From studying Russian at University College London to producing films for the BBC and running a newspaper kiosk, JP Maxwell settled back in Liverpool in 2001 and now teaches Screenwriting and Digital Writing at Liverpool John Moores University. Although fictional, his writing directly links to a rich immigrant family history and oral tradition in the port city and specifically Toxteth since the early 1800s.
His debut novel is Water Street, based upon Liverpool’s clandestine involvement in the American Civil War. Follow @MaxMaxWriter on Twitter, @outandaboutwithmaxwell on Tiktok or @outandaboutwithmaxwell on Instagram
He’s here to win the war. His wife is here to stop him. - Liverpool 1863. The American Civil War comes to the British Empire’s second city and the world’s richest port.
Confederate Commander Banastre X. Dunwoody has a plan to turn the conflict by securing advanced warships, but the U.S. Government is one step ahead of him. It seeks to sabotage his efforts through its covert agent – Harriet Dunwoody – Banastre’s pregnant wife.
Alongside her undercover partner Conté, Harriet discovers that Banastre has plans to do more than building ships; he has a scheme that could very well draw Britain into the war. As Gettysburg looms, an ocean away there’s another battle to be won and lost. The fate of the USA and the City of Liverpool rests upon it.
Review
It certainly gives off Deadwood meets Ripper Street with a healthy dose of historical background. It's gritty, rough and plastered with colourful characters. The kind readers love to hate and adore in equal measure. It also makes readers wonder who is on the right side of history or in this case the civil war.
Loyalties are easily swayed for the right price and indeed the word trustworthy doesn't really play into the majority of connections and relationships. All's fair in love and war, right? Defending and saving your country is worth every sacrifice, or is it?
Pitting husband and wife against each other seems like the most difficult level of subterfuge, especially when she is more than just heavily pregnant - sometimes labour starts at the most inopportune moments.
It's a really feisty exploration of fiction and history - I would love to see it on screen. The combination of the era, the complexity of politics and patriotism, and the reality of imperfection when it comes to the characters. It sounds like a hoot, and was certainly a ride of a read.
Buy Water Street at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher : BK Fiction; pub date 1 July 2023. Buy at Amazon com.
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