Detective spy novel set in 1817 England. I’d call this a third rate book, just interesting enough for me to continue on and finish it but not good enough to recommend it to anyone, even Dad who really enjoys mystery books.

On a train ride from Chicago to West Glacier, Montana, I finished the book I'd been reading, and sought a replacement. I'd heard of Bernard Cornwell as one of the best historical fiction authors around, so when I saw Gallows Thief on a very sad Take-a-Book-Leave-a-Book shelf at a whistle stop, I thought I'd give it a go.

The book follows the absurdly-named Rider Sandman, a recently impoverished former officer and cricketer who now has to (gasp!) find a job. He takes a commission as an investigator for the British government to verify the guilt or prove the innocence of a young man condemned to death (despite the fact that he has no real skills in this line of work, and it took a thinly veiled mcgufffin to get him involved in it). In the course of his investigation, he meets clichés who say and do cliché things, and suffers harrowing plot points and an inevitable, unsurprising final twist.

But that's not all you get! Your conceptions of traditional manliness and superiority over those jerks in the past will be reinforced. You'll be reminded that all ugly people are wicked, and gay people are weak. You'll get your necessary quota of manly violence and stumbling romantic dialogue, as well as some clumsy and half-hearted Christian Values.

If this isn't enough to make you wet your pants with anticipation, all this can be yours for the low low price of FREE! All you have to do is pick it up from the Williston, North Dakota train station, where I threw it forcefully as soon as the train stopped.

This is a pretty good historical mystery, a fast and enjoyable read. It's the first of Mr. Cornwell's books that I've read, and I like his writing style. I will check into his other work.

crime/detective novels aren't my usual fare, but i enjoyed this. well written (with one minor nitpick i will raise in book club discussion), good pacing, interesting characters.

Bestselling historical fiction author Bernard Cornwell has taken some time out of his hugely successful Sharpe series and his new Holy Grail series to release a novel that in no way has any bearing on the two series. Gallows Thief is set in the early nineteenth century, where a man is on trial for his life for a crime he did not commit; the gallows hangs heavy, waiting for his soft neck; there is only one man who can save him.

Rider Sandman is that man, and slowly he must retrace his steps, pick up clues and investigate for the low pay he gets from the English government, much like a Sherlock Holmes or modern-day detective case, except this is nineteenth century London and certain articles are not so easy to come by, while questions cannot be so easily asked and certainly not always answered. But the clock is ticking for our ill-charged victim and the noose at Newgate awaits. Cornwell weaves together a flamboyant and detailed picaresque picture of nineteen century London and England, as well as giving insight into how things truly were back then and how the sport of cricket was just as important as it is today.

Originally published in July/August 2002.

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Plot

Rider Sandman, having fought Napoleon in the French wars, expected to lead the life of an English country gentleman, but now, two years after Waterloo, his family is impoverished, his name is disgraced and he has been forced to relinquish the woman he loves from her obligation to marry him. Desperate to earn money he accepts the job of being the government's Investigator; an official who discovers whether petitions for mercy sent by condemned criminals should be granted. His first case concerns a portrait painter who is due to hang for murder in a week's time and the government makes it clear that they want the verdict confirmed.

But Rider Sandman, whose qualifications for the post are nonexistent, discovers that the painter is almost certainly innocent and, as he peels back the layers of a corrupt penal system, he finds himself pitted against some of the wealthiest and most ruthless men in Regency England who want to keep the truth hidden

Review

Yes! This was just the book I needed to start the year off with a bang. Historical fiction is something I am trying to read more of in this next year and boy this was a good start.

The research of the setting is spot on and every sentence carries a description so rich that you can feel yourself there; in a tavern, the prison yard, outside the gallows etc.

The characters are all flawed and by no means perfect, which I love in a plot. My favourite is has to be said was Sally, Rider’s actress friend who does not deal with how women should act lightly. She’s tough, gritty, mouthy and I basically want to be her when I grow up.

The tension is kept up right to the end where it’s only then that you find out what actually happened.

The only reason this is not a five star is the fact that me being me kind of wanted a bit more interaction with some of the suspects. But that’s just me.

All in all I loved it.

Rating

4 stars

Recommend

Absolutely. Think of it as the regency’s version of Sherlock Holmes!