About The AUTHOR

Chris Thorndyke was born in Totnes in South Devon and lived in what he describes as the most beautiful coastal resort in Britain, Torbay. A father of three grown-up sons and five grandchildren, he now lives in Sweden with his wife and their two pet dogs – Alice, a sweet little King Charles spaniel, and Sally, an adorable woolly Australian labradoodle.

About The Book

Devon 1775. A tale of infamy, smuggling and assassination.

A temporary rector arrives in the Devon village of Ashprington, but he’s certainly not what he seems to his parishioners-to-be.

The church of St David in Ashprington sees the arrival of the Reverend Ebenezer Dunn with instructions from the French to spy on the bustling harbour of Dartmouth and to create instability amongst the inhabitants in the villages and hamlets along the River Dart. He embraces his mission with fervour, seeing it also as a means of fulfilling his desires to follow a life of self-indulgence and affluence.

Establishing links with Squire Roger Maddock of Darton Hall, a ruthless smuggling baron, Ebenezer forms a syndicate of smugglers from the village to undertake the hazardous smuggling contracts proposed by the squire.
The drums of war are beating in the American colonies and a treacherous member of the village pressures Ebenezer to gather more information for his spy master in Plymouth.

Hearing of a secret plan to bring King George III to the stately home of Saltram House, Ebenezer conspires with his spy master to bring about a disaster that would deliver a catastrophic blow to England and further fuel plans for an imminent invasion by the French.

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News

Chris Thorndyke’s Book Attracts Media Attention For Its Local Theme

My novel Ebenezer Dunn has been featured in a group of four Devon newspapers with an editorial on me. As the tale has a very local theme it has attracted a lot of local media interest with them being very keen to interview me. [...]

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blogs

Captain Philemon Pownoll’s Manor House

Sharpham Manor, the home of Captain Philemon Pownoll, taken from the River Dart. Note the boat house on the banks of the river. The boat house is where Ebenezer, Barold and Elijah met up with Stephen and Mordechai to begin their journey downriver to Obadiah Tucker&rs [...]

First Review

First review paints Ebenezer as a real villain but also sees him as a likeable rogue. An interesting comment as this is the reader’s portrayal of the roguish protagonist I wanted to create. Great to hear your comments on the characters and how they influence [...]

Chris Thorndyke Receives Positive Comments From Happy Readers

27th June : Received Facebook and email comments by happy readers who are now immersed in the tale. Dan from Chichester likens Ebenezer to Black Adder, a cowardly scheming individual who'd stop at nothing to profit from others, yet rocked with laughter at the chapter [...]