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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
I'd read another of his books. I enjoyed the plot and the historical details.
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Very so so. I liked the scene setting and getting to know the time period but just couldn’t get excited about the characters and the plot was predictable.
I don't read a lot of historical fiction, but, when I do, it's almost always Bernard Cornwell's. I like the level of texture he gives his places and times, and how real he makes them feel. For all I know, his descriptions may not be entirely accurate, but they don't feel like a pale reflection of modern times, pining for better technology or updated attitudes.
Gallows Thief is a standalone novel, though it could easily have lent itself to sequels. It takes place after the Napoleonic wars, in London. Rider Sandman is a former soldier, a cricket player, and, thanks to his father's money trouble, broke. He's commissioned to erase all doubts about a man, scheduled for execution in a week, being the true murderer. Instead, he unearths the real killer.
Rider is a man's man: he prides himself on his status as a soldier, to the point where he berates a beggar claiming to have served at Waterloo. He gains information from one source by dangling details from the battle just out of the man's reach. He twists his ankle escaping a would-be assassin, and continues to walk on it. He's also a gentleman. He calls off his engagement to the woman he loves because he can't provide for her, and is gallant and protective of an actress he befriends. He refuses to step down from the investigation when it becomes clear the man accused is innocent, even when he's offered enough money to pay all of his father's debts. He impresses a guard at his enemy's employ so much, the man allies with him.
There are only two major female characters, but they both prove useful, in their own ways. Sally Hood is an actress who lives at the same inn as Rider, and she helps directly with the investigation. Eleanor is Rider's ex-fiancée, and her insight proves invaluable to the case.
The title refers not to those who would rob dead men after hanging, but to the act of "stealing" from the hangman, as if the executioner misses out by not killing an innocent person. It did happen in the time period covered in the novel. I imagine it would happen much the way it does in this book, too, with an investigation relying on tracking down witnesses who never gave evidence at the trial. Cornwell has just devised a creative reason why the key witness disappeared.
Overall, I enjoyed this murder mystery set in the early 1800s. It was a solid, plausible story, with no glaring anachronisms to distract the reader. Rider never employs primitive forensic techniques or wishes for a device to determine whose blood was spilled where; he works with what he has to the best of his ability as an untrained investigator.
I listened to this book on audio, and the narrator was a good choice for the book. He has a deep-voiced, arch delivery that suits the character well. There were times when he raises his voice because the characters are yelling, and I had to quickly turn the volume down, lest it blow out my eardrums. Otherwise, though, his narration was excellent.
Gallows Thief is a standalone novel, though it could easily have lent itself to sequels. It takes place after the Napoleonic wars, in London. Rider Sandman is a former soldier, a cricket player, and, thanks to his father's money trouble, broke. He's commissioned to erase all doubts about a man, scheduled for execution in a week, being the true murderer. Instead, he unearths the real killer.
Rider is a man's man: he prides himself on his status as a soldier, to the point where he berates a beggar claiming to have served at Waterloo. He gains information from one source by dangling details from the battle just out of the man's reach. He twists his ankle escaping a would-be assassin, and continues to walk on it. He's also a gentleman. He calls off his engagement to the woman he loves because he can't provide for her, and is gallant and protective of an actress he befriends. He refuses to step down from the investigation when it becomes clear the man accused is innocent, even when he's offered enough money to pay all of his father's debts. He impresses a guard at his enemy's employ so much, the man allies with him.
There are only two major female characters, but they both prove useful, in their own ways. Sally Hood is an actress who lives at the same inn as Rider, and she helps directly with the investigation. Eleanor is Rider's ex-fiancée, and her insight proves invaluable to the case.
The title refers not to those who would rob dead men after hanging, but to the act of "stealing" from the hangman, as if the executioner misses out by not killing an innocent person. It did happen in the time period covered in the novel. I imagine it would happen much the way it does in this book, too, with an investigation relying on tracking down witnesses who never gave evidence at the trial. Cornwell has just devised a creative reason why the key witness disappeared.
Overall, I enjoyed this murder mystery set in the early 1800s. It was a solid, plausible story, with no glaring anachronisms to distract the reader. Rider never employs primitive forensic techniques or wishes for a device to determine whose blood was spilled where; he works with what he has to the best of his ability as an untrained investigator.
I listened to this book on audio, and the narrator was a good choice for the book. He has a deep-voiced, arch delivery that suits the character well. There were times when he raises his voice because the characters are yelling, and I had to quickly turn the volume down, lest it blow out my eardrums. Otherwise, though, his narration was excellent.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
This is not normally a genre of book I would read, but a friend recommended it and it's been a good read.
The characters made me giggle and as far as a historical fiction piece, I really enjoyed it. Sadly, The ending was a little disappointing
The characters made me giggle and as far as a historical fiction piece, I really enjoyed it. Sadly, The ending was a little disappointing
I managed to get through a Cornwell novel? Colour me surprised.
I would love to go back in time if I knew I could get back again to the present. Cornwell’s books are the perfect time machine that take you back – in this book to 1817 England, and give you a wonderful taste of the foods, the clothes, the smells, the social climate of the time. The book is an exciting and easy to read historical mystery but along the way, Cornwell takes a good look at capital punishment. The issues that Rider Sandman, the main protagonist, discovers in the book - of the cruelty of execution methods, the injustice of the poor getting the death penalty and the rich getting their off legally and still with us today in 2009.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Good detective story set in pre-Victorian England. Different from Cornwell's normal fare as it is not focused on warfare of any kind. If he were to write a sequel I'd definitely give it a read.
Simple, easy to read and historically accurate. It's not groundbreaking literature, but I haven't read a book by Cornwell that I wasn't entertained by. The mystery became the least interesting part, though, as is mostly the case when a good writer is trying to shove a mystery into one of their stories. This is Cornwell's only mystery novel, and I think maybe he realized he didn't have the taste for it (thankfully). I'll continue to read his books, though.