Gallows Thief: A Novel

While I am a fan of Cornwell's books based in much earlier ages, and not much of a fan of his american history based series, this one is a BIG exception.

This is a wounderfully told story that captivated my attention early in the book and held it throughout - realistic and slightly disreputable hero much like the characters who are heros of the founding of our country ..... Washinton, Jefferson, Franklin, etc.... who ends up serving his country despite himself... ala Carey Grant in Gone with the Wind.... sort of character....

Like I said, generally I do not recommend Cornwell's american history based books.... This one is an exception ..... DON'T MISS THIS BOOK.... it is truly an original story by one of the best story tellers out there.

A good yarn from the best historical fiction writer around. This book manages to blend a crime mystery, post Napoleonic war society commntary, a essay on the beginnings of the rights of the accused and some good old English humor all at once. I enjoyed this book and it was a page burner. I hope to see some follow on stories about the protagonist.

As usual, Cornwell does a wonderful job. Must admit, I thought of Sharpe through the entire book. So many similarities. Didn't mind, however, since I read the entire Sharpe series and was sad when it ended.

Cornwell's Sharpie and Utred series are wonderful historicals. The characters are engaging and endearing and the plots are gripping. They are full of interesting details about the period. I've been disappointed by Cornwell's other series. I don't think Rider Sandman has the staying power for a series. He's a good guy fallen on hard times and has anger management issues. I did enjoy the period slang of the London underworld of the 1800's and that Sandman is an outstanding cricket batsman. The description of the conditions of Newgate Prison and the rituals of public hangings were not exactly edifying but were educational for me.

Still, I wish Cornwell would produce another Utred.
GODLESS -- Living a Valuable Life Beyond Beliefs (Memoirs of a Thoughtful Traveler ) (Volume 6)

Bernard Cornwell is one of my favorite writers of what I call historical fiction - stories set in another time and another place. Although his books are fiction, they are very entertaining and you will learn some history without realizing it. I have just finished reading THE GALLOWS THIEF (ISBN 978-0060082741, trade paperback, $13.95).

The story is set in England in 1820. Captain Rider Sandman late of the British Army has returned to England after Waterloo to find his family's fortune dissipated, the family name disgraced, his engagement broken and his father dead by suicide. He is forced by economic circumstances to live in a room in a public house (in Drury Lane) frequented by outlaws of various types. He can earn a few pounds per year playing cricket but not enough to enhance his lifestyle. The Home Secretary offers him a temporary assignment based on his military skills and reputation (sounds a little like Cornwell's Richard Sharpe hero).

His assignment is to look into the murder of a Countess by an artist who has been tried, condemned to death and is waiting to be hanged at Newgate prison. One of the Queen's entourage has convinced Her Majesty that her son is innocent. The Queen prevails upon the Home Secretary to investigate. That is a rare occurrence in 19th C. England. Along the way, Sandman enlists the help of a young woman (struggling "actress"), a former army Sergeant (bouncer at an exclusive men's club) and a clergyman (second son of an Earl). Together they put together pieces of a serial crime spree by privileged and wealthy young nobles. Time is short and they may not get evidence they need to avert the hanging. The descriptions of prison life and executions by hanging are chilling to say the least.

If you have not read any of Cornwell's books and series, here's a good place to start. Several of the Sharpe novels were seen on PBS a few years ago. I hope there will be more Sandman stories.

GO! BUY! READ!

I think this is the fifth Bernard Cornwell novel that I have read, and I enjoyed all of them. The Gallow's Thief is a stand alone history-mystery novel set in Regency-era London. Cornwell excels in bringing to life the rough justice suffered by the poor - this novel opens with a dramatic description of a hanging at Newgate Prison, with it swarming crowd gathered to witness the last minutes of four condemned wretches. Cornwell walks us step by step through the execution, describing in detail the terrified prisoners, the matter-of-fact attitude of the jailers, and the tension in the witnesses. I thought it was a vivid opening scene for the book.

After the hanging, we are introduced to Captain Rider Sandman, an ex-soldier who fought at Waterloo. Sandman is unemployed and living in a "flash" inn, (Flash is apparently a slang vocabulary employed by pick-pockets, highwaymen, and ne'er-do-wells, Cornwell evidently enjoyed his researches of the slang.) He is hired to investigate claims of innocence by a painter named Charles Corday, who is imprisoned in Newgate for raping and murdering a Countess. It is expected that Sandman will make a cursory interview, conclude that Corday is indeed guilty, and the matter will be closed. Corday is sentenced to hang in seven days. Instead, Sandman's interview with Corday leads him to the opposite conclusion - that the artist is probably innocent. Sandman finds he has seven days to find the true culprit.

The mystery/detecting part of the novel was rather straightforward. Sandman interviews a few witnesses and has several adventures. But the plot isn't the best part of the novel, instead, it is the well drawn set of characters that Cornwell introduces to us that make this a worthwhile read. Sandman, the barmaid Sally, Sergeant Berrigan, beautiful ex-fiancee Eleanor, the pipe smoking Reverend Lord Alexander Pleydell - every one of these characters has a distinct personality. It makes it easy to get involved in the novel because these are people you care about.

Other than the people, I also liked Cornwell's descriptions of England. Every scene sounds authentic, every detail rings true. We learn about English plays, carriages, language, even the rope used to hang the criminals - Cornwell shows everything to us without making it read like drab research. We learn that citizens hid fishhooks in their pockets to foil the pickpockets, and that thieves would slash the luggage off of the back of carriages. His description of Newgate prison and the justice system is especially good. I finished this book in two days, I thought it was enjoyable all the way through. I wished it didn't end so quickly though.

One of Cornwell's finest. It is London in 1820, an England of much poverty, social injustice and social ills, and the gallows are busier than they have ever been in England with men and women hung for a variety of crimes without distinction between foul murder and petty theft.
A tragic scene at the beginning of the novel made a great impression on me, where an innocent young girl, a maidservant, is hung for having allegedly stolen a pearl necklace and her protestations of innocence ignored. This was one of the saddest scenes I have read in an historical novel.
Enter , Captain Rider Sandman, formerly of His Majesty's 52nd Regiment of Foot, who is commissioned by the Ministry of Home Affairs to investigate a case where a young homosexual artist, Charles Corday has been sentenced to death for the murder of the Countess of Avebu, but he is innocent of the crime,. Sandman has fallen on hard times, and has seen his engagement to a young countess, Eleanor, broken off due to his reduced circumstances, He enlists the help of a beautiful young cockney actress, Sally Hood, the rough and ready Sargeant Berrigan and Sandman's fiancee Eleanor to help him solve this case and save Corday from the gallows. He is set up against a sinister gang of aristocrats known as the Seraphim Club, who will stop at nothing to prevent him revealing the truth,
This is a fine, fast paced, action packed, intriguing, well crafted and page turning cracker of a historic detective novel. As well as this it gives us a penetrating look in social issues of the Regency Period, such as Capital Punishment, social ills, and rank money and influence.

The main character, Rider Sandman, has just returned to England after the defeat of Napoleon. His family is in disgrace due to his father's suicide. His family's finances in ruins, Rider has sold his commission to raise money to support his mother and sister. Additionally, Rider's engagement to the daughter of a wealthy London banker has been ended due to Rider's poor financial prospects.

Rider is summoned to the office of the Home Secretary. It seems that the Queen has taken an interest in the case of a young artist who is condemned to the gallows for murder. Rider is given temporary employment investigating the crime to determine if there is proof that the artist should not be hanged.

What follows is a page turning story in which the author describes London in 1817 as Rider investigates the crime: the injustice of the gallows, the snobbery of the upper classes, and the plight of the common people.

Bernard Cornwell is one of my favorite authors. He has authored several historical fiction series. What I like about Cornwell's writing style is that he moves the plot forward with each page and chapter. He includes enough description so that the reader understands the action and setting without attempting to impress the reader with the depth of his research.

I have enjoyed some of Cornwell's "Sharpe" series and this book, set in the same time period, shares many of their virtues -- and flaws.
Virtues: Cornwell knows how to create an appealing protagonist, in this case Rider Sandman, a former infantry officer newly returned to civilian life after playing a hero's part at the Battle of Waterloo.
Cornwell also knows how to construct a plot that keeps the reader reading -- although there's never a moment's doubt that good will triumph and evil be confounded.
Last and best is the wealth of historical research that goes into these novels. Cornwell makes you feel what it's like to witness a public hanging at Newgate -- you smell the stench of the prison and are appalled at the dreadful cruelty of the punishment. He must be one of the world's foremost experts on Waterloo and seems to have equal expertise on the early history of cricket.
Flaws: Cornwell is not a great prose stylist. His writing is workmanlike and rarely rises above that. The plot, as I alluded to above, lacks suspense and there is a kind of mechanical feel to this book. Cornwell is tremendously prolific. That can be both a good or bad thing.
Bottom line: I bought this for a couple of bucks at a second-hand bookstore for a rainy weekend and consider if money well spent.
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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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How I have, for so long, overlooked authors such as Bernard Cornwell, when I am such a fan of historical novels, is now a mystery to me.

Having never read any of his works, I finally purchased a copy of one of his numerous books, Gallows Thief, and have now completed it, to my delight, with a desire to read much, much more.

Rider Sandman (honestly though, do all novelistic 'leading men' have to have names like this?), former soldier and cricketeer, is called to the duty of the Home Secretary in the early 19th century to investigate certain doubts surrounding the guilt of a convicted murderer before he is hanged. Suffering from disgrace and debt left behind by the suicide of his father, and nursing a broken heart that has resulted from a broken engagement (due to his diminished standing in society and poverty), Sandman accepts the commission from the Home Secretary, and begins his analysis of the situation.

Sandman finds, almost immediately, that there is no question in his mind of the condemned man's innocence, and despite the underwhelming interest he encounters in seeking justice for a tried and convicted man, Sandman sets out to prove the true identity of the murderer, and set the innocent man free, making himself a 'gallows thief', or one who snatches a condemned person from the noose before the hanging can be carried out of completed.

Though just shy of 300 pages in length, Mr. Cornwell wastes no time in spinning and unravelling his historical mystery to great effect. The result is an engaging and entertaining novel, unburdened by extraneous and unimportant characters and sub-plots that lead nowhere. True, not every character is as tantamount to the resolution of the story as others are, yet each character does play a role in Sandman's investigation,...in one way or another.

A wonderful story, easy to follow and digest....Gallows Thief is merely the first step I have taken into enjoying the historical novels of Bernard Cornwell.

Those familiar with Cornwell's many historical series will get more or less what they expect from this latest effort: a plot-driven story featuring a rugged, likable hero who must use his wits and skill at arms to defeat dastardly villains, all spiced with a bit of romance and plenty of period detail. Set in 1817, following the defeat of Napoleon, we meet Captain Rider Sandman, late of the 52nd Foot Regiment. His father's massive fraud and subsequent suicide have forced Sandman to sell his commission in order to maintain his mother and sister in at least semi-respectable style. Meanwhile, Sandman is forced to lodge in a shabby room above a "flash" London tavern, hoping to find some kind of respectable work while he ekes out a living as a professional cricket player.

A friend recommends him to the Home Secretary, who offers Sandman short-term prospects as a special investigator. He is to investigate an appeal from a "death row" inmate, a portrait painter convicted of the rape and murder of a Countess. He is expected to rubber-stamp the conviction by eliciting a confession from the petitioner, but those who know Cornwell's work won't be surprised when Sandman instead believes the painter's protestations of innocence and sets out to reinvestigate the murder. Soon, his poking and prodding places him in conflict with powerful and wealthy interests, and things become increasingly perilous as he races against time to find the real culprit and prove the painter's innocence.

It's a serviceable enough mystery, and Cornwell's command of the era enables him to bring Regency-era society vividly to life with. There is some nice detail on "flash" (underworld) slang, the ineptitude of the legal system, the horror of capital punishment by hanging, and even cricket (there's not nearly as much cricket in the book as some reviewers insinuate, it's really a very minor element). Like most of Cornwell's books, it's all about plot and period; the characters aren't particularly complex, and there are perhaps a coincidence or two too many to help Sandman along. Still, it's a lively, easy-to-read, historical entertainment which leaves plenty of setup for further Rider Sandman adventures.

I really do hope that "Gallows Thief" is the first book in a projected series. It was such a swashbucklingly good read, full of ambiance that's really evocative of the age, and a parade of lovingly detailed characters (both the good and the creepy) that stayed with me long after I finished the book. Definitely, "Gallows Thief" is a must read for all historical mystery fans.
Charles Corday, a young portrait painter has been found guilty of the rape and murder of Lady Avebury, whose portrait he was in the process of painting, and he is to hang in a weeks' time. However, Corday also happens to be the son of the Queen's seamstress. And the seamstress has petitioned the Queen for the case to be reinvestigated, and Lord Sidmouth, the Secretary of State in the Home Department is not happy at all. HE is sure of Corday's guilt and that the case was properly investigated, and is rather affronted that political pressure has been applied for Corday's guilt (or lack of) to be confirmed. He needs someone to do a pro-forma investigation -- to go through the motions, not create and waves and not to uncover any new evidence, but to merely reconfirm Corday's guilt. And the man that Sidmouth has been recommended for such a job happens to be Rider Sandman, a veteran of the Peninsula campaign, who happens to be currently without a job or funds. The job is a temporary one, but the reward for a job well done is substantial. And so Sandman accepts the commission and sets of for the Old Bailey in order to interview Corday and wring a confession out of him. What he finds however is a pathetic creature who (in Sandman's mind at least) seems an unlikely rapist-murderer. Corday further flabbergasts Sandman by claiming that he was never alone with the Countess and that her maid was always with them as a chaperone. Said maid has since disappeared, thus was unable to provide Corday with an alibi. Confused, Sandman is unsure what his next course of action should be -- should he ignore what Corday's claims or should he look for the mysteriously missing maid? With the help of some rather unlikely characters (his good friend, the Reverend Lord Alexander Pleydell, and actress Sally Hood) Sandman begins his unsolicited quest for the truth.
"Gallows Thief" was a truly fun and absorbing read. Bernard Cornwell really made England of the early 19th century come alive -- the sights and sounds and smells and the feel ... it was all there. If you're looking for a good historical novel that gives consideration to the social and political realities of the time, you'll be more than satisfied with this book. The plot unfolded in a brisk and smooth manner, and I was so caught up with what was going on, that I fairly devoured the book in one go! And the hero of this book (hopefully series) is bound to engage as well -- kind, honest, noble yet proud -- very much the white knight of detecting! All in all, "Gallows Thief" is a terrifically good and exciting read, and one that (esp if you are a Regency mystery addict) should not be missed.

Bernard Cornwell has ranged over a vast time and space in his tales. In some he succeeds, as the regiments of fans of his Sharpe series will attest. In others he has swung and missed.
So I approached this latest book with an open mind, not knowing whether I would race through it or put it down unfinished.
I am happy to say that Cornwell has made a solid hit with this story. It is steadily paced action, building tension every step of the way until the very end, and it is very hard to put down without wanting to get back to see what happens next.
The setting is London, post Waterloo, and at times the reader almost gags from the stink of open sewers and corruption high and low. It opens with a gruesome execution at Newgate Prison and ends with another, the tension reaching an unbearable point as the last chapter echoes the first and we feel the dread of the condemned at each step along the final walk from cell to scaffold.
In between, we follow a new character, Captain Sandman, as he gains allies and enemies investigating a murder mystery. I hope we see more of him, and I rather think we will, as Cornwell leaves some plot strands dangling to be picked up again in the next novel.
Underlying the action and tension there is a wealth of historical information and an examination of the system of crime and punishment in Georgian England. Never rammed down our throats, nor sugar-coated, but it is there, and we may think some deep thoughts along the way.
All in all, this latest book is tightly written, filled with action, romance and tension. Strongly evocative of the place and time, and another big tick for Bernard Cornwell.

A insight into the life of England following the defeat of the French. Class and money separated the aristocratic society from the rest of the population. Money was the key and aristocrats needed it also, so the society used the law to tilt the outcome to the upper class. Cromwell weaves a fast paced tale describing the conflict between the classes. Worth a read.

The Gallows Thief is enriched by excellent period research but not overwhelmed by it. Bernard Cornwell is a brilliant writer who knows how to weave research throughout his narrative to give a Regency feel but still make it comprehensible to modern readers who may not have a Regency sensibility. The characters are well-rounded, interesting, and grab the reader's imagination. Captain Rider Sandman is the consummate Regency hero, intelligent, physically brave, craggily handsome, sympathetic to the plight of others. Here he is forced to work for his living -- demoting him from the ranks of gentlemen -- to support himself, his widowed mother, and sister. His father, a suicide, gambled and speculated away the sizable family fortune and lands and it is now up to his son to try to make things right, beginning with paying off tradesmen devastated by their losses. A gallows thief saves those sentenced to death by hanging. The fascinating twist to this mystery is that the sentenced rapist/murder, Charles Corday/aka/Cruttwell, is not a likable character. Despite his own feelings toward Corday, Sandman is soon convinced of his innocence and sets out to prove it. The action is non-stop and the book impossible to put down. I could not recommend this more highly as both a fan of Regency-set novels and an author myself of Regency fiction. Please, HarperCollins, offer Cornwell a contract for more Sandman novels! We want to know what happens to him and to all the equally marvelous secondary characters Cornwell has introduced. Jack Hood, the dishy highwayman, certainly deserves a plot of his own! And, whatever your opinion concerning capital punishment, the cruel practice of hanging will give you food for thought. Hanged for stealing a watch? For your mistress's pearls, even though you didn't do it? The descriptions of hanging are not for those who don't have strong stomachs, but this did happen, and often (between 1816 and 1820, there were over 100 hangings a year, most for robbery). This novel is set in 1817.

I confess I greatly enjoy Cornwell's "Sharpe" books, and this stand along novel is just a excellent as those. The book is set a year or so after Waterloo and concerns a very noble Captain Sandman who is tasked to investigate a murder to ease the conscious of the courts. No one expects Sandman to do anything but sign off on the pending execution but our hero begins to learn there is much more to the investigation than anyone understood, or wanted to admit.

Cornwell make use of his vast historical knowledge and we are immersed in the life of London from any number of points of view. Sandman is a once noble now poor working man who takes on the job of a court investigator initially as he needs the money. Thru him, we see life from the lowest of the low to the very wealth and entitled.

The books reads itself, never slowly down and accessible to anyone. A colorful and fully realized cast of characters. If you are a fan of the Sharpe books, you will feel right at home as many of the characters of this book fought in many of his famously documented battles.

Sandman could "almost" be Sharpe, if seen from a different light.

This is much more than a historical whodonit. Sandman, the hero, has just suffered a reverse of fortune when the story begins: his father has committed suicide because he was bankrupted, and has left his family without a penny. All the plans that Sandman had for the future have been destroyed, including his intention to marry a beautiful, intelligent and rich heiress. He finds himself living in the worst part of London, sharing the squalor and appalling conditions of life with the "dregs" of society. The author makes a wonderful work of describing these (without being too sordid), from the point of view of one who, until recently, belonged to the privileged class. In fact the main character learns a lot about this formerly hidden aspect of his society. And it is one of the triumphs of the novel that he will only redeem himself, and find a new place in society, when (with the help of these same "dregs", including a highwayman, a girl who is on the path to whoredom and an ex-soldier thug) he undoes a terrible unjustice (the whodonit aspect of the novel)while always trying to keep his moral standards which, as he learns, are not necessarily kept by the higher society people for whose only benefit, it seems, the "justice" of his country is made. It is this rigid moral code of the hero, which he follows even when he deals with "scum", what endears him to us, what helps him find good qualities in "low" people and bad qualities in "high" people, and what finally makes him get out of the cul-de-sac where he finds himself at the beginning of the story. I loved it!

... In Bernard Cornwell's "Gallows Thief" the author changes gears abit (as well as genres) and give us a historical mystery procedural that is worthy of its classification. ... Set in Regency England, the book introduces us to Sandman, a hero of the Battle of Waterloo, who returns home to find his father's lost the family fortune (and committed suicide) and accompanying social standing. Rider is unemployed and, having previously sold his commission,is without a penny. His fiancee has canceled their wedding plans and he finds himself housed in a Drury Lane hotel of dire repute, or "flash house."
But all is not lost. His skills as a cricket player, plus his ties with friends in high places, count for something, so it's not as if he has to sell himself on the streets. Well, almost, anyway. He is recommended to the Home Secretary to look into a petition from the mother of a young man who's been found guilty of murder and is only days from being hanged. His job is to ascertain that justice has been served and then the sentence can be carried out. Sandman takes the employment and, being the honest and justice-minded soul he is, soon begins having doubts as to the young man's guilt. Slowly, he enlists an intrepid band of partners and they progress through the case: Berrigan, a former sergeant also of the Waterloo campaign; his friend Lord Alexander; Miss Sally Hood, an actress and model; and Eleanor, the aforementioned former fiancee. However, as they have only seven days to find "cause" to overturn the conviction, they have to work with full speed ahead.
Along the way, Cornwell's consummate research/background material support the general plot outline in typical Coarnwellian fashion. The author does not hesitate to dwell upon the abject social situations abounding in early 19th century England, from the court and prison systems to the religious areas. The social significance that he addresses does not go amiss, especially the zeal for the courts to hang as many as they can, ostensibly to deter crime. Sandman and other free thinkers have difficulty accepting this concept. "They don't hang as many in Scotland as we do in England and Wales. Yet, I believe the murder rate is no higher.Strange, wouldn't you say?" asks one of the characters.
But the strength of "Gallows Thief" is in the presentation of Rider Sandman, a good, healthy, lively man who is not content to tolerate these unacceptable conditions of the human spirit, naive man that he sometimes is. He has a good heart (even though he thinks it's broken!).
The book progresses well, for the most part, and it certainly leads one to believe that, surely, this is the first of a long series. History it is, but with a twist; it's England, warts and all. A good read. ...

England 1817, and an effete young artist is accused of the rape and murder of the wayward wife of a powerful man - the only possible sentence in these times is the gallows; but his mother has influence and secures an appeal, so as a palliative, Captain Sandman is hired to 'investigate' - i.e. confirm the Court's decision.
Unfortunately, Sandman is a man of principle, and he smells a rat - so when the apparently open-and-shut case proves to be more than it appears, he only has 6 more days to snatch the artist from the hangman.
However, he is less than qualified to achieve this goal, his only assets being his breeding, an explosive temper and a sense of justice. Not much ammunition, especially as the conspiracy involves some very vindictive and influential people.
The story rattles along at a great pace, with plenty of intrigue, mystery and sub-plots, some romance and a good grasp of the mores and values of Georgian society - as one would expect from someone with Mr. Cornwell's portfolio. The suspense of the last chapter is nail-biting and also ties up some annoying apparent inconsistencies in the plot
.
As usual with Mr. Cornwell's books, the historical facts behind the fiction, along with some other interesting references, are outlined in an appended note.
An excellent read; highly recommended. *****

I highly recommend this intelligent and exciting novel set in Regency England. Bernard Cornwell has given us an insolvent war hero, who also is an outstanding cricket player, recruited (on request of the queen) to determine if a man condemned to die is actually guilty of murder. The opening chapter of the book takes the reader to a hanging and follows it up with a breakfast of kidneys -- a most memorable start for this breakneck paced mystery. Rider Sandman is a very likeable hero, ethical in the extreme, who will not rest until he finds out who indeed murdered the lightskirted wife of an English nobleman. In the process, he recruits a former soldier, an opera girl and her highwayman brother, as well as friends who knew him before his father disgraced the family name and lost the family fortune. Along the way, he has to deal with conflicted feelings about his former love, whose parents forced the young lady in question to break off her engagment to Sandman when his father committed suicide. This book takes the reader from the city of London to the countryside and back again, with some side trips to the cricket field. According to the author's website, there are many fans who hope for a sequel to "Gallows Thief," however Mr Cornwell is not committing himself at this time. We live in hope!

Gallows Thief is a good book, filled with interesting characters and great scenes. Cornwell is a master at bringing the scene to life with vivid descriptions that make the reader feel, and in the case of Gallows Thief smell, like they are in the middle of the story. Rider Sandman the hero of Waterloo finds himself down and out in London with few prospects for employment, when he is asked by the Home Secretary to "investigate" the circumstances surrounding a murder; he can earn a month's pay in a week. Sandman takes the job only to find that the murder is far from the open and shut case that it first appears. In his attempt to prove the innocence of a condemned man Sandman meets several interesting characters as the reader is taken across London and into the country side to Kent. Cornwell does his usual brilliant job of bringing the story to life. It is an interesting and entertaining mystery. I found that I figured out the plot twist before it was totally revealed but I did not make all the connections that the author lays out. Gallows Thief is a fun read and a good break from some of Cornwell's longer series.

This is a new departure for the author, an historical whodunnit set in 1817. It works very well - for my money the best thing he's done in recent years. The atmosphere is spot on, the plot is well worked out, character and dialog ring just right. It makes for a real page-turner, almost (but not quite) in the class of vintage Sharpe.
The leading character is a sort of upmarket Richard Sharpe: ex-Captain Rider Sandman, impoverished hero of the Peninsular War and Waterloo, a gentleman. Even the tough sidekick who gets co-opted after the usual teething troubles is a tad upmarket: an ex-Sergeant of the First (Grenadier) Guards. Their task is to re-investigate the murder of a beautiful Countess (former 'actress'), for which a hapless young fellow has been railroaded and is due to hang in a week. The trail leads from London low-life to the heights of society, and it's well worth following. I hope this is the start of a new series, although I don't quite see where it will go from here.
Two warnings: if you like big battles, or even small ones, sorry, this is different - there aren't any (for me that isn't essential even in Sharpe stories). And there's quite a lot of talk about cricket, but it's only incidental (think of it as a superior kind of baseball).

Better known for his Richard Sharpe series, Cornwell, nevertheless, scores big with Gallow's Thief. Historical fiction, it is set in London, two years after Waterloo. It has all the usual ingredients of a sucessful historical (or detective, or mystery) novel - action, intrique, murder, sex, mystery. While the book does tend to formula in it's detective work (The backhanded compliment to Sherlock Holmes is appreciated.), all that is overcome by a wonderful cast of characters.
Captain Rider Sandman is honorable, brave, consentious and, of course, poor as a church mouse. In order to keep body and soul together, he accepts the job of Inspector. In this case, he is given the uneviable task of determining the guilt or innocence of an already condemned man.
Sandman's allies are a disparate group. Sally Hood, actress and sometime model for various painters, is Sandman's tutor in the slang and life of London's slums. Her want-to-be beau and eventually Sandman's strong right arm is the very capable Sergent Berrigan. Her elusive and mysterious brother is Jack a.k.a. Robin Hood, a notorious Highwayman. The club-footed Lord Alexander is his true, if somewhat flighty friend. Finally, there is Eleanor, Sandman's somtime finace. To add a bit more spice, Eleanor and Sandman are still desparately in love dispite her mother's objections.
The opposition is rich, arrogant, and devoid of all scruples or any sense of honor. Members of the Seraphim Club consider themselves too rich or too well born to be subject to the law.
The chase for the truth careens through the upper crust of English society, the slums of London and the normally bucolic English countryside. It is a wild and intriguing ride.

This is a well-written, enjoyable historical mystery that is set in Regency England. Rider Sandman, a gentleman whose life has been upended by his father's suicide and the exorbitant debts he left behind, returns home from having fought at Waterloo and tries to live down his family's disgrace. Trying to make right of what went wrong by paying back some of his father's debts, Sandman finds it a hard world, indeed, as he struggles to maintain a certain civility in the face of poverty and a broken engagement. When he is commissioned by the Home Secretary, due to an interest evinced by Queen Charlotte, to look into the case of a young painter, Charles Corday, who has been found guilty of murder and sentenced to hang, Sandman is in no financial position to say no, even though he has never before been called upon to conduct an investigation into a criminal matter.

At first, Sandman goes through the motions, but he quickly becomes involved in the matter as all is not what it seems. Moreover, it soon becomes apparent that it is a case in which an innocent young man's life hangs in the balance. Sandman is galvanized to action, taking the reader on a rousing adventure, as time relentlessly ticks on, propelling young Corday towards his doom. Sandman's investigation takes him from the depths of the hell known as Newgate Prison to the sumptuous homes of the nobility.

The story is replete with historical details, from the procedures for the hanging of prisoners to language used by the underworld of the period. The ambience of the novel rings true, and those who enjoy historical mysteries will appreciate the care and attention that the author has given to this novel. The book left me wanting a sequel, as it was that enjoyable.

Sharpe fans will no doubt enjoy this little romp to the gallows. Rider Sandman, the protagonist, shares many of Sharpe's characteristics - the deep sense of ethics, the gallantry, and, of course, the murderous rage. (Cornwell even manages a loyal Sergeant to replace Harper.) In this novel, the penniless Sandman, a veteran of the Napoleonic wars, is hired to investigate the conviction of a young painter who has been found guilty of rape and murder. It goes without saying that the man is innocent, so to some degree the novel is a who-dunnit. But it is also an excuse for Cornwell to immerse us in the corruption of the British 19th-century judicial system, which he does to a large - perhaps, too large - extent. Cornwell is a wonderful, fluent writer, but at times he tends to lapse into pedantry. And this is one of those times. Too much attention is devoted to explaining "flash," the thieves' argot of the times, and too much to damning the judicial system (and way, way too much to the intricacies of cricket) at the expense of developing Sandman's character. The book has the characteristics of the beginning of a series, but although I enjoyed it, I rather hope Sandman's career as a detective ends here. Unless Cornwell can somehow expand Sandman's character, any future books will make for far less interesting reading than the Sharpe series.

John Keane in his book "Tom Paine" wrote that: "Among he supreme ironies of the (late 18th and early 19th centuries)... was that England, renowed as the home of liberty and good government, was imposing Europe's most barbarous criminal code on a population that was among the least violent in the region."
Bernard Cornwell, as he has done in his Richard Sharp series, bases this book loosely on a historical event, here it is the widespread imposition of the death penalty in England in the past. By 1820, the author points out that there were more than two hundred capital crimes in England, most of which were crimes against property, including such minor offenses as the theft of an orange or a loaf of bread. This great expansion of capital crimes is something that is not taught in school as part of the history of the industrial revolution in England. These executions were carried out to protect the property of the new class of industrial capitalist. Hanging a thief meant that he or she could not steal again.
Cornwell does a good job in describing the circus-like atmosphere surrounding these hangings. Crowds flocked to watch.
Vendors sold food and souveniers. The hangman sold pieces of the rope he used. Cornwell also depicts the brutality of hanging.
It was a slow agonizing death in many cases. Today, botched executions by lethal injection has resulted in similar deaths.
I hope the author uses his protagonist in this book. An
individual who literally cheated the gallows by investigating a murder case to find evidence to prevent the hanging of an innocent person charged with murder. Cornwell deftly intertwines a murder mystery with a twist to keep the reader in suspense as to who the murderer is.
Using fiction to depict the brutality of capital punishment as a backdrop for a good mystery story is one good way to show up the uncivilized hangover of murder by government.

I'd rate the first half or so 4 stars, the second half 2 stars.
The first half does a good job of portraying the very thin
veneer between the upper classes and the lower classes--the
upper crust being, by and large, as corrupt as those who are
in the condemned cells in Newgate Prison--but the upper class
people very rarely are punished for the crimes that the lower
classes are hanged or transported for. The hero, Rider Sandman,
mixes between the two classes well.
The second half of the book starts to wander: there is less
of historical/sociological interest as Sandman gathers his team
to uncover the real murderer. The climax--let me put that in
quotes "climax" --is a last-minute, last-second race to get a
reprieve for the wrongly accused man and rescue him from the
gallows. This last-minute race to save an innocent person from
execution has been overworked to death in novels--it always seems
that the reprieve is at the last second, rather than a day or a
week before the execution--this has come to resemble the almost
inevitable car chase in action movies--original variations of
car chases are few and far between. So the interest generated by
the first half of the book is not sustained in the second half.

Bernard Cornwell, famous for his Sharpe series, has now ventured into the historical whodunnit genre. While it was a good book overall, this reviewer felt that it was quite lightweight.
The protagonist, Rider Sandman, has been tasked by the Home Secretary to determine the guilt or innocence of Charles Corday, due to be hanged in a week. The more Sandman investigates, the more convinced he is of Corday's innocence. But to steal Corday away from the gallows (hence the title) Sandman has to present hard evidence to the Home Secretary.
There is nothing special about the characters in the book. Sandman is well rounded enough. He is more Poirot than Sam Spade; honest, intelligent and principled. Endearing to him will not be difficult.
However, the rest of the cast seem like stock characters from any novel set in the 19th century. The rogue, the wench, a couple of rich aristocrats with manners of a pig...they're all there. There's even a surprise witness who naturally doesnt turn up till the end of the book to wrap things up nice and neat.
All in all, veterans of crime fiction may not be impressed with this simple effort. Fans of Cornwell might want to try it for no other reason other than because it was written by their favourite author. But if you want to wait for the cheaper paperback version, I wont blame you.
A 3 star book.

I'd rate the first half or so 4 stars, the second half 2 stars.
The first half does a good job of portraying the very thin
veneer between the upper classes and the lower classes--the
upper crust being, by and large, as corrupt as those who are
in the condemned cells in Newgate Prison--but the upper class
people very rarely are punished for the crimes that the lower
classes are hanged or transported for. The hero, Rider Sandman,
mixes between the two classes well.
The second half of the book starts to wander: there is less
of historical/sociological interest as Sandman gathers his team
to uncover the real murderer. The climax--let me put that in
quotes "climax" --is a last-minute, last-second race to get a
reprieve for the wrongly accused man and rescue him from the
gallows. This last-minute race to save an innocent person from
execution has been overworked to death in novels--it always seems
that the reprieve is at the last second, rather than a day or a
week before the execution--this has come to resemble the almost
inevitable car chase in action movies--original variations of
car chases are few and far between. So the interest generated by
the first half of the book is not sustained in the second half.

Bernard Cornwell, famous for his Sharpe series, has now ventured into the historical whodunnit genre. While it was a good book overall, this reviewer felt that it was quite lightweight.
The protagonist, Rider Sandman, has been tasked by the Home Secretary to determine the guilt or innocence of Charles Corday, due to be hanged in a week. The more Sandman investigates, the more convinced he is of Corday's innocence. But to steal Corday away from the gallows (hence the title) Sandman has to present hard evidence to the Home Secretary.
There is nothing special about the characters in the book. Sandman is well rounded enough. He is more Poirot than Sam Spade; honest, intelligent and principled. Endearing to him will not be difficult.
However, the rest of the cast seem like stock characters from any novel set in the 19th century. The rogue, the wench, a couple of rich aristocrats with manners of a pig...they're all there. There's even a surprise witness who naturally doesnt turn up till the end of the book to wrap things up nice and neat.
All in all, veterans of crime fiction may not be impressed with this simple effort. Fans of Cornwell might want to try it for no other reason other than because it was written by their favourite author. But if you want to wait for the cheaper paperback version, I wont blame you.
A 3 star book.

Bernard Cornwell's novels are always so much fun to read! Every book he writes makes the reader a time traveller in which the setting, characterization, dialogue, social mores and culture are flawlessly presented within an absorbing plot.
In THE GALLOWS THIEF, the reader witnesses the brutality, degradation, and fallibility of Britain's capital punishment statutes in the 19th century. Punishment is swift but there is also the possibility of the inevitable, that an innocent man will be hanged. The questions and problems that Cornwell presents in this entertaining, yet thought-provoking story are similar to modern day arguments against capital punishment. However Cornwell has created a drama with interesting characters and realistic dialogue that educates while it entertains.

Great historical story that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the bitter end. Rider Sandman, a Captain in the Army during the Napoleonic wars, has returned home and sold his commission to support his mother and his sister. Captain Sandman is searching for work and is commissioned to search out the veracity of the guilt of a painter, Christopher Corday, who will hang on the gallows if Captain Sandman can not find the actual murderer. The author captures the sights, sounds, and smells of Regency England in this dark and suspenseful story. I loved every bit of the story but the very graphic descriptions of the those condemned to hang is very gruesome. A compelling historical novel.

Gallows Thief is a historical mystery set in early nineteenth century Britain. Full of snappy dialogue and marvelous period detail, the plot rattles along. The characters aren't fantastically deep, but they're entertaining, and Cornwell does a better job with women here than in some of his other books. While the mystery plot isn't wildly original, the book has more than enough unique qualities to keep it interesting. The descriptions of the gallows and the penal system are grim and the denouement is breathless. I was especially impressed that Cornwell managed to write this very successful book without ever resorting to what's arguably his greatest skill, huge gory battle scenes. It's an entertaining book and I recommend it.

This novel is long on period detail, full of amusing slang from the London underworld of the 1800's, replete with stock characters and is the kind of story you forget almost as soon as you've read it. Having authored the incredibly engrossing and believable Richard Sharpe novels, and some other series not as good, why Bernard Cornwell ventured into the field of "period" mystery is the real mystery.
He is a much better writer than this novel would have a first time reader of his work think. Altogether the kind of book that you'd take to the beach. If you lose it in the sand and don't get to finish it, no big deal. One thing: If you're interested in cricket, the game not the insect, you're going to learn more about it than you ever wanted to know. (For a better explanation of this unique game, I'd recommend "How I Won the War" by Patrick Ryan, which has the added advantage of being humorous.)

Life all of Bernard Cornwell's books that I have read I like this book but as with Stonehenge he writes better when spreading the story out over a long period of time making it a series. In the Warlord stories, the Saxon Chronicles, The Archer's Tale or the Sharp stories all the characters are given time to find their own voice.

This does not happen here don't get me wrong the environment and characters still have life and in their own way are distinctly different from Cornwell's other works but at the end of this great story you are eagerly looking forward to the second book something you know will not be delivered.

Bernard Cornwell is best known for several trilogies and the Richard Sharpe series; with the historical plots typically centered on famous/infamous battles.

That is why Gallow's Thief is particularly interesting, since it is a mystery set within an historical framework. Do not think for one moment that you will budget small amounts of time to get through the book.

Cornwell draws you into solving a killing through the main character, Capt. Sandman - a veteran from the Battle of Waterloo - and his band of "merry person's," including a woman whose brother is Robin Hood.

The writing is concise and poignant to issues confronted in society today. History does repeat itself, especially when it comes to the wealthy manipulating the legal system.

Mainstream historical fiction writer Bernard Cornwell gives us a romp this time, and a good one. This is in essence a detective story set in London, full of likeable good guys, adorable female sidekicks, annoying male sidekicks and not so intelligent bad guys.

The setting and descriptions are exceptional. You feel you are next to Ryder Sandman trying to solve the mystery. This does not have the roaring battle scenes we are accustomed to see in Cornwell's books, but have plenty of action and twists.

If you like historical fiction and are looking for a little light entertainment you will enjoy Gallows Thief.

Cornwell simply cannot be outdone in the historical adventure genre. While thoroughly describing the nature of the times with encyclopedic detail, we are never bogged down in dry facts: we can smell the noxious fumes of Newgate Prison, feel the disgrace heaped upon Sandman over his father's suicide and subsequent family downfall, worry over the skewed justice system that hangs for both petty thievery and grisly murder. We are aided in knowing the customs and colloquialisms of the middle and lower classes in that they are equally foreign to Sandman; we learn right along with him.
If you are a Sharpe fan, don't expect nail-biting, in-your-face battles and sieges. While our hero, Rider Sandman, resides in the same era, he is no comparison to Sharpe in personality or vocation; this is strictly a murder mystery. Although no real clues per se, the journey to finding the killer is nonetheless enjoyable, both plot and characters full-fledged and engaging. This story is more about how Sandman deals with his new station in society, the varying strata of society, and the nature of people he meets and befriends throughout than it is about `who done it'. I would have liked to have seen more of the mysterious Jack "Robin" Hood, but Sandman's other allies make for a disparate, likable enough crowd.
My one complaint is the anti-climatic ending. The suspense of the innocent's imminent death was irritatingly interrupted by hangman's procedures that had already been fully and adequately described in the beginning. The constant back and forth between the final "chase scene" and the hanging ruined the tension; you'd miss nothing if you skipped over the prison scenes at the end to get to the good stuff.

A "poor" aristocrat takes a job on with the gallows in London and is exposed to the underbelly of noble society while trying to save a man from execution who he suspects is innocent.

It has the usual Bernard Cornwell quality.

Audio Go presents this one and Sean Barrett delivers a wonderful variety of "British" voices.

This was my first Cornwall novel and it won't be my last. I thoroughly enjoyed this fast moving historical fiction/mystery set in early 1800s England. The main character, Rider Sandman, a hero from Waterloo, is down on his luck but finds himself investigating a murder that no one wants solved. The "murderer" has been tried, convicted, and sentenced to hang, but Sandman discovers that the condemned is most likely innocent. The book is part mystery, part history and lots of fun. Its an easy and enjoyable read. Highly recommended.

Gallows Thief

God I love the names Cornwell give his characters. Rider Sandman ex Captain British Army, veteran of Waterloo, has taken his new job as a 19th century investigator. His first assignment is to investigate the "murder?" of a wealthy Countess. The investigation takes him on a chase across post Napoleonic England where he encounters roadblocks at almost every turn. It is funny to think in these days of electronic communication how this could possible be done. Cornwell takes us along for a ride I must admit I was not sure about until I grew to love the characters once again. He can paint a character into a readers mind so effortlessly that you are truly sorry when the last page has been turned. I do hope that Sandman makes return visits with more adventures. God knows that the this period of history has endless stories of this kind for the author to draw upon for future sequels. I pray it is the case. We need more from Cornwell the world is not the same without his heroes.

This was the first time I read anything by Bernard Cornwell and enjoyed it thoroughly. I'm actually hoping that there will be a subsequent book in order to get to know the chacaters better. The subject matter was dark but appreciated the information provided by the author at the end of the book regarding hanging practices in England during the time period of the book, as well as the practices of sending prisoners to Australia. I would definitely recommend this book to a friend.

This was a solid mystery with typically rich historical details. Cornwell's prose never disappoints, so crisp and well-edited. I liked the characters, too. I figured out whodunit before it was revealed, but not too early to spoil it. Maybe not Cornwell's absolute best, but if you like his other work, or if you like mysteries, you probably won't be disappointed.

I truly enjoy reading the spectacular novels written by Bernard Cornwell. He is an amazing, articulate storyteller and, so far, I have not read anything by him that I haven't loved. The Gallows Thief was an excellent read. Well done.

The first Cornwell book I've read, but it won't be the last. Great character development, good dialog and an interesting story. The prose was detailed enough to transport your mind to that era without slowing down the story. A few too many $64 words (editors must get paid extra for those), but not enough to distract.

Excellent read but I was wondering if the author will do a follow on for this book as I'd love to read more about the characters and their further adventures. Hopefully another book is being planned?

This book took me to early 1800's, London, England. The smells, sounds, the customs, the mindset. I really enjoyed the story as well. The author did a great job with the details that make all the difference. Great read!

The book jacket ends with this quote, "Gallows Thief combines the rich historical of ... and the taut suspense of ... to create an eviscerating portrait of capital punishment in nineteenth century London" This is my first of his books and he wastes his considerable story-telling skill on his oposition to inherited wealth and capital punishment.
The 'evil' characters lack any depth, the poor and lawless are 'better' than the upper classes. His descriptions of the evils of Newgate Prison, guards and executioners goes on and on.
I've just started reading historical mysteries and am really enjoying them - disappointed in this one.

This is the first Cornwell book I have read. It was excellent. If you like historical fiction you will be enthralled. The characters are well developed and the story moves quickly. The history of Newgate was facinating.

This book has been out for a while, and for the entire time that I read it, I couldn’t wait to see what other adventures awaited in more Rider Sandman books. Imagine my dismay when I discovered that so far, this is a standalone book for such a great hero.

Like his more well-known hero Richard Sharpe, Rider Sandman is a recently returned English officer who saw action at the Battle of Waterloo. Unlike Sharpe, Sandman is of the gentleman class. However, a bit of bad business with his deceased father, a loss in family status and no income to speak of finds Sandman renting a room in a sketchy tavern in Drury Lane.

A top cricket player, Captain Sandman sometimes earns money playing sport, yet when the opportunity presents itself to investigate a petition for leniency on behalf of Home Secretary Viscount Sidmouth, Sandman gratefully takes up the case.

GALLOWS THIEF takes us through the various class levels of London’s Regency period, from hangings at Newgate prison to raucous theatrical performances, from portrait painters’ studios to country estates. For Sharpe fans, there are lots of references to Sandman’s time in the army, and I especially liked the way he was able to identify former soldiers living uncomfortably in peacetime. Sandman is a wonderful character, and I hope like many other reviewers here that Mr. Cornwell will consider revisiting him soon.