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Summary
Summary
"Impeccably researched and astonishingly atmospheric," this historic thriller set Georgian London "is a truly spellbinding tale" ( The Guardian ). London, 1727. A historical crime novel of "scenic intrigue" ( Vogue ) starring Thomas Hawkins, a rakish scoundrel with a heart of gold. Tom Hawkins refuses to follow in his father's footsteps and become a country parson. His preference is for wine, women, and cards. But there's honor there too, and Tom won't pull family strings to get himself out of debt--not even when faced with London's notorious debtors' prison. The Marshalsea Gaol is a world of its own, with simple rules: Those with family or friends who can lend them a little money may survive in relative comfort. Those with none will starve in squalor and disease. And those who try to escape will suffer a gruesome fate at the hands of its ruthless governor and his cronies. The trouble is that Tom has never been good at following rules, even simple ones. And the recent grisly murder of a debtor, Captain Roberts, has brought further terror to the gaol. While the captain's beautiful widow cries for justice, the finger of suspicion points only one way: to the sly, enigmatic figure of Samuel Fleet. Some call Fleet a devil, a man to avoid at all costs. But Tom Hawkins is sharing his cell. Soon Tom's choice is clear: get to the truth of the murder--or be the next to die."A riveting, fast-paced story . . . Magnificent." --Jeffery Deaver, New York Times bestselling author of The Watchmaker's Hand "[Hodson] conjures up scenes of Dickensian squalor and marries them to a crackerjack plot, in her impressive first novel." -- Publishers Weekly , starred Review "The irrepressibly roguish Tom makes a winning hero." -- Booklist
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
In Hodgson's debut novel, set in 1727 London, 25-year-old gentleman-rake Tom Hawkins is robbed of his last farthing and, shortly thereafter, tossed unceremoniously into the city's nightmarish debtor's prison, The Marshalsea Gaol. Once the gates slam shut, the author's fluid style and fertile imagination (assisted by considerable existing diaries and other firsthand accounts) are in full force as she takes her antihero through a series of dire straits and hairbreadth escapes. Lee's upper-class London accent fits Hawkins's narration well, catching his air of roguish charm-the aural equivalent of a jaunty swagger. His interpretation of Sam Fleet, Hawkins's off-putting cellmate, includes a moist, smarmy manner of speech, ripe with sinister innuendo. For the wellborn widow of Fleet's former roommate, Captain Roberts, who visits the prison calling for an investigation into his death, Lee uses a fluty, properly posh delivery. And he's equally successful in finding voices for the other inhabitants of Marshalsea, from the snarling, angry gatekeeper Cross to the aggressively cheery owner of the gaol's coffeehouse, jolly Sarah Bradshaw. An HMH/Mariner hardcover. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
In 1727, a murder occurs in the Marshalsea debtors prison in London, and a recently incarcerated prisoner is promised his freedom if he finds the killer.This isn't Dickens' Marshalsea from Little Dorrit but an earlier structure, even more loathsome and inhabited by a cast of repellent characters, a number of whom could qualify as the "devil" of the title. Tom Hawkins meets every one of them as he tries to figure out who killed Capt. Roberts a few months earlier. As the book opens, Hawkins is on top of the world, for he's won enough at gambling to pay off some of his creditors; but that same evening, he's set upon, robbed and taken to the Marshalsea. There, he meets a cross section of the English classes and finds a strictly capitalist systemhe can have pretty much anything he wants as long as he's able to pay. Of course, the irony is he's imprisoned for debt and doesn't have a lot of spending money. He's immediately taken under the wing of Samuel Fleet, a suspected murderer and translator of French erotica; and he's soon antagonized the aptly named Joseph Cross and the egregious William Acton, two of the jailers. Acton is a vicious sadist who delights in beating a boy who tried to escape, much to the reader's revulsion. The plot develops almost as many intricate turns as there are passages in the Marshalsea as Hawkins crosses the paths of men and women, high and low, who might know something about the death of Capt. Robertsand about Roberts' ghost, which now seems to be haunting the prison.Hodgson's plotting is clever, perhaps even overly intricate, and the local color hair-raising. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
As promised in the historical note that opens Hodgson's satisfyingly twisty debut thriller, readers will encounter an eye-opening look at Georgian London's debtors' prisons and some authentically colorful swearing within its pages. Tom Hawkins experiences both of these when he's thrown into the Marshalsea Gaol after too many gambling losses and a near-fatal mugging. To his surprise, the Marshalsea seems like a miniature town, complete with a tap room, coffeehouse, and barber. Indeed it reminded me of my old college, save for the iron spikes, he observes. But after meeting many disreputable characters and hearing screams coming from the gaol's Common Side, where those too broke to afford their upkeep are left to rot, he almost regrets not obeying his estranged father and becoming a clergyman. Complicating matters further are Samuel Fleet, Tom's fear-inducing roommate, and conspiracies surrounding a former prisoner whose ghost reportedly roams and whose murder Tom must solve, or else. The squalid atmosphere is so well detailed that one can almost smell the corruption, and the irrepressibly roguish Tom makes a winning hero.--Johnson, Sarah Copyright 2014 Booklist
Library Journal Review
Starred Review. In this murder mystery, set in 18th-century England, young Tom Hawkins ignores his father's wishes that Tom become a country parson. Life as a London gambler and womanizer proves more inviting. However, this choice comes at a high price, and Hawkins is jailed in the notorious Marshalsea Gaol debtors' prison. Prior to his arrival, another prisoner was murdered, and his ghost apparently haunts the prison. Hawkins's only chance for release is to discover the identity of the murderer. The investigation's series of terrible twists, turns, and betrayals takes a serious mental and physical toll on Hawkins. The strength of Hodgson's debut novel lies in its wide range of fascinating characters, which gives the book the feel of a Dickens novel. In addition, as the work draws on actual people, places, and events from accounts found in the British National Archives, it provides the grim feel, sounds, and smells of 18th-century London. Reader John Lee does an excellent job telling the story and bringing its many characters to life. VERDICT Fans of historical fiction and murder mysteries will enjoy this excellent audiobook. ["Both history and mystery fans will enjoy the roller-coaster twists and turns of this atmospheric historical thriller," read the review of the Mariner: Houghton Harcourt hc, LJ 4/15/14.]-Stephen L. Hupp, West Virginia Univ. Parkersburg Lib. (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.