The White Rider

15-year-old Tom Marlowe lives in the grimy city of London in 1716, where he helps in the family-run print shop. The streets of the capital are full of spies and buzzing with intrigue. Who are Jacobite rebels and who are loyal to the protestant crown? While Tom finds out some earth shattering revelations about his own family, there are even stranger happenings in the city, where a mysterious and seemingly supernatural highwayman haunts the roads. The White Rider is so fierce a robber, he apparently kills his victims simply by pointing at them.

Following on from their adventures in Death and the Arrow, Tom and his mentor, the retired physician and seafarer, Dr Harker, try to unravel the mystery behind the highwayman’s gruesome white mask. Tom is also desperate to find out more about the secrets of his own background.

This pacy historical novel, with some references to slavery and Shakespeare’s The Tempest, is full of dramatic twists and turns with one final surprise at the end. It would be ideal material for turning into a children’s TV drama. The author has been a successful illustrator for many years and he has drawn the illustrations at the start of each chapter.