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Gallows Thief (2001)

by Bernard Cornwell

Other authors: See the other authors section.

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1,2083516,051 (3.67)46
A spellbinding historical drama about an ex-soldier in 1820s London who must help rescue an innocent man from Death Row, by bestselling author Bernard Cornwell It is the end of the Napoleonic Wars and England has just fought its last victorious battle against the French. As Rider Sandman and the other heroes of Waterloo begin to make their way back to England, they find a country where corruption, poverty, and social unrest run rampant, and where "justice" is most often delivered at the end of a hangman's noose. Nowhere in London are the streets as busy as in front of Newgate Prison, its largest penitentiary, where mobs gather regularly to watch the terrible spectacle of the doomed men and women on the gallows' stands. Rider Sandman -- whose reputation on the battlefields of France is exceeded only by his renown on the cricket fields of England -- returns home from war to discover his personal affairs in a shambles. Creditors have taken over his estate, leaving him penniless -- and forcing him to release the woman he loves from her obligations to marry him. Desperate to right his situation, he accepts the offer of a job investigating the claims of innocence by a painter due to hang for murder in a few days' time. The Home Secretary makes it clear that this is pro-forma, and that he expects Sandman to rubber-stamp the verdict. But Sandman's investigation reveals that something is amiss -- that there is merit to the young artist's claims. He further discovers that, though the Queen herself has ordered a reinvestigation of the circumstances, someone else does not want the truth revealed. In a race against the clock, Sandman moves from the hellish bowels of Newgate prison to the perfumed drawing rooms of the aristocracy, determined to rescue the innocent man from the rope. As he begins to peel back the layers of an utterly corrupt penal system, he finds himself pitted against some of the wealthiest and most ruthless men in Regency England. Gallows Thief combines the rich historical texture of Edward Rutherford and the taut suspense of Caleb Carr to create an eviscerating portrait of capital punishment in nineteeth-century London.… (more)
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» See also 46 mentions

English (33)  Spanish (2)  All languages (35)
Showing 1-5 of 33 (next | show all)
Quite the gritty story, set in post-Napoleanic London at a time when the justice system was venal and uncaring. Executions were frequently by hanging and a source of enthusiastic public spectacles.
Having forgotten that I read this story about 10 years ago, it now strikes me that many passages are quite repetitious. The ending was predictable, which takes away from building suspense. Prolonged chases to track down the main witness were tedious, since by then it seemed a bit pointless.
The story had a serious flaw in that the central theme upon which the mystery revolved was nonsensical: the murderer was wealthy and had covered his tracks perfectly adequately for the times. I admired the main protagonist (as I did in the first reading), which is a plus. The author's historical notes at the end were illuminating of the times and very useful to put the novel's setting in perspective. ( )
  SandyAMcPherson | Dec 3, 2023 |
Excellent period piece--mystery, humor and a love story that's not too annoying! It's the only Cornwell that I have read....and I"m still waiting for a sequel. ( )
  kwskultety | Jul 4, 2023 |
I would categorize this novel as a 'follow-along' or 'solve-along' historical mystery. There is no big reveal where we're stumped we didn't see it coming. That's also not the point or purpose of the book. We're invited to live-along a number of people who lived during extraordinary times in history and through the way its told we get a glimpse of what it might have been like to have been there. All of this is wrapped in an entertaining story that will propel you along all the events and characters laid out for us in a nicely digestible feast. This novel is about immersion, it's about being there and seeing what the characters saw. ( )
  TheCriticalTimes | Feb 2, 2023 |
Not in the same league as the Sharpe novels. ( )
  ko40370 | Sep 11, 2020 |
Not one of his better books - Predictable ending ( )
  busterrll | Jan 31, 2020 |
Showing 1-5 of 33 (next | show all)
Fans of Cornwell's gallant up-from-the-ranks rifleman, Richard Sharpe, will welcome the upright Captain Rider Sandman, a veteran, like Sharpe, of Waterloo and the Peninsula campaign, in a mystery that highlights the horrors of capital punishment in Regency England.
added by melonbrawl | editPublishers Weekly (Apr 29, 2002)
 

» Add other authors (4 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Bernard Cornwellprimary authorall editionscalculated
Bischoff, UlrikeTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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For Antonia and Jef
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Sir Henry Forrest, banker and alderman of the City of London, almost gagged when he entered the Press Yard for the smell was terrible, worse than the reek of the sewer outflows where the Fleet Ditch oozed into the Thames.
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A spellbinding historical drama about an ex-soldier in 1820s London who must help rescue an innocent man from Death Row, by bestselling author Bernard Cornwell It is the end of the Napoleonic Wars and England has just fought its last victorious battle against the French. As Rider Sandman and the other heroes of Waterloo begin to make their way back to England, they find a country where corruption, poverty, and social unrest run rampant, and where "justice" is most often delivered at the end of a hangman's noose. Nowhere in London are the streets as busy as in front of Newgate Prison, its largest penitentiary, where mobs gather regularly to watch the terrible spectacle of the doomed men and women on the gallows' stands. Rider Sandman -- whose reputation on the battlefields of France is exceeded only by his renown on the cricket fields of England -- returns home from war to discover his personal affairs in a shambles. Creditors have taken over his estate, leaving him penniless -- and forcing him to release the woman he loves from her obligations to marry him. Desperate to right his situation, he accepts the offer of a job investigating the claims of innocence by a painter due to hang for murder in a few days' time. The Home Secretary makes it clear that this is pro-forma, and that he expects Sandman to rubber-stamp the verdict. But Sandman's investigation reveals that something is amiss -- that there is merit to the young artist's claims. He further discovers that, though the Queen herself has ordered a reinvestigation of the circumstances, someone else does not want the truth revealed. In a race against the clock, Sandman moves from the hellish bowels of Newgate prison to the perfumed drawing rooms of the aristocracy, determined to rescue the innocent man from the rope. As he begins to peel back the layers of an utterly corrupt penal system, he finds himself pitted against some of the wealthiest and most ruthless men in Regency England. Gallows Thief combines the rich historical texture of Edward Rutherford and the taut suspense of Caleb Carr to create an eviscerating portrait of capital punishment in nineteeth-century London.

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