Many of the locations in the novel are real and were indeed used by smugglers. The Smack Aground pub and the church at Warden Point on the Isle of Sheppey, did exist but are now long gone, demolished due to severe coastal subsidence. But Warden Manor, home of Sir John Sawbridge and his pigeon loft, is still there.
The Admiral's residency at Deal was located on Queen Street; its strong room was the repository for both navy and army pay chests, with bullion regularly being landed in the town. In 1813, for example, HMS Bedford deposited 25 tons of gold and silver in bars, dust and coin. The building was demolished in 1936 to make way for a cinema. A night club now occupies the site.
The oyster platforms at Seasalter and Whitstable were frequently used to offload French prisoners of war so that they could be transferred ashore. I took the inspiration for Jess Flynn's smallholding from Pye Alley Farm near Seasalter, which was one of many houses that provided escapers with food and shelter. That farm still stands.
Should anyone wish to delve more deeply into the world of the smugglers, I would recommend the splendid website run by author Richard Piatt. The site's address is www.smuggling.co.uk.
Rochester Museum is an excellent source for anyone wishing to know more about prisoners of war and their life on the Medway hulks. The museum has under its roof a mock-up of a prison hulk, complete with a "black hole", and is well worth visiting. I'm indebted to the museum's curator, Steve Nye, who very generously took time off from his busy schedule to answer my questions and give me the guided tour.
I'm also grateful to Gavin Daly from the University of Tasmania, whose article "Napoleon and the City of Smugglers 1810-1814" set me on the right track.
Little has been written on the lives of prisoners in the hulks. Two books of note, however, are Louis Garneray's The Floating Prison, translated from the French by Richard Rose, and The English Prison Hulks by W. Branch Johnson.