Master Snell is a novel loosely based on victorian history late in the reign of Queen Victoria.

Master Snell A Novel by Barbara O'Sulivan is set in Victorian England in a small village in West London. The book was originally published in 2008 under the title, Oscar Defoe, by PublishAmerica, USA. The Poor Law Amendment which was published as an Appendix at the back of the book, has now been removed. Barbara O'Sullivan Author

The The Irish Ordinary, (originally published under the title The Chiswick Villain), by Barbara Osullivan 2008, is a novel based on the story of James Ashley a Victorian criminal. Set in Whitechapel London and in Chiswick, West London in 1834 in a one year time span. James Ashley who is at the centre of the story, is a particularly colourful character who grew up in the poverty stricken East End of London as a Cockney who had only ever known poverty. James was born to be a villain, just like his father. When James Ashley meets up with Moll Raby in Newgate Prison a romance soon springs up between them. James and Moll, upon their release from Newgate Prison, pledge to set out to make their fortune, and they make a formidable pair as they set out to rob, fleece, deceive, and otherwise deprive the rich Chiswick folk of their worldly goods, in the most effective manner, using every trick in the book, sometimes in the most comical manner, but where they ever caught?

Oscar DefoeA review of chapter 6 - Syon HouseWith no time to read the whole book before the printers speed into action, I studied the chapter on Syon House, my family's London home for 400 years, and was immensely impressed by the accuracy of the author's research and the fluent style which brings the characters to life. The contrast between Syon and the workhouse and between the rich and poor, is a poignant reminder of the hellish life that so many lived in Victorian times. This brief taste of Barbara O'Sullivan's historical tale has certainly wetted my appetite for a more comprehensive study of Oscar Defoe.Northumberland24th March 2006