If you’re going to learn, then learn from the best… The Napoleonic Wars cost the crown dearly.
As the 19th century dawns, the King’s Revenue Service mercilessly squeezes every penny from taxable goods. England’s smugglers discover their backs against the wall. On the glorious North Yorkshire coast at Saltburn, the legendary Richard John finds his lifetime’s work in jeopardy, the illegal empire he’s forged besieged on every side. Struggling to hold family and his business together, pursued by Riding Officers and dragoons on land and by Revenue cutters at sea, Richard John is determined to go down fighting. Just as stubborn, young Valentine Rudd stands shoulder to shoulder with his mentor, hungry to fulfil his ambitions, and maybe, just maybe, along the way fill his pockets with golden sovereigns…