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Thomas Hawkins #1
The Devil in the Marshalsea
London, 1727, and Tom Hawkins is about to fall from his heaven of card games, brothels and coffee-houses into the hell of a debtors' prison.
The Marshalsea is a savage 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 the gaol's rutheless governor and his cronies.
The trouble is, Tom Hawkins 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 twisting mystery, a dazzling evocation of early 18th Century London, The Devil in the Marshalsea is a thrilling debut novel full of intrigue and suspense.
The Marshalsea is a savage 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 the gaol's rutheless governor and his cronies.
The trouble is, Tom Hawkins 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 twisting mystery, a dazzling evocation of early 18th Century London, The Devil in the Marshalsea is a thrilling debut novel full of intrigue and suspense.
384 pages, Paperback
First published March 27, 2014
322 people are currently reading
4,413 people want to read
About the author
Antonia Hodgson
9Ìýbooks504ÌýfollowersAntonia Hodgson was born and grew up in Derby. She studied English at the University of Leeds. Her first novel, The Devil in the Marshalsea, won the CWA Historical Dagger 2014 and was shortlisted for several other awards. Its sequel, The Last Confession of Thomas Hawkins, was released to widespread acclaim in 2015. Her third novel, A Death at Fountains Abbey, comes out in August 2016.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 601 reviews
October 26, 2018
Tricky, tricky treat! Hodgson serves up a rare delight in this story of a young man's desperate endeavors in the debtor's prison of Marshalsea in London in the early 1700s.The author based her account on a memoir written in the time period by a debtor who lived there and includes the actual scoundrels who ruled "the Castle" in those treacherous years.Her main character is a thoughtless ne'er-do-well, named Hawkins, who expelled from his middle class life by his father, is on his own in London, living by gambling and drinking and sleeping around for fun. He gets behind in his rent and is slapped with a warrant to pay it or he's off to prison. He borrows a few pounds from his old friend, a fellow student he studied divinity with and hopes to double it overnight, so he can avoid gaol. He does it! On the way home, he is robbed at knifepoint, so he is back to zero again and shortly is taken to the infamous Hell hole. How he manages or mismanages is the tale told here and it is a whopper!
October 15, 2016
This one started a bit slowly for me but about half way it gathered momentum and then raced through to an intriguing conclusion.
Set in the London debtor's prison of Marshalsea in 1727, the story follows the woes of a young man who has his entire worldly wealth stolen and ends up being arrested at the request of his creditors. The whole book takes place over only a few days but to our main character, Tom, it seems like a life time.
The Marshalsea Prison did actually exist and the book has been thoroughly researched. Some of the events that occur are truly horrific and the fact that they are based on real events makes them a very sad indictment on human nature.
I enjoyed all of the characters, especially Fleet, and of course we are aware all the way through that the redoubtable Tom will survive because this is only the first book in a series about him! I look forward to seeing what mischief he gets up to next.
Set in the London debtor's prison of Marshalsea in 1727, the story follows the woes of a young man who has his entire worldly wealth stolen and ends up being arrested at the request of his creditors. The whole book takes place over only a few days but to our main character, Tom, it seems like a life time.
The Marshalsea Prison did actually exist and the book has been thoroughly researched. Some of the events that occur are truly horrific and the fact that they are based on real events makes them a very sad indictment on human nature.
I enjoyed all of the characters, especially Fleet, and of course we are aware all the way through that the redoubtable Tom will survive because this is only the first book in a series about him! I look forward to seeing what mischief he gets up to next.
May 19, 2018
Set in a debtor's gaol in London 1727, The Devil in the Marshalsea provides for an insightful look at the harsh conditions the inhabitants had to ensure as a result of not being able to pay pitiful fines.
There's an island-like mentality to the Marshalsea, as the gaol grounds separates itself from the world around it; It comprises a unique small community complete with a barber, saloon, tea house and other traders. What's interesting is that some of the souls who inhabit the Marshalsea are there by choice, choosing to live among the disease, danger and squalor rather than try to return to the life that had prior to incarceration.
Meticulously researched with the characters based off real life people, this book does a great job at transporting the reader to a place most would struggle to comprehend as once being an actual place.
My rating: 5/5 stars; as informative a period piece as it is entertaining with interesting characters and a murder mystery which kept me guessing until the very end. I highly recommend readers giving this one a chance, one of the finds of my tbr pile.
There's an island-like mentality to the Marshalsea, as the gaol grounds separates itself from the world around it; It comprises a unique small community complete with a barber, saloon, tea house and other traders. What's interesting is that some of the souls who inhabit the Marshalsea are there by choice, choosing to live among the disease, danger and squalor rather than try to return to the life that had prior to incarceration.
Meticulously researched with the characters based off real life people, this book does a great job at transporting the reader to a place most would struggle to comprehend as once being an actual place.
My rating: 5/5 stars; as informative a period piece as it is entertaining with interesting characters and a murder mystery which kept me guessing until the very end. I highly recommend readers giving this one a chance, one of the finds of my tbr pile.
June 11, 2014
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No you aren't imagining it. That is a five star rating up there. I understand it's a bit of a shock, but books like The Devil in the Marshalsea don't come along every day and even I give credit where due.
Hard as it might be to believe, this one sucked me from the start. Author Antonia Hodgson hits the ground running, setting a blistering pace that kept me engaged to the final page, but momentum was far from the deciding factor in my opinion of her work. She also took full advantage of London's disreputable history, creating a chilling and deliciously authentic picture of lower class life in eighteenth-century England.
The story itself is part social commentary and part good old fashioned fiction, but the deft complexity of the novel's construction make it impossible to determine where one ends and the other begins. It's layered, but in such a way that one is hardly aware of its elaborate intricacies.
The heavy themes and details were balanced by an array of well-defined and distinctly original characters. These individuals were both captivating and memorable despite their questionable virtues and served as a nice counterpoint to the grit of Tom's surroundings and the heightened tension of his situation.
I could gush all day, but there's really no substitute for firsthand experience. A clever tale of debauchery, villainy and corruption, The Devil in the Marshalsea isn't to be missed.
No you aren't imagining it. That is a five star rating up there. I understand it's a bit of a shock, but books like The Devil in the Marshalsea don't come along every day and even I give credit where due.
Hard as it might be to believe, this one sucked me from the start. Author Antonia Hodgson hits the ground running, setting a blistering pace that kept me engaged to the final page, but momentum was far from the deciding factor in my opinion of her work. She also took full advantage of London's disreputable history, creating a chilling and deliciously authentic picture of lower class life in eighteenth-century England.
The story itself is part social commentary and part good old fashioned fiction, but the deft complexity of the novel's construction make it impossible to determine where one ends and the other begins. It's layered, but in such a way that one is hardly aware of its elaborate intricacies.
The heavy themes and details were balanced by an array of well-defined and distinctly original characters. These individuals were both captivating and memorable despite their questionable virtues and served as a nice counterpoint to the grit of Tom's surroundings and the heightened tension of his situation.
I could gush all day, but there's really no substitute for firsthand experience. A clever tale of debauchery, villainy and corruption, The Devil in the Marshalsea isn't to be missed.
November 4, 2014
Disappointing. I think that one word summarizes my experience reading The Devil in the Marshalsea.
While the prose were smooth, the writing competent, and the over-all premise intriguing, the story and the characters were severely lacking.
Forget the fact that I couldn't imagine the protagonist as a man...or a woman for that matter. He felt like a man written by a woman trying to sound like a man. The "character" flaws of this novel went much deeper. Not one character seemed to move beyond the second dimension and some never made it beyond the first. Cookie cutter characters all the way and not particularly engaging or well-developed ones.
Honestly, I don't need my characters (heros or villains) to be nice in order to care about them, I simply need them to have substance...to act in complex and interesting ways...kind of like real people. I did not find one character particularly engaging. The only thing pulling me forward was the mystery which was decent enough to keep me interested.
Everything felt too forced...too overwritten...too choreographed. I've read fantastical and magical characters in other-wordly plots that felt more probable than those offered in this piece of historical fiction.
It wasn't horrible and if you like mysteries, this might be worth your time on a rainy afternoon. It's gotten a fairly high average rating...so who knows, maybe this just wasn't a book for me.
I will add that I read this while reading several other books. I often do that, as I like to read fiction and non-fiction concurrently to change it up with my mood. Maybe the fact that I was enjoying my other readings so much more made me overly critical of this one. So if that is the case...2.5 stars...tops.
This actually reminded me a little of The Gods of Gotham by Lynday Faye, except where the "Gods" succeeded the "Devil" failed.
While the prose were smooth, the writing competent, and the over-all premise intriguing, the story and the characters were severely lacking.
Forget the fact that I couldn't imagine the protagonist as a man...or a woman for that matter. He felt like a man written by a woman trying to sound like a man. The "character" flaws of this novel went much deeper. Not one character seemed to move beyond the second dimension and some never made it beyond the first. Cookie cutter characters all the way and not particularly engaging or well-developed ones.
Honestly, I don't need my characters (heros or villains) to be nice in order to care about them, I simply need them to have substance...to act in complex and interesting ways...kind of like real people. I did not find one character particularly engaging. The only thing pulling me forward was the mystery which was decent enough to keep me interested.
Everything felt too forced...too overwritten...too choreographed. I've read fantastical and magical characters in other-wordly plots that felt more probable than those offered in this piece of historical fiction.
It wasn't horrible and if you like mysteries, this might be worth your time on a rainy afternoon. It's gotten a fairly high average rating...so who knows, maybe this just wasn't a book for me.
I will add that I read this while reading several other books. I often do that, as I like to read fiction and non-fiction concurrently to change it up with my mood. Maybe the fact that I was enjoying my other readings so much more made me overly critical of this one. So if that is the case...2.5 stars...tops.
This actually reminded me a little of The Gods of Gotham by Lynday Faye, except where the "Gods" succeeded the "Devil" failed.
September 7, 2022
Another in my trawl of historical novels, for which I seem to have a penchant at the moment. Again the first in a series. This one is set in 1727, the year of George II’s coronation and focuses on the Marshalsea prison. The Marshalsea figures in some of Dickens’s novels as the debtors prison, especially in Little Dorrit. That was the second Marshalsea, built around 1811. This is the original built in the fourteenth century. It was primarily a prison for debtors, but included other categories as well (including members of the gay community caught in flagrante, though not in this novel).
Hodgson serves up basically a whodunit. Her somewhat befuddled hero, Thomas Hawkins is thrown into the Marshalsea for a debt he cannot pay, when he loses the money following a mugging. The community within the Marshalsea is quite eclectic and Hawkins finds himself at the centre of a murder mystery. There are plenty of suspects and he doesn’t know who he can trust. The regime is brutal with lots of goal fever and plenty of deaths, particularly on the common side (those who reside there are the poor and this who cannot afford any other accommodation). Some research has gone into this. There are a few historical figures: Acton, the Master of the Marshalsea and former butcher certainly existed as did a few of the other upper class characters. Hodgson also read some of the available records form the Marshalsea.
It’s certainly not Hilary Mantel, but if you like this sort of historical fiction it may be for you. It reads easily enough and as with classic crime there are plenty of twists and turns.
Hodgson serves up basically a whodunit. Her somewhat befuddled hero, Thomas Hawkins is thrown into the Marshalsea for a debt he cannot pay, when he loses the money following a mugging. The community within the Marshalsea is quite eclectic and Hawkins finds himself at the centre of a murder mystery. There are plenty of suspects and he doesn’t know who he can trust. The regime is brutal with lots of goal fever and plenty of deaths, particularly on the common side (those who reside there are the poor and this who cannot afford any other accommodation). Some research has gone into this. There are a few historical figures: Acton, the Master of the Marshalsea and former butcher certainly existed as did a few of the other upper class characters. Hodgson also read some of the available records form the Marshalsea.
It’s certainly not Hilary Mantel, but if you like this sort of historical fiction it may be for you. It reads easily enough and as with classic crime there are plenty of twists and turns.
August 6, 2014
This is a murder mystery with a difference, being set almost entirely within the confines of an eighteenth century debtors' prison. Our narrator, Tom Hawkins, is a young man who has rebelled against his clergyman father's plans for his future and is enjoying himself in London, spending all his money on drinking and gambling. After a big win at the card tables one night, Tom is attacked on his way home and his winnings are stolen, leaving him unable to pay his debts. Taken to the notorious Marshalsea Prison, he is horrified to discover that the last occupant of his cell, Captain Roberts, was murdered. The killer has never been caught, but Tom's new roommate, the charismatic and mysterious Samuel Fleet, is the man most people believe to be the murderer.
The Marshalea is privately run for profit, so it's not surprising that the prison governors want the killer identified as quickly as possible to avoid any further scandal. Told that his only chance of being released depends on whether or not he can solve the mystery of Roberts' death, Tom agrees to investigate. Unsure who can be trusted and beginning to wonder whether such things as truth and justice even exist in a place as corrupt as the Marshalsea, Tom eventually uncovers a web of betrayal and deception on a scale he could never have imagined.
Other authors have written about the Marshalsea, most famously Charles Dickens in Little Dorrit, but Dickens' Marshalsea was a newer building on a site further down the road; set in 1727, Antonia Hodgson's novel refers to the original prison. Not knowing anything at all about the Marshalsea, this was quite an eye-opening book for me. I was aware that prisoners were often able to offer bribes in return for better living conditions and privileges, but I hadn't realised there was such a great disparity between the fate of those who could afford to pay and those who couldn't.
The prison was divided into two sections. The prisoners who had some money to spend or who had influential friends, lived on the Master's Side, which was almost like a complete town in itself, with coffee houses, bars, restaurants and even a barber. They had the freedom to move around and in some cases were even given permission to go out into London during the day. For the poor people on the Common Side, things were much worse. Crammed into tiny cells and suffering from starvation, disease and overcrowding, they died at a rate of up to twelve a day. Tom Hawkins, whose best friend happens to work for Sir Philip Meadows, Knight Marshal of the Marshalsea, is lucky enough to find himself on the Master's Side but with the knowledge that if his luck should run out, he could find himself thrown into the Common Side to meet his death with the others.
This is not a book for the faint-hearted as there are some horrible descriptions of sickness, torture and brutality, not to mention the dirty, squalid conditions the unfortunate inmates of the Common Side were forced to endure. Knowing that this was an experience many people really did have to go through makes it even more horrific. Despite this, I found The Devil in the Marshalsea very entertaining and fun to read. The book is filled with larger than life characters and I was surprised to find, when I read the notes at the end of the book, that many of these people really existed and were mentioned in the diary of John Grano, a debtor who spent a year in the prison from 1728-1729.
As a mystery novel, The Devil in the Marshalsea kept me guessing right until the end. I did not work out who the murderer was and even after the truth was revealed there were still more plot twists and revelations to come. As a work of historical fiction it's equally impressive; I loved the portrayal of eighteenth century London both inside and outside the Marshalsea. I was so pleased to find that there's going to be a sequel to this book and I'm already looking forward to meeting Tom Hawkins again!
The Marshalea is privately run for profit, so it's not surprising that the prison governors want the killer identified as quickly as possible to avoid any further scandal. Told that his only chance of being released depends on whether or not he can solve the mystery of Roberts' death, Tom agrees to investigate. Unsure who can be trusted and beginning to wonder whether such things as truth and justice even exist in a place as corrupt as the Marshalsea, Tom eventually uncovers a web of betrayal and deception on a scale he could never have imagined.
Other authors have written about the Marshalsea, most famously Charles Dickens in Little Dorrit, but Dickens' Marshalsea was a newer building on a site further down the road; set in 1727, Antonia Hodgson's novel refers to the original prison. Not knowing anything at all about the Marshalsea, this was quite an eye-opening book for me. I was aware that prisoners were often able to offer bribes in return for better living conditions and privileges, but I hadn't realised there was such a great disparity between the fate of those who could afford to pay and those who couldn't.
The prison was divided into two sections. The prisoners who had some money to spend or who had influential friends, lived on the Master's Side, which was almost like a complete town in itself, with coffee houses, bars, restaurants and even a barber. They had the freedom to move around and in some cases were even given permission to go out into London during the day. For the poor people on the Common Side, things were much worse. Crammed into tiny cells and suffering from starvation, disease and overcrowding, they died at a rate of up to twelve a day. Tom Hawkins, whose best friend happens to work for Sir Philip Meadows, Knight Marshal of the Marshalsea, is lucky enough to find himself on the Master's Side but with the knowledge that if his luck should run out, he could find himself thrown into the Common Side to meet his death with the others.
This is not a book for the faint-hearted as there are some horrible descriptions of sickness, torture and brutality, not to mention the dirty, squalid conditions the unfortunate inmates of the Common Side were forced to endure. Knowing that this was an experience many people really did have to go through makes it even more horrific. Despite this, I found The Devil in the Marshalsea very entertaining and fun to read. The book is filled with larger than life characters and I was surprised to find, when I read the notes at the end of the book, that many of these people really existed and were mentioned in the diary of John Grano, a debtor who spent a year in the prison from 1728-1729.
As a mystery novel, The Devil in the Marshalsea kept me guessing right until the end. I did not work out who the murderer was and even after the truth was revealed there were still more plot twists and revelations to come. As a work of historical fiction it's equally impressive; I loved the portrayal of eighteenth century London both inside and outside the Marshalsea. I was so pleased to find that there's going to be a sequel to this book and I'm already looking forward to meeting Tom Hawkins again!
February 7, 2015
This fantastic novel was recommended by a GR friend who is also an author of some repute. 5 stars awarded by this lady has to be thoroughly well deserved and having now listened to the audio version I was not disappointed. In fact it's hard to believe that this is a debut novel, so expertly and beautifully written as it is.
Tom Hawkins is a young man who has slipped off the straight and narrow, originally intended for the church, he has instead fallen into vices not exactly conducive to that calling. Disowned by his Father, he is living a hand to mouth existence in the worst areas of London in the early 18th century. A well educated and intelligent young man, reasonably skilled at playing cards, and making a small living from it, he nevertheless seems to court trouble. It is this propensity which lands him in London's notorious Marshalsea debtors prison, fighting for his very life.
From the day Tom arrives in the savage, poverty stricken, stinking cesspit that is Marshalsea, he is at the mercy of its ruthless and evil Governor, William Acton, a man driven by money and power, no matter how it is gained. Antonia Hodgson has introduced a rich cast of characters which I was pleased to learn were in the main, based on actual people of the time at, or attending Marshalsea on a daily basis. Because I listened to the audio version, expertly narrated by Joseph Kloska, these characters were all the more real. His range and depth of the various characters voices, and there were many, young, old, male, female, plummy accented or especially in the case of Acton, downright rough and intimidating, was superb. I had no problem distinguishing between characters, as this was all achieved in clear, expressive and coherent speech with just the right amount of inflection and depth. In particular his characterisation of the well spoken, youthful, slightly breathless voiced Tom or my favourite, his portrayal of Samuel Fleet, sly, dark and dangerous, but enigmatic. He used a slightly bored, drawling voice with just the right amount of menace to make him immediately recognisable and strangely compelling, despite the fact that he struck fear into the majority of the inmates of the Marshalsea.
This is a wonderful, atmospheric, thoroughly researched and interesting novel of the times, with vile murder and mystery thrown in for good measure. The fact that the Marshalsea existed, that the horrendous goings on happened, are compelling and morbidly fascinating. It's really hard to believe that this intriguing snap shot of a few days inside a debtors prison was reality for some of our ancestors. Imagine being thrown into a hellhole like this because you owed a few pounds? Doesn't bear thinking about! Charles Dickens later talked about the Marshalsea in his novel Little Dorrit, his own Father having been an inmate. This novel is not for the faint hearted, but it's real and it happened and I highly recommend it. I couldn't award less than 5 stars.
Tom Hawkins is a young man who has slipped off the straight and narrow, originally intended for the church, he has instead fallen into vices not exactly conducive to that calling. Disowned by his Father, he is living a hand to mouth existence in the worst areas of London in the early 18th century. A well educated and intelligent young man, reasonably skilled at playing cards, and making a small living from it, he nevertheless seems to court trouble. It is this propensity which lands him in London's notorious Marshalsea debtors prison, fighting for his very life.
From the day Tom arrives in the savage, poverty stricken, stinking cesspit that is Marshalsea, he is at the mercy of its ruthless and evil Governor, William Acton, a man driven by money and power, no matter how it is gained. Antonia Hodgson has introduced a rich cast of characters which I was pleased to learn were in the main, based on actual people of the time at, or attending Marshalsea on a daily basis. Because I listened to the audio version, expertly narrated by Joseph Kloska, these characters were all the more real. His range and depth of the various characters voices, and there were many, young, old, male, female, plummy accented or especially in the case of Acton, downright rough and intimidating, was superb. I had no problem distinguishing between characters, as this was all achieved in clear, expressive and coherent speech with just the right amount of inflection and depth. In particular his characterisation of the well spoken, youthful, slightly breathless voiced Tom or my favourite, his portrayal of Samuel Fleet, sly, dark and dangerous, but enigmatic. He used a slightly bored, drawling voice with just the right amount of menace to make him immediately recognisable and strangely compelling, despite the fact that he struck fear into the majority of the inmates of the Marshalsea.
This is a wonderful, atmospheric, thoroughly researched and interesting novel of the times, with vile murder and mystery thrown in for good measure. The fact that the Marshalsea existed, that the horrendous goings on happened, are compelling and morbidly fascinating. It's really hard to believe that this intriguing snap shot of a few days inside a debtors prison was reality for some of our ancestors. Imagine being thrown into a hellhole like this because you owed a few pounds? Doesn't bear thinking about! Charles Dickens later talked about the Marshalsea in his novel Little Dorrit, his own Father having been an inmate. This novel is not for the faint hearted, but it's real and it happened and I highly recommend it. I couldn't award less than 5 stars.
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April 25, 2014Yay, I finally won a Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ giveaway!
March 9, 2014
This atmospheric , and enjoyable, debut novel is set in 1727 London. Tom Hawkins is a bit of a rake � having argued with his reverend father, he has ended up in London living by his wits and skills at gambling. When we meet him he is endeavouring to raise the money he needs to avoid a warrant out for his arrest, due to a debt of just over twenty pounds which he owes to his landlord. Having won half the money he needs on the turn of a card he is relieved and joyful and ignores the advice of his oldest friend, the Reverend Charles Buckley, to go directly home. Instead, he lingers with a pretty woman and has a drink or two, which results in his being robbed in the way back to his lodgins. Before long he is being marched through the streets to the infamous debtor’s prison, Marshalsea Gaol. His friend Charles lives with his patron, Sir Philip Meadows, who is the Knight Marshal of the Marshalsea; but there are no strings to be pulled which can extricate him from this predicament.
The author has clearly done a great deal of research and we are introduced to a wonderful cast of characters. The prison is clearly a place where, ironically for a debtor’s prison, money can buy you pretty much anything � a better room, a convivial atmosphere in the Tap Room and there is even a restaurant. Everything has a price and if you can’t pay it then you are forced from the Master’s Side to the Common Side. On the Common Side, those without even enough coins to feed themselves are crammed into cells full of disease, hunger and despair. They rely on charity, but that is in short supply in a place which is based upon corruption and is ruled under the violent and vicious eye of Head Keeper William Acton.
While Hawkins attempts to find his feet in this new world, he is taken under the dubious wing of the feared Samuel Fleet. His recent cell mate, Captain Roberts, was murdered and most of the prison believes Fleet to be the culprit. Meanwhile, Captain Roberts beautiful widow is haunting the prison, demanding justice. As unrest builds, Hawkins is offered a chance of redemption. If he can find out who murdered Captain Roberts, then he may escape the walls of the Marshalsea. That is, of course, if the murderer is an acceptable choice to Sir Philip Meadows � who is making an enormous profit from the prison, and the prisoners, and wants to keep it that way.
This is a well written and enjoyable historical mystery. I enjoyed the setting � extremely well written and realistic � and I liked the characters. Unlike many books, the ending really was a surprise. So often you read a really good novel and the ending is a little bit of a disappointment, but this one did manage to catch me unawares. A promising debut and I do hope that Tom Hawkins is given another adventure to solve. Lastly, I received a copy of this book from NetGalley, for review.
The author has clearly done a great deal of research and we are introduced to a wonderful cast of characters. The prison is clearly a place where, ironically for a debtor’s prison, money can buy you pretty much anything � a better room, a convivial atmosphere in the Tap Room and there is even a restaurant. Everything has a price and if you can’t pay it then you are forced from the Master’s Side to the Common Side. On the Common Side, those without even enough coins to feed themselves are crammed into cells full of disease, hunger and despair. They rely on charity, but that is in short supply in a place which is based upon corruption and is ruled under the violent and vicious eye of Head Keeper William Acton.
While Hawkins attempts to find his feet in this new world, he is taken under the dubious wing of the feared Samuel Fleet. His recent cell mate, Captain Roberts, was murdered and most of the prison believes Fleet to be the culprit. Meanwhile, Captain Roberts beautiful widow is haunting the prison, demanding justice. As unrest builds, Hawkins is offered a chance of redemption. If he can find out who murdered Captain Roberts, then he may escape the walls of the Marshalsea. That is, of course, if the murderer is an acceptable choice to Sir Philip Meadows � who is making an enormous profit from the prison, and the prisoners, and wants to keep it that way.
This is a well written and enjoyable historical mystery. I enjoyed the setting � extremely well written and realistic � and I liked the characters. Unlike many books, the ending really was a surprise. So often you read a really good novel and the ending is a little bit of a disappointment, but this one did manage to catch me unawares. A promising debut and I do hope that Tom Hawkins is given another adventure to solve. Lastly, I received a copy of this book from NetGalley, for review.
May 11, 2015
Yet another mediocre book that got rave reviews because the author is a senior editor at so-and-so publishing company. I kinda expect literary critics to not be whores of the publishing industry, or at least so damn susceptible to publishing industry advertising. But they are, and it's making me really angry. This book was meant to be historically accurate about a time period (18th Century England) that I studied in graduate school, but it had the atmosphere of a junior college cafetria instead. Disappointing, and a waste of my time. It gets 2 stars because it was well-plotted and the writing was competent, although I could see the solution to the multiple mysteries about a mile away.
January 28, 2018
This should have gripped - it should have made me shudder - it should have done something more than it did. This needed a lot more time and better pace - more detail, more dark, more grime, more depth - in fact it needed more pages to really do justice to the period and the place. Solid - I guess, well researched - don't doubt it - but it lacked that quality that can make the dark historical novel totally immersive - and that was a bit of a shame.
August 19, 2021
This was a reread and I much preferred it the second time round. I found it quite confusing originally. Also the audio was very good. Marshalsea Debtors Prison was really not a place anyone would have wanted to go!
August 8, 2016
A very decent book. I did enjoy it, although the climatic points fell a tad flat. A good read and love the historical context.
January 4, 2016
Winter feels like the perfect time to read fiction set in 18th Century London -- it was a world of dark and discomfort and this season with no light makes it a tiny bit easier to channel that lost world. It does help that as I read about muck, disease, death, rot, and brutal violence that I am sitting in my centrally heated house with enough to eat, though, thankfully, far less to drink (alcohol and coffee being the primary options on offer).
Antonia Hodgson's debut catches the flavor of the era and makes it abundantly clear that life in debtor's prison was to be avoided -- interesting, however, that so many of the people who ended up in the Marshalsea, if they found a way to survive and thrive decided to remain voluntarily within its walls. Tells you something about daily life at the dawn of the Enlightenment. There's a reason Hobbes called life "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." Hobbes was speaking of life in war, but then again, daily life was pretty much a war of survival for many people.
Atmospheric's aside, Hodgson's narrator, Thomas Hawkins, is an appealing figure, a classic likable rogue with a solid core of decency. He's a recognizable type and if, like me, it's a type you enjoy reading, he will capture your fancy and keep you amused. He is worldly and innocent, game for a risk, but also aware of when he's tottering at the precipice of ruin. Luckily for us, he tumbles over the edge and into the Marshalsea and into the midst of a murder investigation.
The prison abounds with suspects and the path to finding a solution is a clever one. I did have trouble keeping track of all of the minor male characters, turnkeys and porters and bailiffs abound. Aside from names these minor players appear and disappear to serve the plot, but don't take on enough substance to feel more than serviceable. Some of the major characters veer into the realm of cartoon villainy though based on real life figures. In the end it all works, but I'm not sure the book wouldn't have worked better with some pruning of named figures.
There's a bit of romance, though I wish the character of Kitty, Thomas's lady love, had a bit more of a chance to blossom on the page. She's barely sketched though what does emerge holds promise of an interesting female character with greater agency than most women of the era ever managed. That said, I also couldn't quite believe the depth of attraction Thomas held for her, and vice versa, given that the primary action of the novel unfolds over a span of four days. A spark of serious lust I would buy, but the kind of deep connection that plays into the denouement? No.
On the whole, this was a great first read for 2016. Now I'm off to tackle the next book about Thomas's adventures and hope it builds on the characters and lays a foundation for many more to come.
Antonia Hodgson's debut catches the flavor of the era and makes it abundantly clear that life in debtor's prison was to be avoided -- interesting, however, that so many of the people who ended up in the Marshalsea, if they found a way to survive and thrive decided to remain voluntarily within its walls. Tells you something about daily life at the dawn of the Enlightenment. There's a reason Hobbes called life "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." Hobbes was speaking of life in war, but then again, daily life was pretty much a war of survival for many people.
Atmospheric's aside, Hodgson's narrator, Thomas Hawkins, is an appealing figure, a classic likable rogue with a solid core of decency. He's a recognizable type and if, like me, it's a type you enjoy reading, he will capture your fancy and keep you amused. He is worldly and innocent, game for a risk, but also aware of when he's tottering at the precipice of ruin. Luckily for us, he tumbles over the edge and into the Marshalsea and into the midst of a murder investigation.
The prison abounds with suspects and the path to finding a solution is a clever one. I did have trouble keeping track of all of the minor male characters, turnkeys and porters and bailiffs abound. Aside from names these minor players appear and disappear to serve the plot, but don't take on enough substance to feel more than serviceable. Some of the major characters veer into the realm of cartoon villainy though based on real life figures. In the end it all works, but I'm not sure the book wouldn't have worked better with some pruning of named figures.
There's a bit of romance, though I wish the character of Kitty, Thomas's lady love, had a bit more of a chance to blossom on the page. She's barely sketched though what does emerge holds promise of an interesting female character with greater agency than most women of the era ever managed. That said, I also couldn't quite believe the depth of attraction Thomas held for her, and vice versa, given that the primary action of the novel unfolds over a span of four days. A spark of serious lust I would buy, but the kind of deep connection that plays into the denouement? No.
On the whole, this was a great first read for 2016. Now I'm off to tackle the next book about Thomas's adventures and hope it builds on the characters and lays a foundation for many more to come.
October 10, 2014
I'd somehow missed this book until I saw Antonia give a keynote address at #FoW14. I really enjoyed walking on the disreputable side of Georgian London - it was a fresh perspective in a historical novel with just the right balance of antiquated language and more modern intonation. I have to say I knew three chapters in who exactly had betrayed Hawkins so that he ended up in a debtors prison. I think that says more about my nasty, suspicious mind than it does about the author 's ability to foreshadow events without giving things away. I also guessed one of the two murders pretty close to the start of the book. The murder mystery side of things was strong enough but I wouldn't say that this was the books real strength.
Its real strength lay in the exquisite and often grisly attention to detail of life inside a debtors prison. Debtors prisons in Georgian England were vastly different to the charming portrait painted by Dickens in Little Dorritt over 100 yrs later (the original Marshalsea was destroyed and rebuilt for a start). All the details were authentic and utterly horrifying.
The characterization was good - Hawkins is a rather callow and thoughtless libertine. Oddly I found I'd gotten quite fond of Cross by the end of the book. Best if all no one is entirely good or bad - it's a sliding scale and accomplished very deftly. Definitely one for the history fans or those who like crime but want something a bit different.
Its real strength lay in the exquisite and often grisly attention to detail of life inside a debtors prison. Debtors prisons in Georgian England were vastly different to the charming portrait painted by Dickens in Little Dorritt over 100 yrs later (the original Marshalsea was destroyed and rebuilt for a start). All the details were authentic and utterly horrifying.
The characterization was good - Hawkins is a rather callow and thoughtless libertine. Oddly I found I'd gotten quite fond of Cross by the end of the book. Best if all no one is entirely good or bad - it's a sliding scale and accomplished very deftly. Definitely one for the history fans or those who like crime but want something a bit different.
September 21, 2019
Excellent, loved every minute! Such an atmospheric historical story that had me glued to the pages and imagining every scene, even days after finishing the book I’m still thinking about it and I eagerly look forward to reading more in the series soon.
June 16, 2019
Großartig in der historischen Ausführung der damaligen Zeit, nur der Krimi/Thriller Aspekt kam dadurch leider etwas zu kurz für mich ...
Ich muss als erstes kurz auf das Genre zu sprechen kommen - auf dem Cover steht Roman, auf der Verlagsseite historischer Thriller und wenn man in die Pressestimmen schaut, wird von einem Kriminalroman gesprochen ... an sich möchte ich ja schon gerne vorher wissen was ich da lese, aber ich lass mich auch gerne mal überraschen.
Das ist hier leider nicht so ganz geglückt, denn irgendwie passt es in keine der drei Kategorien so wirklich rein. Es gab zwar einen Mord und der Protagonist, Tom Hawkins, ist an der Aufklärung beteiligt, was aber sich aber leider ziemlich lange rauszögert - es also dann doch irgendwie eine Mischung aus den o. g. Genres ist ;)
Was ich positiv hervorheben kann sind definitiv die Beschreibungen des Schuldnergefängnisses. Wenn man an London im Mittelalter denkt hat man meist den Tower im Kopf und ich muss gestehen dass mir diese Art von Gefängnis bisher in Büchern noch nicht untergekommen ist.
Das Marshalsea, der Schauplatz der Handlung, gab es wirklich. Die Autorin hat sich sehr an den Ãœberlieferungen orientiert, was man im Nachwort genauer nachlesen kann.
Diese Art des Gefängnisses war eine Möglichkeit für den Gläubiger, durch einen Arrestbefehl seine Schulden einzutreiben - denn die Schuldner saßen so lange dort fest, bis die Schuld beglichen wurde. Allerdings durften sie sich innerhalb der Mauern relativ frei bewegen, mussten sogar Miete für ihre Unterkunft zahlen und auch die Verköstigung oder sonstige Annehmlichkeiten wie der Genuß von Alkohohl oder leichten Mädchen in der internen Schenke musste bezahlt werden - womit man dem Direktor des Gefängnisses eine Menge Einnahmen in die Tasche gespielt hat.
Es gab auch eine sehr strenge Ordnung und Trennung zwischen den Gentlemen der gehobeneren Schicht und dem gemeinen Volk, das ständig verprügelt wurde oder hungern musste. Die Zustände waren schon extrem grausam und ich kann mir gut vorstellen, dass das sehr nah an der Realität ist.
Tom Hawkins, die Hauptperson, wurde zum Glück in einer angesehenen Familie geboren, der er jedoch schon länger den Rücken gekehrt hat. Er lebt meist in den Tag hinein und sein Faible für das Glücksspiel bringt ihn schließlich hinter die Mauern von Marshalsea. Was er hier erlebt und wie er die Abläufe des Gefängnisses kennenlernt fand ich sehr interessant - aber wie schon erwähnt zog sich das doch ganz schön in die Länge.
Der Mord, der schon eine Weile zurückliegt und die Aufklärung dessen kommt erst ab der Hälfte des Buches etwas in Fahrt und richtig spannend wird es dann im letzten Drittel. Dadurch hat es viel verloren meiner Meinung nach, auch wenn es schlüssig aufgebaut wurde.
Man weiß ja, dass der Mörder im Gefängnis zu finden ist, kennt aber noch keine Umstände. Das erfährt man, in dem Tom Hawkins nach und nach die Leute besser kennenlernt: die anderen Gefangenen, den Direktor und seine Frau, die Schließer und natürlich die anderen Herren, die mit ihm eingesperrt sind. Besonders sein Zellengenosse ist äußerst eigentümlicher Charakter und obwohl er nicht unbedingt ein netter Kerl ist, fand ich ihn am eindrucksvollsten.
Auch viele der Nebenfiguren basieren übrigens auf historischen Quellen, was das ganze nochmal interessanter macht.
Obwohl ich die ganze Atmosphäre und Erfahrung aus diesem Milieu aufmerksam verfolgt habe, hat mir doch immer wieder die Spannung gefehlt. Die Brutalität und die Roheit war an manchen Stellen wirklich ganz schön heftig; man hat ja immer vor Augen, dass das damals tatsächlich so zuging - dennoch hätte ich mir mehr Nervenkitzel in Bezug auf die "Mörderjagd" gewünscht, denn die Spannung am Ende konnte das einfach nicht mehr auffangen.
Trotzdem lesenswert, wer sich für diesen Aspekt englischer Geschichte interessiert.
Ich muss als erstes kurz auf das Genre zu sprechen kommen - auf dem Cover steht Roman, auf der Verlagsseite historischer Thriller und wenn man in die Pressestimmen schaut, wird von einem Kriminalroman gesprochen ... an sich möchte ich ja schon gerne vorher wissen was ich da lese, aber ich lass mich auch gerne mal überraschen.
Das ist hier leider nicht so ganz geglückt, denn irgendwie passt es in keine der drei Kategorien so wirklich rein. Es gab zwar einen Mord und der Protagonist, Tom Hawkins, ist an der Aufklärung beteiligt, was aber sich aber leider ziemlich lange rauszögert - es also dann doch irgendwie eine Mischung aus den o. g. Genres ist ;)
Was ich positiv hervorheben kann sind definitiv die Beschreibungen des Schuldnergefängnisses. Wenn man an London im Mittelalter denkt hat man meist den Tower im Kopf und ich muss gestehen dass mir diese Art von Gefängnis bisher in Büchern noch nicht untergekommen ist.
Das Marshalsea, der Schauplatz der Handlung, gab es wirklich. Die Autorin hat sich sehr an den Ãœberlieferungen orientiert, was man im Nachwort genauer nachlesen kann.
Diese Art des Gefängnisses war eine Möglichkeit für den Gläubiger, durch einen Arrestbefehl seine Schulden einzutreiben - denn die Schuldner saßen so lange dort fest, bis die Schuld beglichen wurde. Allerdings durften sie sich innerhalb der Mauern relativ frei bewegen, mussten sogar Miete für ihre Unterkunft zahlen und auch die Verköstigung oder sonstige Annehmlichkeiten wie der Genuß von Alkohohl oder leichten Mädchen in der internen Schenke musste bezahlt werden - womit man dem Direktor des Gefängnisses eine Menge Einnahmen in die Tasche gespielt hat.
Es gab auch eine sehr strenge Ordnung und Trennung zwischen den Gentlemen der gehobeneren Schicht und dem gemeinen Volk, das ständig verprügelt wurde oder hungern musste. Die Zustände waren schon extrem grausam und ich kann mir gut vorstellen, dass das sehr nah an der Realität ist.
Tom Hawkins, die Hauptperson, wurde zum Glück in einer angesehenen Familie geboren, der er jedoch schon länger den Rücken gekehrt hat. Er lebt meist in den Tag hinein und sein Faible für das Glücksspiel bringt ihn schließlich hinter die Mauern von Marshalsea. Was er hier erlebt und wie er die Abläufe des Gefängnisses kennenlernt fand ich sehr interessant - aber wie schon erwähnt zog sich das doch ganz schön in die Länge.
Der Mord, der schon eine Weile zurückliegt und die Aufklärung dessen kommt erst ab der Hälfte des Buches etwas in Fahrt und richtig spannend wird es dann im letzten Drittel. Dadurch hat es viel verloren meiner Meinung nach, auch wenn es schlüssig aufgebaut wurde.
Man weiß ja, dass der Mörder im Gefängnis zu finden ist, kennt aber noch keine Umstände. Das erfährt man, in dem Tom Hawkins nach und nach die Leute besser kennenlernt: die anderen Gefangenen, den Direktor und seine Frau, die Schließer und natürlich die anderen Herren, die mit ihm eingesperrt sind. Besonders sein Zellengenosse ist äußerst eigentümlicher Charakter und obwohl er nicht unbedingt ein netter Kerl ist, fand ich ihn am eindrucksvollsten.
Auch viele der Nebenfiguren basieren übrigens auf historischen Quellen, was das ganze nochmal interessanter macht.
Obwohl ich die ganze Atmosphäre und Erfahrung aus diesem Milieu aufmerksam verfolgt habe, hat mir doch immer wieder die Spannung gefehlt. Die Brutalität und die Roheit war an manchen Stellen wirklich ganz schön heftig; man hat ja immer vor Augen, dass das damals tatsächlich so zuging - dennoch hätte ich mir mehr Nervenkitzel in Bezug auf die "Mörderjagd" gewünscht, denn die Spannung am Ende konnte das einfach nicht mehr auffangen.
Trotzdem lesenswert, wer sich für diesen Aspekt englischer Geschichte interessiert.
March 16, 2014
I'm not the biggest fan of historical fiction, nor do I revel in crime fiction, but somehow this novel drew me in and would not let go. It is well written, fast paced and yet so very detailed in its description. The text provides a vivid picture of what a debtor's jail was like and the brutality that went on there, all based on numerous sources the author has woven into the narrative for us.
As a result I read the entire book in less than 24hrs, so intrigued by the mystery of it and enamoured with the voice of Thomas Hawkins.
[vague spoiler alert]
I had my suspicions about the murderer being investigated, but was still surprised by the accomplice. I was also saddened by the loss of a fantastic character some way through, but understand the plot device it played so well. As for the end, it was well played and satisfying.
[end of vague spoiler]
I'd recommend this book to anyone, as it was a great read filled with interesting characters, fantastic description and historical detail and a very keen plot. Not only that, but it is well written and easy to read. What more can you ask for?
Possibly my favourite read of 2014, so far.
As a result I read the entire book in less than 24hrs, so intrigued by the mystery of it and enamoured with the voice of Thomas Hawkins.
[vague spoiler alert]
I had my suspicions about the murderer being investigated, but was still surprised by the accomplice. I was also saddened by the loss of a fantastic character some way through, but understand the plot device it played so well. As for the end, it was well played and satisfying.
[end of vague spoiler]
I'd recommend this book to anyone, as it was a great read filled with interesting characters, fantastic description and historical detail and a very keen plot. Not only that, but it is well written and easy to read. What more can you ask for?
Possibly my favourite read of 2014, so far.
August 6, 2023
I loved the unusual setting and atmosphere, and some of the characters were highly engaging. I loved Fleet. The story felt a little overstuffed, though, too long and meandering. Diluted by too many characters that were not well-developed enough to facilitate distinction from one another. And the actual driver of all this investigation seemed kind of weak. A stronger central story would have better supported all of these twists and turns, characters, and would have better warranted the length of this book. Still worth the read for the historical elements and well-drawn atmosphere.
September 4, 2014
I'm not at all sure what I thought of this. I read it quickly enough and it kept my interest. It certainly wasn't one of those books where I am constantly checking to see how many pages I have left or how long the torment must go on for before I can start something else, BUT there was something irritating about it and it's irritating me even more not knowing what.
The story was tight and well researched. I was happy with the setting, characterisations and plot. It was just a little, how can I put this, sort of farcical. I couldn't take it seriously and imagined the entire cast of Blackadder dotted around.
I think in the hands of say Sarah Waters or D J Taylor this novel would have been something else but I won't be in any rush to buy the next novel by this author.
The story was tight and well researched. I was happy with the setting, characterisations and plot. It was just a little, how can I put this, sort of farcical. I couldn't take it seriously and imagined the entire cast of Blackadder dotted around.
I think in the hands of say Sarah Waters or D J Taylor this novel would have been something else but I won't be in any rush to buy the next novel by this author.
August 4, 2016
Rating: 3.5 stars
October 28, 2018
Fabulous. Read the other glowing reviews. I don't have anything to add, except that I bought the second one right away.
December 7, 2022
3.5
Very solid historical mystery. The historical setting and the descriptions of the squalid prison are extremely well done. I’ll read the next one in the series.
Very solid historical mystery. The historical setting and the descriptions of the squalid prison are extremely well done. I’ll read the next one in the series.
January 10, 2015
I usually try not to judge a book by its cover and, when I have and am proved wrong by the brilliance of the writing (case in point, Me Before You - Jojo Moyes), I hang my head in shame and promise never to do it again. However, I was floored again by this fantastic debut novel. To be totally honest, if I had seen this particular novel on the shelves and read the synopsis, I may not have picked it up. The synopsis and cover art do not do justice to the story within The Devil In The Marshalsea and I'm so glad I've read it. It was picked as part of the Richard and Judy Autumn Book Club 2014 here in the UK which I always follow and is definitely one of my favourite reads off that particular list. Our main character is Tom Hawkins, a bit of a cheeky chappie who has had the good fortune to be raised as a gentleman but rebelled against his father's wishes to join the clergy and is having the time of his life in London where temptation, drink, gambling and women go hand in hand. Unfortunately for Tom, he has too much of a good time and ends up in debt up to his eyeballs. It is not long before his debtors catch up with him and he is imprisoned in the notorious Marshalsea prison until he can find a way to consolidate his money problems.
Tom soon finds himself in a terrible predicament. It seems that you have to know the right people with the right cash to get any decent standard of living within the prison and while his cell-mate, Samuel Fleet assists him in some ways rumours about the enigmatic Fleet are widespread. And if you can't pay? Over to the "Common" side where prisoners are literally squashed into cells, punishment and killings are rife and due to the prevalence of disease (and other factors) bodies are stacked up in piles to be removed at some point, but the gaolers are in no hurry to carry out such a menial task. Ruling over the prison with an iron fist and a cunning mind is William Acton, the sort of man that you really don't want to get on the wrong side of.
The second thread of the novel involves the murder of a in-mate called Captain Roberts, perpetuated just before Tom enters the prison and as yet, remains unsolved. But if the rumours are true, could Tom be sharing his cell with the devil? On meeting the widow of the murdered man, Tom becomes embroiled in solving the case but he must be incredibly careful about exactly where he treads, as the Marshalsea prison becomes a graveyard for many men, especially those that get a bit too close to the truth for comfort.
It didn't long for me to become completely taken in by this wonderful debut novel. In fact, I couldn't quite believe that it was a debut, as the writing is so assured and accomplished. One of the most interesting parts about the story is that the Marshalsea actually existed from 1373 to 1842 and was well known for the richer and poorer sides of the prison. The poorest relied on charity for their food and drink while their richer counterparts across the fence had access to their own bar and restaurant. Starvation and torture with skullcaps and thumbscrews appeared to be the norm, in fact a parliamentary committee reported in 1729 that 300 inmates had starved to death within a three-month period, and that eight to ten were dying every 24 hours in the warmer weather. The author has obviously done her research with this novel and I was fascinated to read a work of fiction about a place that I had never heard of previously. The plot completely blew me away, as I mentioned the synopsis does not do it justice and there was one particular scene involving torture that had me on the edge of my seat like a quivering wreck. This is definitely an author to watch out for and I'm eagerly anticipating what she's going to do next. If it's anything like this novel I just know it's going to be amazing.
Please see my full review at
Tom soon finds himself in a terrible predicament. It seems that you have to know the right people with the right cash to get any decent standard of living within the prison and while his cell-mate, Samuel Fleet assists him in some ways rumours about the enigmatic Fleet are widespread. And if you can't pay? Over to the "Common" side where prisoners are literally squashed into cells, punishment and killings are rife and due to the prevalence of disease (and other factors) bodies are stacked up in piles to be removed at some point, but the gaolers are in no hurry to carry out such a menial task. Ruling over the prison with an iron fist and a cunning mind is William Acton, the sort of man that you really don't want to get on the wrong side of.
The second thread of the novel involves the murder of a in-mate called Captain Roberts, perpetuated just before Tom enters the prison and as yet, remains unsolved. But if the rumours are true, could Tom be sharing his cell with the devil? On meeting the widow of the murdered man, Tom becomes embroiled in solving the case but he must be incredibly careful about exactly where he treads, as the Marshalsea prison becomes a graveyard for many men, especially those that get a bit too close to the truth for comfort.
It didn't long for me to become completely taken in by this wonderful debut novel. In fact, I couldn't quite believe that it was a debut, as the writing is so assured and accomplished. One of the most interesting parts about the story is that the Marshalsea actually existed from 1373 to 1842 and was well known for the richer and poorer sides of the prison. The poorest relied on charity for their food and drink while their richer counterparts across the fence had access to their own bar and restaurant. Starvation and torture with skullcaps and thumbscrews appeared to be the norm, in fact a parliamentary committee reported in 1729 that 300 inmates had starved to death within a three-month period, and that eight to ten were dying every 24 hours in the warmer weather. The author has obviously done her research with this novel and I was fascinated to read a work of fiction about a place that I had never heard of previously. The plot completely blew me away, as I mentioned the synopsis does not do it justice and there was one particular scene involving torture that had me on the edge of my seat like a quivering wreck. This is definitely an author to watch out for and I'm eagerly anticipating what she's going to do next. If it's anything like this novel I just know it's going to be amazing.
Please see my full review at
August 31, 2022
London, 1727…on the eve of the coronation of George II. Young Tom Hawkins, refusing to follow in his father’s footsteps as a clergyman, has instead been seeking out a life as a gambler, a rake, and a chaser of women. But when he finds himself in debt, he must wager big in order to keep himself outside of debtor’s prison. Surprisingly, he wins that big gamble but on the way back to his rooms, he is mugged and is thusly tossed into the “Marshalsea�.
Life in debtor’s prison is just as harsh and cruel as what Dickens describes. The gaol is divided into two sections. For those with enough influence with family and friends on the outside to provide enough money to keep them afloat, they can stay on the “Master’s� side and provide a cut to the overseers. For those less lucky, there is the “Commons� side where life is short and about as miserable as can be imagined. “Process must be followed Mr. Hawkins. You can’t just throw men into prison and let them rot. That would be cruel. They must have their time in court. Their case must be heard, their creditors must be called to account…Then they can rot.� Running the whole thing is a governor of sorts, and along with a myriad of innkeepers, barkeeps, brothel owners, etc. their only real interest is how much profit they can make off the misfortune of the inmates.
And like in almost any prison in the world, even today, “If you wish to survive in this gaol…in this world then you must make people believe you are the most ruthless, calculating, treacherous man they know. They must believe you are capable of anything—the worst imaginable outrages. If your enemies learn that you are weak, they will destroy you. That is the way of the world.� Men die every day in the Marshalsea but when our young gambler’s roommate is murdered in the middle of the night in their locked room, all signs point to Hawkins himself as the killer. He must solve the mystery of the real killer before time runs out or he will be executed.
I really enjoy these sorts of historical mystery novels. In addition to a nice murder mystery element, adventure, intrigue, and betrayal, there is a lot of good history here as well, not the least of which is how debtor’s prisons worked in the 1720s. It’s always been a strange concept for me to wrap my brain around anyway…how can you expect somebody who is in debt to be able to work themselves out of debt and gain their freedom when they are locked up? Thanks to the excellent research by the author, this novel was an eye opener for me in that regard, especially the free enterprise system that thrived within the prison walls. So much so that many of the prisoners stayed on voluntarily after they had found a way to pay off their debts, just to keep on raking in the profits.
This is the first book in a series. I had already read and enjoyed the second book, so I wanted to go back and get this first one under my belt as well. While I still recommend they be read in order, either of the first two can be read as a stand-alone novel and I have heard the same of the third, which I will, in due course, pursue as well.
Life in debtor’s prison is just as harsh and cruel as what Dickens describes. The gaol is divided into two sections. For those with enough influence with family and friends on the outside to provide enough money to keep them afloat, they can stay on the “Master’s� side and provide a cut to the overseers. For those less lucky, there is the “Commons� side where life is short and about as miserable as can be imagined. “Process must be followed Mr. Hawkins. You can’t just throw men into prison and let them rot. That would be cruel. They must have their time in court. Their case must be heard, their creditors must be called to account…Then they can rot.� Running the whole thing is a governor of sorts, and along with a myriad of innkeepers, barkeeps, brothel owners, etc. their only real interest is how much profit they can make off the misfortune of the inmates.
And like in almost any prison in the world, even today, “If you wish to survive in this gaol…in this world then you must make people believe you are the most ruthless, calculating, treacherous man they know. They must believe you are capable of anything—the worst imaginable outrages. If your enemies learn that you are weak, they will destroy you. That is the way of the world.� Men die every day in the Marshalsea but when our young gambler’s roommate is murdered in the middle of the night in their locked room, all signs point to Hawkins himself as the killer. He must solve the mystery of the real killer before time runs out or he will be executed.
I really enjoy these sorts of historical mystery novels. In addition to a nice murder mystery element, adventure, intrigue, and betrayal, there is a lot of good history here as well, not the least of which is how debtor’s prisons worked in the 1720s. It’s always been a strange concept for me to wrap my brain around anyway…how can you expect somebody who is in debt to be able to work themselves out of debt and gain their freedom when they are locked up? Thanks to the excellent research by the author, this novel was an eye opener for me in that regard, especially the free enterprise system that thrived within the prison walls. So much so that many of the prisoners stayed on voluntarily after they had found a way to pay off their debts, just to keep on raking in the profits.
This is the first book in a series. I had already read and enjoyed the second book, so I wanted to go back and get this first one under my belt as well. While I still recommend they be read in order, either of the first two can be read as a stand-alone novel and I have heard the same of the third, which I will, in due course, pursue as well.
November 7, 2014
4.5 stars
Another different Richard and Judy choice. Loved this. Even the squalid, icky and upsetting parts.
Period-wise, it's fantastically detailed and real. Set in 1720s London, I could see the prison, clothes, pubs, squalor and hopelessness. Language-wise, it felt like a contemporary novel a lot of the time (it certainly didn't read like Dickens), but this did make it an easy read.
Despite raising enough funds to stave off his landlord, a robbery sets 'gentleman' Tom Hawkins up for a spell in a notorious debtors' prison, the Marshalsea, until he's paid them off. Although of course, he'll be paying for food, a room, comforts while he's there as well. And soon after arriving Tom gets caught up in the recent murder of an occupant of the prison. Keeping himself alive is just one of his priorities. There are plenty of reasons to find out what happened to the dead prisoner, and plenty of suspects...
It's a brilliant setting for a murder mystery. It does follow a lot of modern conventions of the genre (multiple suspects, clues leading to each other, tangents and false leads, mysterious and shady ladies who may or may not have darker purposes) but in such a unique setting that it's for a history fan just as much as for someone who likes a good murder/thriller tale.
I did get a little confused early on with so many names and characterse introduced within the prison setting, but soon managed to distinguish most of them through their speech. Tom himself is a witty and rascally young man, one you 'enjoy' exploring the prison with.
There is a lot of fairly upsetting poverty and violence throughout, which might put a few people off. But nothing graphic.
I loved the way the story turned and didn't guess the eventual guilty party. I did however learn a fair bit about 18th century life in London, and in the Marshalsea. And feel very grateful for the welfare support systems we have in place today!
Recommended if you like murders, prison stories or period pieces.
Another different Richard and Judy choice. Loved this. Even the squalid, icky and upsetting parts.
Period-wise, it's fantastically detailed and real. Set in 1720s London, I could see the prison, clothes, pubs, squalor and hopelessness. Language-wise, it felt like a contemporary novel a lot of the time (it certainly didn't read like Dickens), but this did make it an easy read.
Despite raising enough funds to stave off his landlord, a robbery sets 'gentleman' Tom Hawkins up for a spell in a notorious debtors' prison, the Marshalsea, until he's paid them off. Although of course, he'll be paying for food, a room, comforts while he's there as well. And soon after arriving Tom gets caught up in the recent murder of an occupant of the prison. Keeping himself alive is just one of his priorities. There are plenty of reasons to find out what happened to the dead prisoner, and plenty of suspects...
It's a brilliant setting for a murder mystery. It does follow a lot of modern conventions of the genre (multiple suspects, clues leading to each other, tangents and false leads, mysterious and shady ladies who may or may not have darker purposes) but in such a unique setting that it's for a history fan just as much as for someone who likes a good murder/thriller tale.
I did get a little confused early on with so many names and characterse introduced within the prison setting, but soon managed to distinguish most of them through their speech. Tom himself is a witty and rascally young man, one you 'enjoy' exploring the prison with.
There is a lot of fairly upsetting poverty and violence throughout, which might put a few people off. But nothing graphic.
I loved the way the story turned and didn't guess the eventual guilty party. I did however learn a fair bit about 18th century life in London, and in the Marshalsea. And feel very grateful for the welfare support systems we have in place today!
Recommended if you like murders, prison stories or period pieces.
November 26, 2014
Great, great book,I always think historical fiction must be hard to write with all the research required and this is a great book, The Devil in the Marshalsea is all about the now non existent Marshalsea Debtors prison in Southwark in 1727. Tom Hawkins is a bit of a free spirit estranged from his family and gets himself into debt, caught and imprisoned, the place is horrible and the author makes you feel as if you are also inside, “shudders�. There are characters and locations like the that were actually there, like Titty Dolls and the coffee shop.
I had an appointment with a ghost. It seemed impolite not to attend.�
I found myself using the kindle inbuilt dictionary loads as there are many words from that period of time which are now not in use. The details and language are just great, loads of research has been done by the author. Marshalsea is a small village as the rules, well, maybe there are not rules as such are different, you need to have money to survive there. Reminds me a little of the prisons in South America, and of one in particular in La Paz, Bolivia.
The characters are colourful, some a little scary and the descriptions bring alive the prison and London of the era.
“That could me my voice I thought, a few shillings less and I could be locked away with them.�
This is a fantastic debut novel with a great ending that surprised me, I can recommend this if you enjoy historical murder mysteries.
Read more on my blog
I had an appointment with a ghost. It seemed impolite not to attend.�
I found myself using the kindle inbuilt dictionary loads as there are many words from that period of time which are now not in use. The details and language are just great, loads of research has been done by the author. Marshalsea is a small village as the rules, well, maybe there are not rules as such are different, you need to have money to survive there. Reminds me a little of the prisons in South America, and of one in particular in La Paz, Bolivia.
The characters are colourful, some a little scary and the descriptions bring alive the prison and London of the era.
“That could me my voice I thought, a few shillings less and I could be locked away with them.�
This is a fantastic debut novel with a great ending that surprised me, I can recommend this if you enjoy historical murder mysteries.
Read more on my blog
November 24, 2015
I like a good historical thriller and this one was pretty good. The historical period this time is the early Georgians - 1727 to be precise.
The central character, Tom Hawkins, is the rakish, feckless elder son of a wealthy clergyman. He was set to follow in his father's footsteps but realised that the Church was not for him. We meet Tom, having won just enough at cards to pay off his immediate debts and save himself from the bailiffs. But all goes horribly wrong - he is robbed on his way home, is arrested the next day and taken to the notorious Marshalsea debtors prison.
Antonia Hodgson has created an authentic and atmospheric thriller that twists and turns at a fast pace. You really don't know who to trust and who to suspect. Her research into life in the 18th century gaol clearly shows. She paints a detailed picture which you can almost smell. My stomach roiled with Tom's at the descriptions of life on the Common Side and imprisonment in the Strong Room.
There are some memorably grotesque characters - William Acton (who really was the corrupt and violent governor of the Marshalsea), Samuel Fleet, Tom's cell mate, Moll King the owner of the coffee house Tom frequented and Madame Migault the sinister fortune teller.
I did feel that, whilst Samuel Fleet was introduced as a darkly menacing character who was feared and loathed by most of the prisoners, ultimately that didn't go far enough. I wanted to see more evidence of that. He was an interesting character who could have had further uses.
Just a minor point in what was a rollicking good read. I want to hear more of Tom Hawkins's adventures.
The central character, Tom Hawkins, is the rakish, feckless elder son of a wealthy clergyman. He was set to follow in his father's footsteps but realised that the Church was not for him. We meet Tom, having won just enough at cards to pay off his immediate debts and save himself from the bailiffs. But all goes horribly wrong - he is robbed on his way home, is arrested the next day and taken to the notorious Marshalsea debtors prison.
Antonia Hodgson has created an authentic and atmospheric thriller that twists and turns at a fast pace. You really don't know who to trust and who to suspect. Her research into life in the 18th century gaol clearly shows. She paints a detailed picture which you can almost smell. My stomach roiled with Tom's at the descriptions of life on the Common Side and imprisonment in the Strong Room.
There are some memorably grotesque characters - William Acton (who really was the corrupt and violent governor of the Marshalsea), Samuel Fleet, Tom's cell mate, Moll King the owner of the coffee house Tom frequented and Madame Migault the sinister fortune teller.
I did feel that, whilst Samuel Fleet was introduced as a darkly menacing character who was feared and loathed by most of the prisoners, ultimately that didn't go far enough. I wanted to see more evidence of that. He was an interesting character who could have had further uses.
Just a minor point in what was a rollicking good read. I want to hear more of Tom Hawkins's adventures.
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