Batavia: The Counterfeit Coin Conspiracy

By Tim Berman PhD

Batavia is an historical novel based on the ill-fated maiden voyage of the Dutch East Indiaman Batavia in 1628/29.
The pages seethe with the very best and worst of human characteristics: love and devotion, lust and carnal horror, honour and courage, murder and savage revenge - all are depicted in graphic dimensions.

Some characters are taken from existing records of the events, some are based on persons known to have lived and thought to have been connected with the Dutch East India Company at the time. Others are entirely fictitious.
Evidence which emerged in 1982 regarding the nature of part of the cash treasure carried by the ship led to some speculative writing. There is nothing to prove conclusively that the events which are depicted actually occurred.
The reader must, however, interpret privately the implications as presented.

Nevertheless, the very presence of counterfeit coinage salvaged from the wreck of the Batavia points to a case of treachery in the highest realms of international trade of the day.

You be the judge.

• Language: English
• Publisher: MoshPit Publishing
• Release date: Nov 16, 2014
• ISBN: 9781925219487

Tim Berman PhD

Tim Berman was always a day-dreamer at school; good at writing 'composition' but never on time for things that were important to teachers like marching into class. As an adult, he worked at a number of jobs until he 'lucked' into copy writing for a marketing company. He revelled in composing advertising phrases and slogans designed to attract attention and engender thought-provocation. He was quite successful at this and eventually shared third partnership in an advertising agency in Sydney. Berman's spare moments were shared between flying, shooting, underwater exploration and writing. Then he got married. This, however, did not diminish his curiosity and creativity. When the opportunity arose to explore the prospect of the truth about some fake coinage found aboard an old Dutch shipwreck in Australian waters, he went into research mode and discovered a factor in the story never before told. The result is this book which depends somewhat on some speculative writing bringing together all the elements of truth behind a tale often told. Berman is busy finishing three new stories at his home on the South Coast which he shares with his lovely wife and charming dogs. Tim Berman is the author's 'nom-de-plume'. December 2014.