Blueskin: a romance of the last century

Blueskin: A Romance of the Last Century tells the stylised and romanticised adventures of the early 18th century folk hero Jack Sheppard, a legendary burglar and thief famous for his daring escapes from prison; Blueskin, his friend and partner in crime; Edgworth Bess, his love; and Jonathan Wild, the notorious thief-taker general, his sworn enemy. These ventures are largely fictional, though based on real historical characters, with the heroes portrayed as heroic, honourable figures rather than actual villains. These daring adventures thrilled the youth of Victorian England.

Note that this work contains terms and language in common use in the 19th century that some people may find offensive.

As the second volume opens, all three of our heroes are in peril. Jack Sheppard has fallen in with a couple of villains who have talked him into taking revenge on his old master, and is in the process of committing a dangerous burglary; Edgworth Bess is in the hands of the terrible pirate, Captain Howlet; and Blueskin is lying low in a seedy inn, little realising the danger he is in at the hands of its murderous landlord.