Moonfleet 1898 is an adventure novel by J Meade Falkner Largely forgotten by todays readers Falkner was more widely known in his lifetime for his nonfiction works on history and topography as well as his role as chairman of a major arms manufacturer Far from the amateur musings of a bored millionaire Falkners writing shows a mastery of genre fiction while benefitting from his extensive geographical knowledge Moonfleet has been adapted several times for radio television and film most notably for Fritz Langs 1955 feature of the same name quotWhen I was a child I thought that this place was called Moonfleet because on a still night whether in summer or in winter frosts the moon shone very brightly on the lagoon but learned afterwards that twas but short for Mohunefleet from the Mohunes a great family who were once lords of all these partsquot Growing up in Moonfleet young John Trenchard couldnt help but hear the legends of the powerful Mohune family whose ancestor Colonel Blackbeard is said to have stolen a diamond from King Charles I An orphan he is raised by his aunt Miss Arnold who tries to protect him from the violence and crime perpetuated by local smugglers At church one Sunday John hears noises from the crypt below and endeavors to return The next day he encounters two of his friends beside the church wall and suspects they are searching for the ghost of Blackbeard As he steps into a sinkhole in the graveyard he finds himself in a tunnel leading to the crypt where the...
