Alex Preston

Context:

Alex Preston's new novel about smuggling, set in the golden age of smuggling in Kent/Sussex during the 18th century. It is discussed throughout the entire episode as the reason for the conversation, with Tom Holland describing it as 'Daphne du Maurier crossed with Quentin Tarantino.' The novel was inspired by the Hawkhurst gang and culminates in the historically accurate Battle of Goudhurst. Preston notes his novel romanticizes smugglers while acknowledging the brutal reality.

Context:

Recommended near the end of the episode by Alex Preston as 'a book you should read' — described as a 'brilliant kind of memoir of the Kent coast.' It is mentioned in the context of discussing the dark, violent undercurrents that exist beneath the placid surface of rural Kent and Sussex, connecting historical smuggling violence to present-day tensions around migration.