THE LAST CONFESSION OF THOMAS HAWKINS
In a new Georgian–era mystery by Antonia Hodgson, a “truly spellbinding” (Guardian) author, Tom Hawkins prays for a royal pardon as he relives the espionage, underground dealings, and murder accusations that sent him to the gallows.
London, 1728. Tom Hawkins is headed to the gallows, accused of murder. Gentlemen don’t hang and Tom’s damned if he’ll be the first. He may not be much of a gentleman, but he is innocent. He just always finds his way into a spot of bad luck.
It’s hard to say when Tom’s troubles began.
In a new Georgian–era mystery by Antonia Hodgson, a “truly spellbinding” (Guardian) author, Tom Hawkins prays for a royal pardon as he relives the espionage, underground dealings, and murder accusations that sent him to the gallows.
London, 1728. Tom Hawkins is headed to the gallows, accused of murder. Gentlemen don’t hang and Tom’s damned if he’ll be the first. He may not be much of a gentleman, but he is innocent. He just always finds his way into a spot of bad luck.
It’s hard to say when Tom’s troubles began. He was happily living in sin with his beloved, Kitty Sparks — though their neighbors were certainly less pleased about that. He probably shouldn't have told London’s most cunning criminal mastermind that he was “bored and looking for adventure.” Nor should he have offered to help the king's mistress in her desperate struggles with a brutal and vindictive husband. And he definitely shouldn't have trusted the calculating Queen Caroline. She’s promised him a royal pardon if he holds his tongue, but then again, there is nothing more silent than a hanged man.
Now Tom must scramble to save his life and protect those he loves. But as the noose tightens, his time is running out.
- Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- Hardcover
- March 2016
- 400 Pages
- 9780544639683
Buy the Book
$27.00
About Antonia Hodgson
Antonia Hodgson is the editor-in-chief at Little, Brown UK. Her first novel, The Devil in the Marshalsea, won the CWA Historical Dagger Award in 2014. It was also shortlisted for the CWA First Book Award and was named one of the top ten mystery thrillers of 2014 by Publishers Weekly. Antonia lives in London.
Praise
“The flavor of a good mystery…Hodgson (editor-in-chief of Little, Brown U.K.) even introduces a clever narrative strategy… Chock full of intrigue, heroism, wickedness…and even some redemption. A fun historical read.”—Kirkus, starred review
“Hodgson has provided another pell-mell romp through the top and bottom of English society, as seen through the eyes of a gentleman who is both a rogue and a naïf. Those who relish their historical action fast and vivid will enjoy the second installment of Hawkins's misadventures.”—Library Journal, starred review
“As good as her stellar debut…Hodgson maintains pitch-perfect suspense, craftily constructs a fairly clued whodunit, and convincingly evokes the period. This second novel by the editor-in-chief at Little, Brown U.K. solidifies her position as a major talent in the genre.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“With a dramatic storytelling style that includes many unsavory characters, Hodgson keeps readers on tenterhooks as Hawkins nears the gallows. Suspenseful and filled with witty dialogue, this series is reminiscent of James McGee’s atmospheric Matthew Hawkwood novels and has the descriptive appeal of Sara Stockbridge’s Victorian mystery Grace Hammer. “—Booklist