Praise for The America Ground
‘As in the earlier novels, each chapter slips smoothly from past to present, revealing murderous events as the likeable Morton uncovers evidence in the present, while trying to solve the mystery of his own paternity. Packed once more with glorious detail of records familiar to family historians, The America Ground is a delightfully pacey read’ Family Tree
‘Like most genealogical mysteries this book has several threads, cleverly woven together by the author - and there are plenty of surprises for the reader as the story approaches its conclusion. A jolly good read!’ Lost Cousins
‘Goodwin’s stories have been good reads, engaging the interest of the genealogist with references to records…Readers will welcome this new book as a welcome distraction from the intensity of research to reading about someone else’s work, with murder thrown in’ Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter
‘Great reading - a real page-turner! Good solid genealogy research – highly recommended’ Genealogy Happy Hour
‘It’s just a terrific book! It’s great stuff, I’ve read it, and you’re going to enjoy it’ Extreme Genes
‘The writing is pin-sharp and there is plenty of suspense in an excellent novel which makes me want to return to the first books in the series’ The Norfolk Ancestor
‘This is a good crime novel with links to family history and in it you have the best of both worlds…the twisting story will keep you guessing to the last page’ The Wakefield Kinsman
About the Author
Nathan Dylan Goodwin was born and raised in Hastings, East Sussex. Schooled in the town, he then completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Radio, Film and Television, followed by a Master of Arts Degree in Creative Writing at Canterbury Christ Church University. A member of the Society of Authors, he has completed a number of successful local history books about Hastings, as well as other works of fiction in this series; other interests include reading, photography, running, skiing, travelling and of course, genealogy. He is a member of the Guild of One-Name Studies and the Society of Genealogists, as well as being a member of the Sussex Family History Group, the Norfolk Family History Society, the Kent Family History Society and the Hastings and Rother Family History Society. He lives in Kent with his husband and son.
BY THE SAME AUTHOR
nonfiction:
Hastings at War 1939-1945
Hastings Wartime Memories and Photographs
Hastings & St Leonards Through Time
Around Battle Through Time
fiction:
(The Forensic Genealogist series)
Hiding the Past
The Lost Ancestor
The Orange Lilies – A Morton Farrier novella
The America Ground
The Spyglass File
The Missing Man – A Morton Farrier novella
The Suffragette’s Secret – A Morton Farrier short story
The Wicked Trade
The America Ground
by
Nathan Dylan Goodwin
Copyright © Nathan Dylan Goodwin 2015
Nathan Dylan Goodwin has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
This story is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Where the names of real people have been used, they appear only as the author imagined them to be.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the author. This story is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the author’s prior consent in any form of binding, cover or other format, including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
Cover design: Patrick Dengate
www.patrickdengate.com
This book is dedicated to the mothers:
Jane Goodwin, Anita Bristow and Christine Archer
Contents:
Author’s Note
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Epilogue
Historical Information
Acknowledgments
The Spyglass File - Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Further Information
Author’s Note
This novel is set against the backdrop of a real moment in history and a real place, The America Ground; a piece of land outside Hastings, Sussex in the 1820s.
I have used some key events surrounding this unusual piece of Hastings’ history, however, this book is largely a work of fiction.
I have also taken the opportunity of reviving some colourful nouns, verbs and phrases from the wonderful old Sussex dialect—sadly now largely forgotten.
Prologue
27th April 1827, The America Ground, outside Hastings, Sussex
It was the perfect night to kill her: a flat, overcast sky with only the barest sliver of a moon. The whole of the Sussex coast had been suppressed into the shadows; he would be able to slip in and out undetected.
In his black buckskin trousers and tailcoat, he melded seamlessly into the absolute darkness of the cottage. His progress up the stairs had been slow, having tested each step before fully applying his weight to ensure that his approach was silent.
He reached a short corridor with two doors.
He stopped and listened.
A soft feminine wheeze emanated from behind the first door. Eliza Lovekin’s bedroom.
Slowly and carefully, he lifted the latch and gently pushed, recoiling momentarily at the low sigh it emitted, as it swung open.
He paused.
Her rhythmical breathing remained unaltered.
From the thin shard of light that defied the window shutters, he could see that she was lying prone with her back to him, the edge of her shape
