Book
Turpin’s Tales
First published 2023
Four short stories place Dick Turpin in situations where reputation is as useful and dangerous as a weapon. In one he becomes the passenger during a highway robbery; in another he confronts a man falsely claiming to ride with him. A tax official who exploits the poor and a thief who chooses the wrong horse provide further challenges to Turpin’s authority.
The collection presents the outlaw through compact reversals rather than a single campaign. Turpin may act as criminal, avenger or reluctant protector, but each role depends upon the mythology growing around his name. The stories emphasise the violence and opportunism of Georgian crime while showing how later legend could turn a horse thief and highway robber into a popular champion against more respectable forms of exploitation.
Alex Gough
15 books
Simon Turney
64 books
Colin Falconer
22 books
Paul Bannister
16 books
Ken Follett
16 books