Shop with your exclusive business pricing
Kindle Unlimited
Unlimited reading. Over 4 million titles. Learn more
OR
$3.90

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Charter Kindle Edition

3.8 out of 5 stars 186 ratings

Sarah Morton hopes discovering the truth about the 1859 shipwreck of the Royal Charter will silence the demons of her past.

But, tormented by visions and threats on her life, Sarah fears the ship may claim her as its final victim.

Set along the dramatic and dangerous Anglesey coastline, The Charter is a story of greed and forgiveness -- when the treasures of the past evoke the crimes of today.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0080JOA7W
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ G.E. Hamer
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 8, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 927 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 396 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780957193215
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0957193215
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.8 out of 5 stars 186 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Gillian E Hamer
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Born in the industrial Midlands, Gillian's heart has always yearned for the wilds of North Wales and the pull of the ocean.

A Company Director for twenty years, she has written obsessively for over a decade, predominantly in the crime genre. She has completed six full length novels and numerous short stories.

After completing a creative writing course, she decided to take her writing to the next level and sought representation. She is a columnist for Words with Jam literary magazine, a regular theatre goer and avid reader across genres.

She splits her time between Birmingham and a remote cottage on Anglesey where she finds her inspiration and takes long walks on deserted beaches with her Jack Russell, Maysie.

Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
186 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2012
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I picked this book as something different to read and was truly impressed. I found it so compelling, I stayed up late trying to finish it. The intrigue and suspense build with each chapter and Hamer does an excellent job with character depth, plot development and most of all riveting descriptions of the Welsh coastal area and vivid action scenes.

    The historical twist added additional depth to this tale, with Sarah's connection to Angelina making for a multilayered story. Highly enjoyable and I'll be looking for more from this author!
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2012
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    The Charter was an exciting book. I loved the way the author described the countryside and wove it into the story line. A book filled with intrigue, murder and double-crossing characters. I could hardly put it down. It definitely will keep your attention, challenge your emotions as you follow the story to its eventual untangling of the web of mystery and deciet. If you like fast paced mysteries this is a good book for you.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2025
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I enjoyed the characters and the details of places in Wales. The plot twists were good. It is hard to know which things are and are not what they seem. Goodish read.
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2012
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I love stories that encompass history, legend, mystery and crime. I enjoy a fast-paced narrative and an intriguing plot. I also like to be transported to an unknown place. These are the reasons I devoured The Charter, set along the wild and dangerous Welsh coast. Based on the story of the 1859 shipwreck of the Royal Charter, on its fated voyage from the goldfields of Australia to Liverpool, the author has created a beguiling modern-day tale around the gold the survivors brought to shore in their pockets, as they battled the seas in the most severe Irish Sea storm of the century.
    I am not generally drawn to anything paranormal, but the "otherworldly" elements in The Charter are dealt with so deftly, the author leaving the decision up to the reader as to whether these ghosts exist or not.
    I will definitely be seeking out more enchanting crime thrillers from Gillian Hamer set along the beautiful and mysterious Anglesey coast.
    22 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2013
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Having never read Gillian Hamer before, I did not know what to expect but the short description caught my attention. It is difficult writing about one small section of the world but Gillian does a fine job describing the Northern Anglican coastline without frivolous detail that bogs down a story. The setting is as much a character as the people, both past and present. She uses the Old House, far and away from neighbors and towns, setting on an oceanside point of the island, where a lonely ghost seeks redemption for her family.

    The characters are well-written, however, the detectives are rather one-dimensional and a bit stuck in a detective almost a columbo-bungler in a way. Always too late to see anything, after the fact and people running through the scene but does add the element of authority. The plot is well-paced, nothing was rushed or left out, and nothing was added in as filler that I could read.

    The Charter was an enjoyable read and I would give 4 1/2 stars.
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2013
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This book is a decent read, if you're not expecting to find a masterpiece of literature. The folks who gave it four and five stars...well all of the accolades were generic and could have meant anything. But if you look at the writing carefully, you'll find a disappointing ending (I'm not sure the author actually knew how to end it), mediocre writing, and situations that just don't make a lot of sense to me. For example, why would a woman rush to the edge of a cliff alone, looking for her husband. Or would she take unnecessary risks to rush to someone's aid (putting her own life in danger) when she should know there's nothing she can do to help? I'm not sure what the four and five-star folks saw, but they certainly weren't looking at this book as a book. But, don't let that keep you from enjoying it. You probably will.
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2023
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Looking forwArd to some .net sleepless nights . Looking forward to a another book with this author. I loved it.
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2013
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This book could have been a great book, it had a great story line. But the story rambles in parts and unless you are from London the slang yis so bad you will need a dictionary to understand what she is talking about. Too many characters leaving the story and the author builds you up to this huge finish and then just stops that part of the story. I wish she had put more time in editing and less in creating all these people in the beginning to which most won't make it to the end of the book...

Top reviews from other countries

  • pigginhell
    5.0 out of 5 stars Story telling at it's best
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 11, 2012
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This is an excellent, extremely faced paced story of greed and intrigue. Sarah Morton returns to her birthplace to bury her father and without any delay is immersed into a heart-breaking, series of events. Sarah's father who on first introduction is a slightly eccentric old professor with a bit of drink problem and a penchant for the dramatic has not left anything as simple as a will and Sarah must stumble through a myriad of cryptic clues. With the warning `Trust No-one' ringing in her ears and the death of more than her father to cope with. Sarah has to make some decisions. Can she rely on anyone?

    The rugged beauty of the Welsh coast setting adds to the sense of urgency and drama in the writing. The descriptions of the intense weather leave you feeling a tad out of breath and wide-eyed. I enjoyed how much the characters instilled emotion in me. The sympathy for Sarah, how much misery can one individual endure? The impatience with Luke, give her time man! The affection for Grandma Ruth. But my feelings formed and then reformed for Owen.

    If I was one of these obsessive types who orders my library in genre order. I would not know where to put this one. Crime novel? Ghost Story? Historic Account? Adventure Story? It doesn't matter. It all works beautifully together. The elements as diverse as they seem sometimes just fit, which of course is down to old fashioned, damn good story telling.
    The author has done a fabulous job, she doesn't leave any loose ends or questions unanswered. Which is no easy task given the intricacies of the tale. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and will be recommending it to anyone that will listen.
  • Susanne Weigand
    5.0 out of 5 stars I will travel to Anglesey as soon as possible
    Reviewed in Germany on March 21, 2014
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This book has been sitting on my to-be-read-list for a long time. I do love books where historical events like the shipwreck of the Royal Charter are interwoven with a modern mystery. And I do hate books where mysteries have some supernatural elements. Am I a person who loves her prejudices? You bet! So, after a long time I eventually read the book and got capitvated in a story of history, suspense, tragic, a complicated history of a family, friendship and a couragous heroine. I did love all the beautifully interwoven references to Anglesey, its history, archeology and landscape. A place I would love to visit. The author also manages to portray the father of the main protagonist very vividly, though he is dead when the book starts. There is a lot of suspense, some very bad guys, some very supportive characters and a real treasure hunt! Enjoy - like I did! ... About the supernatural? Oh, who wouldn't love such a sweet, sad ghost of a small girl. Whenever she has had enough of Wales she will be more than welcome to haunt me in southern Germany.
  • E. J. Williams
    3.0 out of 5 stars Ultimately disappointing.. :-(
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 5, 2014
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This story started off really really well, a good steady intriguing
    Pace, full of suspense, a definite page turner!
    Towards the end there seemed to be a mad rush to draw the plot to a conclusion, then wham!!!!!! An anticlimax of an ending
    To end all endings...

    Having said that, it is written with a good local knowledge, anyone who loves Anglesey will immediately identify with
    The settings..
    This author would be great at writing fact and not so fiction
  • RoyMcC
    4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent murder mystery with a touch of fantasy
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 29, 2014
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    The death and funeral of Sarah Morton’s reclusive father brings her back to her North Wales birthplace. There are indications that his life had been under threat and, when Sarah’s husband meets a suspicious death shortly afterwards we are plunged into a possible multi-murder mystery.

    Rather than return to London, Sarah stays on in her father’s big, lonely property on a rugged headland. She learns of his connection with the nearby sinking of the Royal Charter in 1859, the many souls that were lost along with much of its cargo of gold.

    One of those young lost souls wanders the cliffpaths forever seeking her parents.

    The author builds a compelling story of intrigue and greed by those who will stop at nothing in searching for the lost gold. The location of Anglesey is portrayed with affection but always the winter storms and unpredictable seas lurk not far away.
    The story builds to a gripping climax with Sarah surviving with the apparent help of the lost spirit and thereafter a neat and pleasing ending.

    I really enjoyed this read. The author writes with passion and invention. I loved the touch of fantasy, just flitting on the edge of real life as good fantasy should. The location descriptions are excellent and make the reader want to go there immediately. I shall be searching out this author’s other works.
  • leekmuncher
    5.0 out of 5 stars Deep Water
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 17, 2012
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I found this book particularly exciting for two reasons. Firstly, Gillian Hamer is not afraid to cross genres. I LOVE books that start out as one thing then upset the readers' expectations by including a whole new element. So long as it fits the story, which it most certainly does in this book.
    Secondly, I come from Wales (hence the name), so to find a thrilling crime story set on the North Wales coast was a delight. Best of all, the scenery and locale is so influential on the plot, they almost become characters in their own right.
    The Charter blends crime with some history and an element of the paranormal. If you like Susan Hill, you will devour this. It's intelligently written, with more than one intriguing character arc. In fact, one of the biggest transformations in the book is the reader's own attitude to a character who is dead.
    Hamer explores how the weight of the past can drown us and how greed and selfishness can ruin generations of lives. It's highly charged, completely unpredictable and the ending will have you thinking for days. A wonderful, brave new voice on the crime scene.

Report an issue


Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?