Book excerpt: Prisoners of the Crown are being played by the state... Patricia Shaw's Storm Bay is a gripping saga of shocking revelations and conspiracy behind the transportation of British convicts to Tasmania. The perfect read for fans of Tamara McKinley and Coleen McCullough. 'A well-researched, compelling story' - Launceston Examiner Portsmouth, 1832. Once the pride of the British East India fleet, the Veritas has fallen on hard times. She is now a transport ship, her cargo prisoners of the Crown, her destination the penal settlement of Van Diemen's Land, now known as Tasmania, the southernmost State of Australia. Pastor Bob Cookson tries to offer solace to the convicts on board, but is shocked to discover that most of them have committed only trivial offences. He suspects a conspiracy to empty British prisons, but finds a more sinister motive at work... What readers are saying about Storm Bay: 'This book is up to Patricia Shaw's high standard' 'Excellently researched - the plot was so intriguing and so interwoven I couldn't put it down' 'A well written story that keeps you turning the pages'