This book switches between the stories of two men called Martin Laws - one an 18th century officer-surgeon on a slave ship, the other a contemporary drug-dealing Mediterranean with a chaotic personal life. I warmed to the 18th century Martin more than his namesake whose sordid life gets a bit repetitive. But don't be put you off, it’s really worth persevering - for the power of the contrasting use of language alone. That made this book for me.