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Gallows Thief: A Novel
Written by Bernard Cornwell
Narrated by Jonathan Keeble
Book Actions
Start Listening- Publisher:
- HarperAudio
- Released:
- Nov 18, 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780062393661
- Format:
- Audiobook
Description
The year is 1820 and England has fought its last victorious battle against the French. Rider Sandman, a hero of Waterloo, has finally returned to London to wed his young bride. But instead of being able to settle down to his fame and glory, he finds himself penniless in a country where unemployment and social unrest are raging high, and where men-innocent or guilty-are hung for the merest of crimes. Thus, when the Home Secretary offers him a job as private investigator-to re-open the case of a death-row candidate accused of murder-Sandman readily accepts, as much for the money as for a chance to see justice being done in a country gone to ruins. Soon, however, he is up to his elbows in grisly a murder plot that keeps thickening as Sandman makes his way through gentleman's clubs and shady taverns, aristocratic mansions and fashionable painters studios, unerringly determined to rescue the innocent young man from the the rope. But someone doesn't want the truth revealed ...
Book Actions
Start ListeningBook Information
Gallows Thief: A Novel
Written by Bernard Cornwell
Narrated by Jonathan Keeble
Description
The year is 1820 and England has fought its last victorious battle against the French. Rider Sandman, a hero of Waterloo, has finally returned to London to wed his young bride. But instead of being able to settle down to his fame and glory, he finds himself penniless in a country where unemployment and social unrest are raging high, and where men-innocent or guilty-are hung for the merest of crimes. Thus, when the Home Secretary offers him a job as private investigator-to re-open the case of a death-row candidate accused of murder-Sandman readily accepts, as much for the money as for a chance to see justice being done in a country gone to ruins. Soon, however, he is up to his elbows in grisly a murder plot that keeps thickening as Sandman makes his way through gentleman's clubs and shady taverns, aristocratic mansions and fashionable painters studios, unerringly determined to rescue the innocent young man from the the rope. But someone doesn't want the truth revealed ...
- Publisher:
- HarperAudio
- Released:
- Nov 18, 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780062393661
- Format:
- Audiobook
About the author
Related to Gallows Thief
Reviews
Although he always writes well-researched historical novels, many of
them are just a little bit too masculine and military-focused for my
taste. With this historical mystery set in 19th century London, he
achieves a more balanced milieu.
Rider Sandman returns to London a veteran of the Battle of Waterloo
expecting the respect given a military hero. However, he finds that in
his absence, his father gambled the family fortune away, and then
committed suicide, leaving him penniless and with an indelible stain
upon his reputation. To make things worse, his mother and sister
expect him to keep them in their accustomed idle and luxurious
lifestyle - they can't even imagine the shame of becoming working
women.
On top of all this, Sandman's planned wedding seems to definitely be off.
Sandman's only source of income is now to play cricket matches -
something he's luckily good at. But is certainly not enough money to
sustain him, and so when Lord Sidmouth recommends him for a job, he's
quick to take it. It seems an easy commission - a portrait painter is
accused of raping and murdering a wealthy lady as she sat for her
portrait. It's sure that he's guilty, but an investigation needs to be
done - purely as a formality - before the man can be hanged.
Unfortunately, when Rider embarks upon his investigation, he quickly
becomes certain that the portrait painter is innocent. For one thing,
he's gay, so it seems very unlikely he would have murdered a woman in
a crime of passion, as it is being alleged. For another thing, the
maid who would have been able to confirm the painter's alibi has
mysteriously disappeared.
Against Lord Sidmouth's wishes, the upright and honest Sandman
involves himself in a race against time to discover the truth before
the young painter is hanged...
Lots of dramatic tension and unexpected plot twists keep the book
exciting, as Cornwell takes the reader on a tour of the gritty,
realistic underside of London's criminal justice system.
Bernard Cornwell’s genre of choice is historical fiction. Most of his books take place during England’s history (though there are some exceptions) and I appreciate that even though the books are essentially fluffy reads, they do seem to be fairly historically accurate. The Gallow’s Thief follows Rider Sandman, a former army captain who has been disgraced by his father’s suicide. Desperate for work, he takes a job as special investigator for Charles Corday, an artist and convicted murderer. As one would expect in this kind of book, Corday is obviously not guilty, and Captain Sandman has to work for his money in order to find the real killer.
The book follows most of the conventions of both mystery novels and historical fiction novels, complete with carriage chases, gun fights, breaking and entering, and even the occasional cricket match (okay, that’s a little different). It’s not great literature, but it’s entertaining. I bought it for 4,000/= in Tanzania (that’s about 2 dollars), and I don’t feel like I wasted my money.
Ryder (who is, incidentally a very attractive character) goes to see the accused and starts to investigate, assisted by a local tavern wench, a Sergeant and a member of the aristocracy. He gets into a fair number of difficult positions in the week he has to find the truth, some of them physically dangerous. The tale ends as if there was to be a sequel, but I'm not aware of one.