their seven years of service with the promise of freedom and land at the end of their servitude. Overseers were brutal, yielding whips and knives, the knives for removing fingers. Often as an indentured was close to freedom the treatment was worse, even deadly. A slave was there for life but the end of servitude meant the end of a laborer, so no need to spare them. This book is so much more than the above mentioned, it is the story of one man mostly, but of a time and place in history many know nothing of. Soldiers, sailors, runaway slaves, an ongoing war, and power struggles all come together in in this tale of times long past. It is a story told in a fashion to keep the reader glued to the script. Some may find how man treats man despicable, disgusting, even unbelievable but for someone who reads as much as I do it is not so shocking, still to future readers I think of some of those news cast warnings “caution, graphic violence”. Full of historical nuggets the term fascinating springs to mind as a description of this entire book.

I do not pretend to know much of anything about the history of Jamaica during the period of indentured servitude at the end of the 17th century. What is marvellous about this book is that the author clearly does. There is an authenticity to the description, the situations and the characters that cannot be denied. My problem lies with the narrative itself. I found it very difficult to follow. It seems to jump from episode to episode with little thought to leading the reader through. The pace of action is breathtaking - too much so, in my case, as I was given little time to process the information I had just received, before I was expected to take on some more. I did find the extra information at the close of the novel incredibly interesting and this is without doubt, a fascinating period of history. For me, however, this novel could have done with more expansion of character and situation and ultimately, I didn't enjoy it.

What separates a good historical novel from the chaff is the ability to credibly represent the past as the present, to portray yesterday’s people as if they were still alive. Author Piers Alexander has achieved and surpassed this level of excellence in his novel “Scatterwood.”

This story takes the reader deep into the world of indentured servitude, exposing a sordid underbelly of brutality that might crush a man with weaker resolve than Calumny Spinks. Fortunately (or unfortunately) for Spinks, the lives of the people he loves more than anything else are in jeopardy, their futures precariously balanced and directly linked to his actions. He has been given a job to do, one that promises a great reward if he can accomplish it within a short period of time.

As previously mentioned, Mr. Alexander doesn’t just talk about 1692, he drags the reader by the wrist into the past, forcing us to experience life in the late 17th century. His style of writing matches the time period, and the choice to insert period words and phrases as well as words used by his allies in the Maroon tribe only serve to enlarge the world he has created for us.

Mr. Alexander has provided more than a novel to enjoy. After the tale is completed, there are pages of facts and information to enjoy:
• Calumny’s Tongues: translations of some of the words used in the book
• Calumny’s Jamaica: a history supporting the realism of the world of Calumny Spinks (a section not to be missed!)
• Further reading: Both non-fiction and fiction populate this list

As a historical novel, this is a top shelf entry. As a story, it contains adventure, battles, intrigue, and the saga of one man striving toward near-impossible goals. This is a page-turner, and is highly recommended. Five stars.