Ratcatcher

Matthew Hawkwood #1

by James McGee

A gripping historical thriller introducing Bow Street Runner Matthew Hawkwood - a sexy, dangerous and fascinating hero who hunts down thieves, spies and murderers in the crime-ridden streets of Regency London. Hunting down highwaymen was not the usual preserve of a Bow Street Runner. As the most resourceful of this elite band of investigators, Matthew Hawkwood was surprised to be assigned the case - even if it did involve the murder and mutilation of a naval courier. From the squalor of St Giles Rookery, London's notorious den of thieves and cutthroats, to the brightly lit salons of the aristocracy and the heart of the British government, Hawkwood relentlessly pursues his quarry. As the case unfolds and another body is discovered on the banks of the Thames, the true agenda begins to emerge. And only Hawkwood can stop a dastardly plot that will end British mastery of the seas forever.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Historical, Fiction, Historical Mystery, Crime, Adventure

492 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.


James McGee was born into an army family. He was educated in Gibraltar, Germany and Belfast, giving him a love of travel, which is evident in his meticulous, vivid portraits of diverse people and places. His career has encompassed banking, bookselling and thirteen years in the airline business. He has also presented book reviews for BBC local radio and several independent stations.

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

In case the one star did not give it away, here are a few things I suggest rather than reading this book:

Jumping into the Thames.
Removing your own fingernails.
Inviting the Westboro Church over for dinner.
Reading Fifty Shades of Gray Freed. Not just the sex scenes - ALL OF IT.

I know that can seem harsh, but let me explain.

This books seemed to have it all - mystery, adventure and history! It had clever little turns of common modern phrases (It's Greek to me >> it could have been in Hindustani). It had an officer of the law with a bit of lawlessness to him.

And yet...

The female characters behave as if they are in a James Bond film, instead of a Regency time period. Apparently, Hawkwood has powerful pheromones that turns scenes from a fairly well researched historical novel into the sex scenes from a dime store noir novel of the 1920s. McGee mistakes a physical description and back story for characterization. The world building occurs in large clumps at the worst moments, either when the plot is monumentally slow (which drags it down into the doldrums) or just when things are getting exciting (which undoes any momentum previously gathered).

I am glad I read it. I was considering this series for our Library book group and it is good to be able to warn people away from anything this man writes.

[Dawn (& Ron) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this Regency historical adventure with impossible, but fun, near escapes. But there is also some meat to go along with the adventure, from the filthy, fetid stench of London's overcrowded streets and back alleys to the regimented broad shoulders of the Admiralty. Matthew Hawkwood is a strong, capable Bow Street Runner, soldier and spy, with a touch of danger about him. The catch phrase on the cover sums him up nicely "You don't send a gentleman to catch vermin. You send Hawkwood" Richard Armitrage would fit wonderfully as the rough around the edges hero.

I can't do a full review now, since Ron will also be reading this book, meaning a joint review later. This is a fast paced tale, with plenty of action as Hawkwood's investigation of a highwayman robbery and killing leads to the discovery of a plot by France to trap England's Royal Navy. Hawkwood will do whatever is necessary to prevent this happening, no matter what is thrown in his path.

Be ready for excitement, daring-do, espionage and more. My rating is 3-1/2 stars.

[Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

I went into this book with no expectations. I'd never heard of it but I came across it at a used book store, saw that it was set during the Regency period, and decided to give it a shot. I'm glad I did because I ended up really liking it. It features Matthew Hawkwood, a former rifleman in the British army, who now earns his living as a Bow Street runner. There was some interesting history and a satisfactory ending. I'd like to see future books delve a little deeper into Hawkwood's character.

[Malum · Rating 2 out of 5]

Starts great but quickly devolves into silliness. Exposition is clunky (let's all sit around and talk about the main character's past while he's not here) and villains regularly tell the main character all of their plans and even, at one point, how to escape from a trap they are in. The villains are always foiled, though, because unlimited deus ex machinas always happen that saves the hero in the last moment to the point of absurdity (my favorite was when they have a gun to the hero's head but decide, at the last moment, to kill him later because-and i shit you not-the bad guy didn't want to get blood on his pants).

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just arrived from UK through BM.

This is a historical and mystery novel which is based on the Regency London.

 

The most interesting part of this book is showing the first attempt of the construction of an undersea boat by Robert Fulton, in December of 1799.

 

The idea of this American inventor was to use his weapon by the French government a giant the British Navy after Bonaparte fall.

 

The Nautilus was then built at the Perrier workshop in Rouen and was successfully tested and sailed first in July 1800 on the Seine River.

In the above drawing, the torpedo - P - can also be seen. This device was also invented by Fulton.

 

Jules Verne in his Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea was also inspired by Fulton's Nautilus.

[LJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

RATCATCHER (Bow Street Runner-London-Napoleonic) – G
McGee, James – 1st in series
HarperCollins, 2006-Hardcover
***Matthew Hawkwood, a former soldier and a sharpshooter, is now one of ten Bow Street Runners. When Highwaymen stop a coach and kill a government courier, Hawkwood is called in to find them. In time, he finds what he is really seeking is the contents of the couriers pouch and those behind a plot to destroy the strength of England’s war fleet.
*** Hawkwood, for all this reputation as a top Runner, isn’t the most capable. Were it not for his friend, Jago, he wouldn’t have made it through the book. In fact, of the two characters, Jago is the more interesting. What McGee did do extremely well was depict the seamy side of London during this period. The other element of the story I found fascinating were the descriptions of the weapon invented by Robert Fulton. I am also always fascinated by reading the history of the Bow Street Runners. While this wasn’t the best book, it wasn’t terrible either and, being the first in the series, I shall probably read the next one just to see how the author is progressing.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this mystery/thriller which reminded me of John Dickson Carr's historical mysteries.

This is the first of a series following Matthew Hawkwood, ex-Ranger sharpshooter (a la Sharpe's Rifles) with a shady past and now one of the elite and still shadowy Bow Street Runners.
The story gets a bit wacky. It begins with a highwayman and his apprentice robbing a coach and brutally killing the coachman and a courier for no apparent reason. Hawkwood is assigned to find the murderer and this case keeps expanding and morphing until he is dealing with a missing master clockmaker, another murder, and a Bonapartist spy ring.
Some of the action and characters are based on historical events.

Hawkwood comes off as a hero with seeming super powers while his ex-sergeant, now informant and only friend, Nathaniel Jago is the more sympathetic character who humanizes the aloof Runner. It will be interesting to read how this maybe-partnership evolves through the series.

[ᴥ Irena ᴥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

The prologue sets the dark tone for the whole book. The two highwaymen who robbed the coach killed a coachman and an officer in cold blood. One of them even cut off the officer's hand.
And that is the case Matthew Hawkwood, an ex-army officer and now one of the best Bow Street Runners, is assigned to solve.

I loved how the hero is introduced. Two urchins pick-pocketed some officers and then ran to the place they live. Mother Gant lets them live with her as long as they bring whatever they steal. And there Matthew Hawkwood is introduced. He simply appeared at Mother Gant's door to catch a well-known fence.

The first time we get a glimpse of his past is not through his own reminisces, but a story told by a major Lawrence to his friend after Hawkwood returned his stolen watch and refused to admit he recognized him.

France and Britain are at war and everything is in its shadow. I was never interested in France that much (I don't have and reasons), so for me it was easy whose side I'm on.

I don't know if the author intention was to make Matthew Hawkwood really hot, but I can say he succeeded completely. Hawkwood is as real as you get. He isn't some flawless knows-it-all. He makes mistakes and he needs as much help as he can get. Nothing comes easy to him. Well, nothing except women but that isn't that important for the story. The main character could have existed for real. Some people turned out to be better friends to him than expected.

There are no completely black or white sides in this story (not counting individual actions, since the killings from the beginning of the book could hardly be anything other than black). And if nothing else, the ending is enough to love this book.

As much as I wanted to sympathize with the villain (and I did at first), because he does have valid and understandable reasons why he is doing what he is doing, by the end of the book he became a blubbering idiot, one of those I am going to talk you to death about my plans types. After reading tons of pages of that, he lost all the sympathy I had for him.
I was more than satisfied with the ending.

[Charlotte (Buried in Books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bloody loved this. High jinks in the early 1800's.

Matthew Hawkwood is a wonderful character. Ex military sharp shooter, now a bow street runner - Matthew has a clear view of what is right and wrong (and that doesn't always match his bosses view). He's a lover as well as a fighter.

Hawkwood is asked to investigate a violent highway robbery that resulted in 2 deaths. Amongst the valuables taken was a satchel that was manacled to a Lieutenant from the Navy (to get it the robbers had to cut his hand off).

The runners are rather short-staffed and become even more so when one of their number goes missing when investigating the disappearance of a clockmaker. Of course the 2 cases overlap. Hawkwood faces danger on a number of occasions and always comes through - though he does get some help in the form of his former military sidekick turned underworld kingpin Nathaniel Jago.

There is quite a bit of world building, but the story is very clever, with one exception - never trust a woman who gets you into bed as soon as you enter her house. You should have known Matthew, you should have known.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of those books that have languished in my TBR pile for far too long - especially when I discover it is the first in a series. However all that aside it was a fun read which not knowing what I was letting myself in for was made all the more exciting.

The characters are easy to connect with and you rapidly start to find those you want to root for - making the action all the more thrilling - yes in hindsight it could be classed as a historical version of another long running thriller series with a lone hero flighting against the odds with a shady past (Although I suspect that may be reserved for future books in the series - after all why give away all the good stuff in the first book).

Now I am not history expert so I really appreciated the authors notes at the end drawing the connection to historic events - plus it demonstrated that I suspect there was considerable research made in wiring this book.

[Deanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this story. It moves at a cracking pace and I found that I couldn't put it down. The hero is a deep character and I only hope to get to know him more with each book. It's set in the regency period of London with a lot of the action taking part in the slums and back alleys. The story has a number of twists and turns. The final scene was a great ending to the tale.

[Bettie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bettie's Books

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Matthew Hawkwood was an officer in the 95th Rifles before he became a Bow Street Runner and has too many similarities to Richard Sharpe!
This was a fairly entertaining read, but I'm not sure if I can be bothered with the sequels.

[Bodosika Bodosika · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just ok

[Finn · Rating 1 out of 5]

too boring for me
a 10 year old might like it though

[Vivienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very satisfying historical mystery/thriller and a very promising start to this series set in Regency England.

I adore the name Hawkwood, it being the surname of one of my original characters, and so obviously enjoyed the story of Matthew Hawkwood, a skilled thief-taker for the Bow Street Runners.

McGee does an excellent job with the setting and you can tell he understands the history and culture of the period and can convey that well to his readers.

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This would make a good movie or mini series. It is a thrilling mystery set in London. For some reason, however, it feels a little too long. Perhaps because all the women are uninteresting crones or sex objects.

[Alx · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wouldn't touch anything related to Hawkwood again.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

If i could give it 2 1/2 stars I would. It was not bad, just not a series I will continue anytime soon.

[Nicole · Rating 1 out of 5]

An easy enough read with some likeable characters but, overall, not quite worth the time.

The main character could most likely be removed from the whole story and nothing would really change. All the evidence and clues were found by different characters. The overall climax was solved by different characters. In truth, the protagonist (despite being constantly praised throughout the book) did the least and was the most useless and bland character in the whole story.

Random exposition and historical information was dropped into the writing everywhere. You could be in the middle of a tense scene but the book would stop to tell you exactly how a character got hold of lockpicks by also telling you a backstory for a character you never actually meet. Though, at times, this helped build up the world, a lot of the time it just got in the way and was annoying.

There were positives though. Like I said, some of the side characters were enjoyable and the author managed to paint a very good and realistic view of the criminal side of London for the time period. The writing was also easy to read and some of the history was enjoyable. However, I will most likely not be following the adventures of Hawkwood any further.

[Ian Racey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent enough crime/spy adventure. I've heard the Hawkwood books called a Napoleonic James Bond series, and that sums it up very well, I think. Suffers a bit from a sense of anachronism in people's attitudes towards a number of social elements (professionalism, privilege, sex), but the thing that really lets it down is its sexual representation; which is to say, the novel's only female character of significance is really just there to be a sexual prize, in a pretty unbelievable way. Also the characters tend to find a lot of things mystifying or shocking that the reader will think are starkly obvious. (It's really not at all puzzling who the identity of the highwayman's accomplice is, for instance.) One thing that did keep bugging me was McGee keeping referring to the First Lord of the Admiralty as the First Sea Lord, apparently not knowing that those are two separate individuals.

[M. Sprouse · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had all the ingredients of an excellent read, but some how that experience eluded me. It took me a while to pinpoint the problem, but I think it was that the characters, especially the villains actions were implausible. This also included some of their dialogue and motivations.

It was a good "escape" tale, but I thought it should have been better. There is plenty of action, mystery and thrills. However, I didn't think the author did a good job of building suspense and characterization. I do plan to read the second book of the series and will decide after that whether to continue reading the series.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Several clichés mar this first of the series which is nowhere near of the same quality as the other Hawkwood novels partly because of too many literally last-second escapes and the reluctance of the villains to kill Bow Street Runner Matthew Hawkwood in 1811 London. However, it is exciting and the Georgian England setting is pretty convincing. Hawkwood is entangled in a Napoleonic plot involving prototype submarines after a couple of killings. A femme-fatale is well over-the-top and the hero a bit dense but some characters, like the Chief Magistrate, are well-realised

[Eric Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a re-read for me , having bought the book when it first came out . The story encompasses the early days of the Bow Street Runners - for whom ex- soldier Hawkwood now works - and the origins of submarines as a weapon . Napoleon's France seek to employ one to undermine Britain's navy and further their own dreams of European dominance ( sound familiar ? ) . An entertaining read set in the dark parts of London , with the traditional under-nourished children , grimy inns and willing women in abundance . First in the series .

[Kevin Gardner · Rating 4 out of 5]

First in the series

I have had this title on the tbr list for a long time and eventually got round to reading it. The story us set in the years during the Napoleonic wars is is about a plot involving the first submersible or submarine as we know them. All in it was a very enjoyable tale and I will be readingtherezt in the series.recommended.

[Tamara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good Victorian mystery with plenty of ambiance and a main character that was easy for me to root for. There is a pretty explicit sex scene, but does turn out to be 'necessary' to the plot line later on. You can still skip the scene if you'd rather, just knowing that it happens will be enough. It can be bloody, and the author is not squeamish about the seedier aspects of life in Victorian London. This is not a 'feel good' romp through an imaginary Victorian London where everything comes up roses. This is a determined walk towards the elusive truth through a more realistic Victorian London, complete with economic and social disparity, appalling poverty and antipathy towards the poor, and of course standard greed and complicit cooperation between the 'law' and those criminals well off enough to buy themselves out of trouble.

[Phil Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m years behind all of you who are already fans of James McGee, but working on the premise that it’s better to be late than never I’m just glad that I’ve found him.
What a rollicking good read. Fast paced. Great characters. Good plot. One of those books you really don’t want to put down. Great fun, and I’m thoroughly looking forward to volume two.

[Robert John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

This is the second time I have read this novel. I really enjoyed it both times. Although I had forgotten the storyline from the first time I read it. Anyhow its a cracking novel well written. Great characters, I highly recommend it. I am going to read the next novel in the series.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got better as it progressed, mostly. Read really quick so there's that. I liked the supporting characters better than the main character. The author definitely doesn't know how to write female characters or spicy scenes, but also isn't the worst at it, if that makes sense. Enough here to be mildly diverting, and maybe try the next book to see if his writing improves.

[Marina · Rating 3 out of 5]

The hero is surprisingly un-herolike, more luke a damsel in distress, though this effect was bot the author's intention for this fellow. Numerous historical inaccuracies - myths potrayed as true historical realia - are alse grating.