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Title: The Devil in the Marshalsea

Author: Antonia Hodgson

Narrator: John Lee

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-10-14

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 73 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

It's 1727. Tom Hawkins is damned if he's going to follow in his father's footsteps and become a country parson. Not for him a quiet life of prayer and propriety. His preference is for wine, women, and cards. But there's a sense of honor there too, and Tom won't pull family strings to get himself out of debt - not even when faced with the appalling horrors of London's notorious debtors' prison: The Marshalsea Gaol. Within moments of his arrival in the Marshalsea, Hawkins learns there's a murderer on the loose, a ghost is haunting the gaol, and that he'll have to scrounge up the money to pay for his food, bed, and drink. He's quick to accept an offer of free room and board from the mysterious Samuel Fleet-only to find out just hours later that it was Fleet's last roommate who turned up dead. Tom's choice is clear: get to the truth of the murder-or be the next to die.

Critic Reviews:

"[Hodson] conjures up scenes of Dickensian squalor and marries them to a crackerjack plot, in her impressive first novel. . . . Hodgson makes the stench, as well as the despair, almost palpable." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Well researched riveting historical fiction

I had been searching for new books narrated by John Lee - he is one of my favorite narrators - and found Marshalsea. I knew nothing about history of debtors prisons in England, so this book was educational as well as entertaining. The characters are well developed and believable. The author illuminates the complexity of human attachments and emotions, delivering a thoughtful description of inner "grayness" of souls. No one is perfect, every one is flawed in one way or another. I loved the book. It has a satisfying ending and the historical information is well researched.

Mixed Bag

The Devil in the Marshalsea had some very strong points and some very weak points, and some points that are very difficult for any author of his genre to escape with me. The strength is in the character building and the duality that Hodgson manages to create in almost every character, while still staying true to their individual natures. We really don't know who to suspect, who to like or dislike, or what the outcome and motive is going to be until the mystery is solved. Unfortunately, the solution to the mystery is a head-scratcher on a number of levels, and ultimately a letdown. The resolution of the mystery isn't the end of the story. Hodgson decided to spend the end of the story resolving some relationship lines, and that drags it out a bit, but it provided a couple more twists that weren't bad. The point that she couldn't escape with me is the "Scooby-Doo" feeling of murder mysteries, and hers having a Dickensian flare made it maybe a bit more pronounced for me.

Overall, I loved the characters, and missed them after I finished the book, but the story architecture had some serious issues. It was still an enjoyable read that I would probably recommend to someone who likes a mystery that has sufficient twists and very well-written dualities of character to keep it interesting enough to the end, with a warning that the ending can (but didn't for me) make the story feel like a waste of time in the "no way, really? I just read this whole story for >that