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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
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. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshalsea
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
click here
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
click here
http://www.girllostinabook.com/2014/09/review-devil-in-marshalsea-by-antonia.html
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book only got two stars because I enjoyed the story (sort of) and I like reading about London's history.
The writing though, was terrible, contrived and clichéd (a storm during n argument - really?). There were far too many coincidences throughout the whole book.
I also didn't care for Tom Hawkins or what happened to him. He wasn't a likeable character and when his friend 'betrayed' him, I just didn't care. Also because there was so much of 'when I look back on this moment' or 'later I reflected that I should have taken more notice' we as the reader always knew that whatever happened he would be OK, thus taking away any suspense there may have been.
If it is possible, the characters were over described, it felt like she had been on a writing course somewhere and the teacher told her she must 'bring the characters to life through descriptions'. But the descriptions were dull, lifeless and completely unoriginal.
Shame, it could have been a much better book in a better authors hands.
The writing though, was terrible, contrived and clichéd (a storm during n argument - really?). There were far too many coincidences throughout the whole book.
I also didn't care for Tom Hawkins or what happened to him. He wasn't a likeable character and when his friend 'betrayed' him, I just didn't care. Also because there was so much of 'when I look back on this moment' or 'later I reflected that I should have taken more notice' we as the reader always knew that whatever happened he would be OK, thus taking away any suspense there may have been.
If it is possible, the characters were over described, it felt like she had been on a writing course somewhere and the teacher told her she must 'bring the characters to life through descriptions'. But the descriptions were dull, lifeless and completely unoriginal.
Shame, it could have been a much better book in a better authors hands.
This is how historical novels are supposed to work--someone with real training finds a juicy primary manuscript (in this case, memoirs and the trial transcript of the investigation of a riot in the Marshalsea prison in 1727), and uses fiction to fill in plausible gaps. The result is a compelling novel about the seedy side of Hanoverian London and the bureaucracy that controls it, with some John Gay in-jokes apparently meant especially for me.
I really enjoyed this debut novel that is based on real-life accounts of the notorious Marshalsea jail in London. A ne'er do named Thomas Hawkins finds that his luck runs out and he ends up in this debtor's jail, where he is immediately immersed in a murder mystery. If solving a murder in a corrupt jail seems straightforward, if not dangerous, as the story progresses the danger increases and Thomas is left wondering who is really a friend or foe.
An entertaining, colorful read. I'm looking forward to reading the second book in the series!
An entertaining, colorful read. I'm looking forward to reading the second book in the series!
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, [b:The Last Confession of Thomas Hawkins|25897912|The Last Confession of Thomas Hawkins (Tom Hawkins, #2)|Antonia Hodgson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1445050184l/25897912._SX50_.jpg|43470018] 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, [b:The Last Confession of Thomas Hawkins|25897912|The Last Confession of Thomas Hawkins (Tom Hawkins, #2)|Antonia Hodgson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1445050184l/25897912._SX50_.jpg|43470018] 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.
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.
My first audiobook and my first read of 2016. I hope the year continues like this!
Compelling historical novel, with exceptional detail, compelling plot and well-rounded characters. The murder mystery elements almost played second fiddle to the living, breathing entity of the prison.
The narration was also expert and I found myself gripped. Highly recommended.
Compelling historical novel, with exceptional detail, compelling plot and well-rounded characters. The murder mystery elements almost played second fiddle to the living, breathing entity of the prison.
The narration was also expert and I found myself gripped. Highly recommended.