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A review by gemmiejewel
Gallows Thief by Bernard Cornwell
4.0
Plot
Rider Sandman, having fought Napoleon in the French wars, expected to lead the life of an English country gentleman, but now, two years after Waterloo, his family is impoverished, his name is disgraced and he has been forced to relinquish the woman he loves from her obligation to marry him. Desperate to earn money he accepts the job of being the government's Investigator; an official who discovers whether petitions for mercy sent by condemned criminals should be granted. His first case concerns a portrait painter who is due to hang for murder in a week's time and the government makes it clear that they want the verdict confirmed.
But Rider Sandman, whose qualifications for the post are nonexistent, discovers that the painter is almost certainly innocent and, as he peels back the layers of a corrupt penal system, he finds himself pitted against some of the wealthiest and most ruthless men in Regency England who want to keep the truth hidden
Review
Yes! This was just the book I needed to start the year off with a bang. Historical fiction is something I am trying to read more of in this next year and boy this was a good start.
The research of the setting is spot on and every sentence carries a description so rich that you can feel yourself there; in a tavern, the prison yard, outside the gallows etc.
The characters are all flawed and by no means perfect, which I love in a plot. My favourite is has to be said was Sally, Rider’s actress friend who does not deal with how women should act lightly. She’s tough, gritty, mouthy and I basically want to be her when I grow up.
The tension is kept up right to the end where it’s only then that you find out what actually happened.
The only reason this is not a five star is the fact that me being me kind of wanted a bit more interaction with some of the suspects. But that’s just me.
All in all I loved it.
Rating
4 stars
Recommend
Absolutely. Think of it as the regency’s version of Sherlock Holmes!
Rider Sandman, having fought Napoleon in the French wars, expected to lead the life of an English country gentleman, but now, two years after Waterloo, his family is impoverished, his name is disgraced and he has been forced to relinquish the woman he loves from her obligation to marry him. Desperate to earn money he accepts the job of being the government's Investigator; an official who discovers whether petitions for mercy sent by condemned criminals should be granted. His first case concerns a portrait painter who is due to hang for murder in a week's time and the government makes it clear that they want the verdict confirmed.
But Rider Sandman, whose qualifications for the post are nonexistent, discovers that the painter is almost certainly innocent and, as he peels back the layers of a corrupt penal system, he finds himself pitted against some of the wealthiest and most ruthless men in Regency England who want to keep the truth hidden
Review
Yes! This was just the book I needed to start the year off with a bang. Historical fiction is something I am trying to read more of in this next year and boy this was a good start.
The research of the setting is spot on and every sentence carries a description so rich that you can feel yourself there; in a tavern, the prison yard, outside the gallows etc.
The characters are all flawed and by no means perfect, which I love in a plot. My favourite is has to be said was Sally, Rider’s actress friend who does not deal with how women should act lightly. She’s tough, gritty, mouthy and I basically want to be her when I grow up.
The tension is kept up right to the end where it’s only then that you find out what actually happened.
The only reason this is not a five star is the fact that me being me kind of wanted a bit more interaction with some of the suspects. But that’s just me.
All in all I loved it.
Rating
4 stars
Recommend
Absolutely. Think of it as the regency’s version of Sherlock Holmes!