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151st out of 738 books
—
1,609 voters
Gallows Thief
In the cobbled streets outside Newgate Prison, the common and desperate of London gather regularly to enjoy the spectacle of human necks broken at the end of a hangman's rope. For Rider Sandman, newly returned from the Napoleonic Wars, it is not grim entertainment that draws him here, but a mission to prove the guilt or innocence of a condemned prisoner -- a duty that lead...more
Paperback, 384 pages
Published
April 29th 2003
by HarperTorch
(first published January 1st 2001)
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I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, I thought it was great fun. This is the first book I've read by Bernard Cornwell and I specifically chose this one because it was set in England during the reign of King George III and it wasn't as dominated by war like the majority of Cornwell's other novels.
I liked that this seemed to be equal parts historical fiction and mystery. I love when I'm reading a mystery that has characters I care enough about to make the mystery an added element of enjoyment rather...more
I liked that this seemed to be equal parts historical fiction and mystery. I love when I'm reading a mystery that has characters I care enough about to make the mystery an added element of enjoyment rather...more
Dec 06, 2008
Reinhold
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-fiction,
crime
Rider Sandman ist ein verarmter Offizier blieb aber immer zutiefst ehrlich und ehrenhaft. Als er eines Tages vom Innenminister den Auftrag erhält, einen Mordfall nochmals zu untersuchen, macht er sich daran die Hintergründe im Gegensatz zur Justiz wirklich aufzuklären und stößt schon bald auf ein Netzwerk der Oberschicht, die seine Arbeit verhindern möchte. Der Roman ist eine Anklage der Todesstrafe, nicht nur unter den Voraussetzungen des frühen 19. Jahrhunderts.
Sprachlich hat man einen echten...more
Sprachlich hat man einen echten...more
Set in England just after the Neapolonic Wars, this is the story of Rider Sandman, a one time officer and gentleman, who desperatley wants to redeem his family's fortune, which his father gambled away. A young man is about to be hanged for the murder of a Countess, but the Queen wants to case looked in to as one of her maids is the boys mother. The Home Secretary is convinced of his guilt, but hires Rider to look into it. Instead of toeing the line, Rider investigates properly and ends up enmesh...more
Gallows Thief sees author Bernard Cornwell return to the historical period for which he's best known and is probably most at home, switching genres and location for a mystery novel about murder, capital punishment, social status and cricket.
The novel sees Rider Sandman, hero of Waterloo, destitute and indebted ex-soldier, and first class cricketer whose sporting career is held back by his unwillingness to take bribes or throw matches, commissioned by the Home Secretary to act as a special inves...more
The novel sees Rider Sandman, hero of Waterloo, destitute and indebted ex-soldier, and first class cricketer whose sporting career is held back by his unwillingness to take bribes or throw matches, commissioned by the Home Secretary to act as a special inves...more
I love Bernard Cornwell’s work, mostly the Richard Sharpe series, the Grail Quest series and the Warlord series but here comes a wonderful standalone book, The Gallows Thief. It is set in Georgian England , around 1815 or 16, when hanging judges kept the gallows filled. The penalty for almost all crimes, including petty theft, was hanging or transportation to one of the Crown’s colonies. The book opens with a gruesome hanging at Newgate prison of a young girl accused of stealing her mistress’ pe...more
This Regency-period mystery yarn from Sharpe writer Cornwell is a tour-de-force of a novel, containing as it does a little of everything: real, raw romance; some gripping action and a detective-style plot that twists and turns all over place until the final, shocking denouement.
As a story, it deals with some pretty unpleasant subject matters: we get to see what life in prison for the condemned was like, whilst the final dance of the gallows bookends the novel in excruciating detail.
Within the p...more
As a story, it deals with some pretty unpleasant subject matters: we get to see what life in prison for the condemned was like, whilst the final dance of the gallows bookends the novel in excruciating detail.
Within the p...more
A great evocation of London shortly after the battle of Waterloo. The hero, Sandman, a gentleman cricketer and Waterloo veteran, who has fallen on his uppers is compelled by his financial situation to take a temporary job by the Lord Chamberlain to investigate a murder. The courts have already condemned a "pixie", Charles Corday (early 19th century argot for a homosexual, the book is a cornucopia of early 19th century argot) for the murder and it is only the petitioning of the condemned's mother...more
Somewhat out of Cornwell's usual style, this doesn't contain a single battle - but it does contain a military man or two. Set some time in the late 1810s, after the battle of Waterloo, Captain Ryder Sandman is trying to earn sufficient money to keep his mother and sister after his father shot himself after being found a swindler and forger. He's left the army and is living in a cheep tavern in London. He finds himself offered wages as a temporary employee of the government in order to investigat...more
By 1820, there were over two hundred capital crimes on the English statue books. The punishment was death for theft, arson, forgery, murder, attempted murder, rape, etc. What we would consider to be savage punishment nowadays was considered "deterrents" in that period (some period today still consider the death penalty as a way of preventing crime even though the statistics prove otherwise). Jails and prisons were ghastly places reeking of misery and unwashed bodies. Executions were public spect...more
Well, I have found that I really like everything I've read from Bernard Cornwell, and this was no exception. I've read just about all of his published work, and am anxiously awaiting more. I like his characters, and, as in the present case, when it is a stand alone novel rather than part of a series, I miss the chance to read about that character again. I really liked the Sharpe series and Saxon tales for this reason. In this particular case, the story is mostly set in the London environs follow...more
In 1820 London where you could be executed by the hangman for petit thief, Rider Sandman is asked to investigate a condemned man's guilt.An artist is convicted of murder. Sandman is no detective but he needs the money so he gladly accepts the work. Sandman is a captain who fought at Waterloo but on his return to England his family is disgraced by his father's misdeeds and subsequent suicide. The murder investigation leads to Rider uncovering scandalous behavior in the aristocracy and a corrupt p...more
2 likes · like · see review
This was the last of Bernard Cornwell's books that I read. I have read all of his books and am a real fan. This gets 'only' 4 stars because of the way he educates us in Flash language which, whilst interesting is done in a 'tell me' rather than a 'show me' way.
Cornwell's descriptive writing is excellent and when he was describing the entrance to the prison and rotten row I was ho;ding my breath to keep out the smell.
Rider, the main character, an ex officer in the Napoleonic wars, carries on what...more
Cornwell's descriptive writing is excellent and when he was describing the entrance to the prison and rotten row I was ho;ding my breath to keep out the smell.
Rider, the main character, an ex officer in the Napoleonic wars, carries on what...more
This was a fun, quick read. I don't know if Cornwell is setting this up as a new series or not, but he laid a good foundation and I might go for another. Down-on-his-luck war hero and cricket champ Rider Sandman has been tasked by the government to check to see if a condemned murderer is actually guilty. It should be open and shut since the man was convicted, and Rider doesn't even care for him that much on their first meeting, but something isn't quite right and as a man of honor, Rider can't l...more
I would love to go back in time if I knew I could get back again to the present. Cornwell’s books are the perfect time machine that take you back – in this book to 1817 England, and give you a wonderful taste of the foods, the clothes, the smells, the social climate of the time. The book is an exciting and easy to read historical mystery but along the way, Cornwell takes a good look at capital punishment. The issues that Rider Sandman, the main protagonist, discovers in the book - of the cruelty...more
Review Snippet; "Cornwell really is a masterful author. Each page just entices the reader on further and further, with a gripping end you can't see coming.
One of the main aspects of this novel, which I thoroughly enjoyed, was the juxtaposition of fictional characters and actual historical figures. Cornwell has really researched his subject, and it makes for a much more enthralling read, knowing some of the characters where real, and really did such terrible things.
Full Review; http://bookywooks....more
One of the main aspects of this novel, which I thoroughly enjoyed, was the juxtaposition of fictional characters and actual historical figures. Cornwell has really researched his subject, and it makes for a much more enthralling read, knowing some of the characters where real, and really did such terrible things.
Full Review; http://bookywooks....more
Feb 14, 2012
Dawn
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
audio-book,
hf-modern-nineteenth
As witnessed by my 5 start rating I thought this was a fabulous book. I am not sure if listening to it in audio form rather than reading it affected my enjoyment but when a book makes you put in extra time at the gym so you can listen to more, it's gotta be good.
Set in 1817, two years after the Battle of Waterloo, Rider Sandman is no longer engaged to the woman he loves, has given up his commission in the army and no longer enjoys the privilege that money affords. Not being able to support himse...more
Set in 1817, two years after the Battle of Waterloo, Rider Sandman is no longer engaged to the woman he loves, has given up his commission in the army and no longer enjoys the privilege that money affords. Not being able to support himse...more
1 like · like · see review
Rider Sandman was a hero at Waterloo but doens't come back to 1800s London as one. He is dissapointed, he doesn't has a job, is a great (more than great) cricket player and pays of the debts of his dead father.
He accepts the job of investigating if an accused painter is maybe not guilty and shouldn't be hanged. The job shold be easy because in the end the painter has been accsed by a very 'correct' court.
Rider Sandman gets unfortunately more than an easy job. He gets a prize on his head and othe...more
He accepts the job of investigating if an accused painter is maybe not guilty and shouldn't be hanged. The job shold be easy because in the end the painter has been accsed by a very 'correct' court.
Rider Sandman gets unfortunately more than an easy job. He gets a prize on his head and othe...more
The saying goes ‘never judge a book by its cover’; OK then, I’ll judge it by its title: The Gallows Thief: literally – a person who robs the gallows of victims to hang. Sold!
This was another audiobook I was lucky enough to proofread (or proof-listen to, as Emma has just corrected). As a Bernard Cornwell fan, I can safely say that reading his books are exciting enough as it is; listening to them … well that takes it to a completely different level!...Read More...
This was another audiobook I was lucky enough to proofread (or proof-listen to, as Emma has just corrected). As a Bernard Cornwell fan, I can safely say that reading his books are exciting enough as it is; listening to them … well that takes it to a completely different level!...Read More...
Mar 12, 2012
Sofia
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
owned,
historical-romance
I never thought I'd say this about a Cornwell book, but here it goes: this was crap. I can't quite bring myself to hate one of his books, so I guess 2 stars is more than enough for the cheap thrills and predictable plot.
My biggest peeves? Right of the bat (cricket pun intended) is te hero of the hour: Captain Rider Sandman, or as I like to call him, Captain Awesome McCoolname. Cpt Mcname here is, indeed, awesome. He is a former cricket superstar, memorable figure of the Waterloo battle, and so r...more
My biggest peeves? Right of the bat (cricket pun intended) is te hero of the hour: Captain Rider Sandman, or as I like to call him, Captain Awesome McCoolname. Cpt Mcname here is, indeed, awesome. He is a former cricket superstar, memorable figure of the Waterloo battle, and so r...more
Jan 28, 2011
Alex Telander
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-read-in-2002
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...more
Rider Sandman is that man, and slowly he must retrace his steps, pick...more
Took me a long time to get into this mystery. Once I finally did it was worth it even though I didn't think the story was very good and fairly cliched. Standard fare of a down-on-his-luck detective with no experience who was hired for the very fact that he has no experience and through his dogged persistence manages to solve the crime and reveal corruption along the way.
I'm not interested in reading more about this character and it doesn't seem that Bernard Cornwell is going to write more about...more
I'm not interested in reading more about this character and it doesn't seem that Bernard Cornwell is going to write more about...more
Gallows Thief is the 13th book I've read by Bernard Cornwell and, surprisingly, I've never read one from the Sharpe series for which he is most well known. I rank his "Winter King" trilogy among the best of Arthurian literature and I am rarely disappointed with his work.
This book was a bit of a genre mix. I picked it up thinking historical novel and indeed it is, taking place in 1817, shortly after the events of Waterloo. In fact, the protagonist, Rider Sandman, was an officer in that battle but...more
This book was a bit of a genre mix. I picked it up thinking historical novel and indeed it is, taking place in 1817, shortly after the events of Waterloo. In fact, the protagonist, Rider Sandman, was an officer in that battle but...more
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 the 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 conf...more
Virtues: Cornwell knows how the 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 conf...more
As a writer, Bernard Cornwell can be slotted into the same category as writers like Stephen King and John Grisham. He knows his genre and cranks out novel in that genre at an extraordinary speed. None of his books are particularly fantastic, my memories of them generally fade within a couple of weeks of reading them, yet they are good for entertainment value and keep my attention.
Bernard Cornwell’s genre of choice is historical fiction. Most of his books take place during England’s history (tho...more
Bernard Cornwell’s genre of choice is historical fiction. Most of his books take place during England’s history (tho...more
Jan 07, 2013
Alyssa
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone interested in period history and a well conceived story.
Although the ending was definitely manufactured to keep the excitement of the story alive, it didn't need to be done, because this is an excellent story, well written as always by Bernard Cornwell. I have read everything of his that I could get my hands on and he never fails where details, character development, organization and dialogue is concerned. Even the period, early 19th century England, is interesting if only because so little in fiction has been placed in it. I highly recommend this bo...more
I really enjoyed this novel! Unlike the Sharpe series, this story is almost an aside to the Napoleonic Wars. The novel starts out slowly, but as the week progresses, the pace picks up--to the point where I couldn't put it down. So many of Cornwell's books are series novels, an while I like that, I also appreciated that you didn't have the commitment that you can get with a long series. If you like the Napoleonic period, I think you'll enjoy this story.
I really enjoyed the 'Gallows Thief', although it was similar in style to the Paul Doherty series I read which is also a medieval 'whodunnit'. There were laugh out loud moments within the dialogue, and I would have liked to see the quizzing glass owned by one of the characters.
The race against the clock at the end of the book had me on the edge of my seat (or mattress, as I was reading this in bed), however it was dragged out and slightly annoying given that the ending was a foregone conclusion...more
The race against the clock at the end of the book had me on the edge of my seat (or mattress, as I was reading this in bed), however it was dragged out and slightly annoying given that the ending was a foregone conclusion...more
Not as good as A Crowning Mercy. The characters were weaker and the historical detail was no where near as transporting. I doubt that’s because of the actual writing but the time period just isn’t as exotic and tremulous. The characters here really though don`t have the same depth and evocation. It was lower 3 for me.
Bernard Cornwell immerses the reader in history. You see Newgate, the scaffold, the very rope the hangman uses. I slowly grew to admire Sandman until I loved the man for his unflinching determination to do the right thing, to hold himself honest and truthful. He holds his values tight, even when doing so is to his own detriment. Many finely drawn, unusual characters inhabit the book. I know I'll remember them and think of them in future days. To me, the book's only failing was the lack of romanc...more
Austen wrote: "let other pens dwell on guilt and misery." That's Bernard Cornwell's beat in a Regency romance/thriller. All the swashing and buckling that one would expect, along with steady heroic adorable* military men AND steady clever believable women.
*YMMV. Personally, I develop crushes on every one of Sharp's heros AND their sargeants. Rider Sandman is even more appealing than Richard Sharpe.
*YMMV. Personally, I develop crushes on every one of Sharp's heros AND their sargeants. Rider Sandman is even more appealing than Richard Sharpe.
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Cornwell was born in London in 1944. His father was a Canadian airman, and his mother was English, a member of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. He was adopted and brought up in Essex by the Wiggins family, who were members of the Peculiar People, a strict Protestant sect who banned frivolity of all kinds and even medicine. After he left them, he changed his name to his mother's maiden name, Cornwe...more
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Q..Will there be a follow up to the Gallows Thief?
A..I've considered a follow-up to the Gallows...more
updated Feb 06, 2012 12:40am
I too really liked Rider Sandman and we can always hope to see him again...
Feb 06, 2012 04:47am