Product Description

St Giles, London, 1829: three people have been brutally murdered and the city simmers with anger and political unrest. Pyke, sometime Bow Street Runner, sometime crook, finds himself accidentally embroiled in the murder investigation but quickly realises that he has stumbled into something more sinister and far-reaching. In his pursuit of the murderer, Pyke ruffles the feathers of some powerful people, and, falsely accused of murder himself, he soon faces a death sentence, and the gallows of Old Bailey. Imprisoned, and with only his uncle and the headstrong, aristocratic daughter of his greatest enemy who believe in him, Pyke must engineer his escape, find the real killer and untangle the web of politics that has been spun around him. From the gutters of Seven Dials, to the cells of Newgate prison; from the turmoil of 1800s Belfast to the highest levels of murky, pre-Victorian politics, The Last Days of Newgate is a gripping, darkly atmospheric story with a fantastic, pragmatic - and reluctantly heroic - hero.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #38761 in Books
• Published on: 2007-07-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

John Cooper, TIMES (27.6.06)
'The novel drips with all the atmospheric detail of a pre-Victorian murder mystery - "pea-soupers", dingy lanterns and laudanum.'

Review
'The main character is a Bow Street Runner who is investigating three brutal murders in St Giles, London. He crosses powerful people, ends up in Newgate prison heading for the gallows, has the help of a headstrong aristocratic beauty...a story of high intrigue and low politics, brutal murder and cunning conspiracies...Tangy and rambunctious stuff.' (Peter Guttridge OBSERVER (18.6.06) )

'The novel drips with all the atmospheric detail of a pre-Victorian murder mystery - "pea-soupers", dingy lanterns and laudanum.' (John Cooper TIMES (27.6.06) )

'This is an excellent, atmospheric mystery...it is the character of Pyke that is of greatest interest. I struggle to find anyone to compare him with, with the possible exception of Patricia Highsmith's Ripley. He is an anti-hero who intends to prove his innocence at whatever cost. But his acts can be heroic - and there is no lack of morality in the book. The final chapter hints at the impact of some of the compromises made. I can't wait for the sequel.' (CRIMESQUAD.COM )

'Gripping and atmospheric.' (DAILY EXPRESS (21.7.06) )

'[The Last Days of Newgate is] peppered with thrilling escapes, audacious crimes, snatched sexual encounters. Several murders (including that of a baby) are graphically described, as is the way that Pyke tortures his principal adversary before consigning him to a cage of hungry sewer rats.' (Sarah Burton TIMES (15.7.06) )

'Pyke is violent, vengeful and conflicted in the best tradition of detectives. His story takes in grisly murder and torture, and uses 1800s London in the same way that hard-boiled fiction uses Los Angeles as a mirror of a corrupt society.' (Jerome de Groot TIME OUT (2-9 August) **** )

'...the period detail is well observed, with the issues of of the day effectively illustrated.' (Robert Colbeck YORKSHIRE EVENING POST (29.7.06) )

'Well researched and enjoyably disturbing, THE LAST DAYS OF NEWGATE is on of the few novels in the new wave of historical fiction likely to leave the reader clamouring for more.' (TLS (27.10.06) )

'This is a potent mix of sectarian politics and raw violence, a richly-researched novel...with a provocative hero...This gritty detective novel will apeal to those who loke plenty of gore and bodies galore.' (Marina Oliver HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW (August 2007) )

Robert Colbeck, YORKSHIRE EVENING POST (29.7.06)
'...the period detail is well observed, with the issues of of the day effectively illustrated.'

Customer Reviews

The first in a classic series?
In an age in which we're overcrowded with more detectives and crime-fiction protagonists than we can possibly keep track off, Andrew Pepper has delivered a central character who is truly unforgettable. `Pyke' is an extraordinarily vivid, and quite unsettling, creation. On his own, he would make this a compulsive read. But better yet, Pepper clearly knows what to do with him. His brilliant novel turns C19th London into a distinctive and authentic hard-boiled city - edgy, confusing, threatening, labyrinthine and teeming with shadow-bound forces. The stench of gin and laudanum comes reeking off the page.

The novel is set in 1829, when ideals and realities that we might call our own - concerning the nature of the State, of justice, of social control, of national identity - are still coming into existence. As such, the book shows them to be, at best, murky and ambiguous. And, as with the best historical novels, this makes Last Days of Newgate very relevant to today.

But none of this is added-on or laborious. Pepper effortlessly makes full use of the historical setting, while keeping his eye on the action, his foot firmly on the accelerator. He has a great filmic writing style, both cajoling and startling, and a genuinely page-turning sense of pace and suspense. While a hard-boiled sensibility is to the fore, the book is packed full with good old-fashioned heroic elements: here there be narrow escapes, trysts with maidens, and feats of daring-do aplenty. There's also a teasingly well-handled `will they? won't they?' love interest. In all, this is a fantastic read and an auspicious debut.

Sets out to shock
Anyone expecting a genteel romp through Georgian England will be a bit shocked by this one. The author obviously didn't want this book compared with more "cosy" historical crime fiction so there is a liberal smattering of swearing, sex and violence throughout the story. That gives it a certain realistic edge. I was a bit concerned when the study of "psychiatry" was mentioned, as I was sure that that name was not used for the study of mental illness in the 1820's but I checked and of course the author is right. He has also nailed the geography of London so I have to assume the other research is accurate as well.

I must admit this book didn't grab me immediately. It doesn't exactly zing along and there are two many back story elements to make a seamless read - always a problem with the first book in a series, but it rewarded patience with a decent enough plot and very believable characters. I'll look forward to the next installment when Mr Pepper has maybe refined his style a bit.

Excellent. Can't wait for the next one
I am not a great lover of fiction, preferring fact. But if I do read a book of fiction I at least want to learn something. This book achieved that, it conveyed what it was like living in London in 1829, with the sounds and smells and how people lived and died.
A very good read, well researched, I work in the City so know the streets in question, and very well written. The writing goes along at a fast pace and keeps you guessing right to the end.
I hear that the author is currently writing the follow up. Glad to hear it.