Publisher's Synopsis
For a French prisoner of war, there is only one fate worse than the gallows - the hulks. Former men-o'-war, now converted to prison ships, their fearsome reputation guarantees a sentence served in the most dreadful conditions. Few survive. Escape, it's said, is impossible. Yet reports persist of a sinister smuggling operation within this brutal world - and the Royal Navy is worried enough to send two of its officers to investigate. When they disappear without trace, the Navy turns in desperation to Bow Street for help. They offer their best man. It's time to send in Hawkwood...
