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There are currently 27 member reviews
for The Devil in the Marshalsea
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Janis H. (Willow Street, PA)
A Man's Home is Not His Castle
In my city our county prison looks like a castle. Supposedly the huge stones in its structure were used as ballast in the many English ships used to travel to Colonial America. Some might smile when they hear the pun: "A man's home is his castle," but no modern jail or ones like Marshalsea in 17th century London are places of joy to their inhabitants.
When we meet Thomas Hawkins, estranged son of a well-to-do vicar, we know he is headed for trouble, which is Marshalsea Gaol and Court Palace and its head keeper William Acton. Defiant, reckless, and heavily in debt, Hawkins wins at a card game that will temporarily get his creditors off his back, but on his way home he is lured by a link boy into the hands of robbers. Beaten and robbed his landlord turns him over to Jakes, a warrant officer, who escorts him to Marshalsea and the five days of hell that follow.
When asked by one of the characters what he does, Hawkins flippantly replies, "I am a gentleman, as little as possible." However, in his five days at Marshalsea he endures a lot. He is beaten, left for dead in The Strong Room with the deceased bodies of prisoners whose relatives do not have the money to claim the bodies, falls in love, loses a friend, and solves a murder that has plagued the King's Marshal, Sir Philip Meadows.
The reader is faced with the horrid conditions of debtors' prisons where everything is for sale. Marshalsea has two parts: The Masters Side and The Common Side. Luckily for Tom, he is thrown in the Masters Side because Samuel Fleet his roommate and fellow scoundrel
has offered him free room and board. For the first twenty-four hours it doesn't seem too bad. It has a pub, a restaurant, and prisoners have freedom of movement during daylight hours.
Tom's penchant for finding trouble or it finding him happens fast. Hodson's well-researched storyline offers an array of characters. She keeps the reader guessing the identity of the murderer; and when the last page is finished it screams, "Tom is most certainly returning to let readers know what trouble he finds next." At least I hope she writes a sequel.
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Donna W. (Wauwatosa, WI)
The Devil in the Marshalsea
The era and the location are the true stars of this novel. The history of the Marshalsea Goal is fascinating and the author does a good job of bringing 1727 London to life.
Although the characters are a bit flat and underdeveloped, the mystery moves along at a brisk pace. The story has something for everyone; a mysterious rogue, a charming preacher's son, the evil bad guys, and the sweet servant girl to add some love interest. There was some raw language, and some graphic descriptions, but these really just add to the atmosphere.
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Sally H. (Geneva, OH)
The Devil in the Marshalsea
This is a well-written, well-researched combination mystery/historical novel with great period detail and graphic depictions of the horrific atmosphere of one of London's debtor's prisons.
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Freya H. (Phoenix, AZ)
The Devil in the Marshalsea
A well-written historical novel although, in my opinion, not
for the faint of heart. The dreadful conditions in Marshalsea are graphically depicted! The combination of a mystery, some really despicable characters, as well
as a main character with a good heart, makes for a quick
and entertaining read.
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Mary Lou C. (Shenandoah Junction, WV)
A little mystery - a little romance
Set in London in the 1700s, this story brings to life the horror of the prison system at the time. The characters were well introduced and developed and the plot was gripping. My only issue would be the timeframe. I found it difficult to believe that so much happened in a matter of a few days. I did enjoy the book and would highly recommend it to those who enjoy a good mystery in a historic setting. Ms. Hodgson is a talented writer and I'm sure we'll see much more from her.
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Jim R. (Latham, NY)
Fascinating history and a race to the end
Once Antonia Hodgson sets our plate with abundant characters and a malefic setting, The Devil in the Marshalsea turns into a real page turner. I was halfway through the book, when I passed-up golf with my son to race to the ending. This is a "locked room murder mystery" (in this case, locked prison and murders plural), and it is the Marshalsea prison itself that is the main character. The prison's unique internal social, legal, and organizational structure during the 18th century is a captivating historical lesson in itself, and it is this structure and the prison's brooding presence throughout the book that directs the characters and action. Four stars ... I had to withhold one star because the characters themselves seemed two-dimensional and some seemed only there to make the plot twists work.
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