Name: The Devil in the Marshalsea
ISBN: 9780544176676

Antonia Hodgson

Set in the darkest debtor's prison in Georgian London, this gripping historical thriller follows Tom Hawkins as he, due to his penchant for wine, women and cards, ends up in Marshalsea where murder runs rampant and no one is as they seem. Original. 30,000 first printing.

The Devil in the Marshalsea

WINNER OF THE CWA HISTORICAL DAGGER AWARD 2014. Longlisted for the John Creasey Dagger Award for best debut crime novel of 2014. 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.

Laura Mauler

Some elements were a little hokey, and some elements truly strained credibility, but the story was fun so I didn't mind.

The Devil in the Marshalsea

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