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Bow Street Rivals #1
Shadow of the Hangman
1815. Peter and Paul Skillen, identical twins and fearless thief-takers, stalk all who dare to walk in the shadow of the hangman. When they catch a notorious burglar, they claim a handsome reward and infuriate the Bow Street Runners who believe they have a monopoly on policing in the capital.
The Home Secretary, Viscount Sidmouth, faces a crisis. During a massacre of American prisoners of war at Dartmoor, two escape and come to London in search of retribution. If their demands are not met, Sidmouth will be killed. The Skillen brothers are hired to catch the fugitives and must compete with the Runners to bring the villains to justice in a compelling tale of murder, kidnap, revenge, intrigue and political machination.
"I really enjoyed this opening salvo of the Skillen twins adventures, and Marston is plainly on cracking form ... Marston's many fans will love 'Shadow of the Hangman'. More, please." - Historical Novels Review
The Home Secretary, Viscount Sidmouth, faces a crisis. During a massacre of American prisoners of war at Dartmoor, two escape and come to London in search of retribution. If their demands are not met, Sidmouth will be killed. The Skillen brothers are hired to catch the fugitives and must compete with the Runners to bring the villains to justice in a compelling tale of murder, kidnap, revenge, intrigue and political machination.
"I really enjoyed this opening salvo of the Skillen twins adventures, and Marston is plainly on cracking form ... Marston's many fans will love 'Shadow of the Hangman'. More, please." - Historical Novels Review
383 pages, Paperback
First published February 19, 2015
41 people are currently reading
671 people want to read
About the author
Edward Marston
239 books466 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
A pseudonym used by Keith Miles
AKA A.E. Marston
Keith Miles (born 1940) is an English author, who writes under his own name and also historical fiction and mystery novels under the pseudonym Edward Marston. He is known for his mysteries set in the world of Elizabethan theatre. He has also written a series of novels based on events in the Domesday Book, a series of The Railway Detective and a series of The Home Front Detective.
Series contributed to:
. Malice Domestic
. Crime Through Time
. Perfectly Criminal
A pseudonym used by Keith Miles
AKA A.E. Marston
Keith Miles (born 1940) is an English author, who writes under his own name and also historical fiction and mystery novels under the pseudonym Edward Marston. He is known for his mysteries set in the world of Elizabethan theatre. He has also written a series of novels based on events in the Domesday Book, a series of The Railway Detective and a series of The Home Front Detective.
Series contributed to:
. Malice Domestic
. Crime Through Time
. Perfectly Criminal
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
July 13, 2018
Edward Marston has captured a niche into almost every piece of history and setting a detective series within that timeframe.
Here we are transported into the Great Britain in 1815 an area of history I know a great deal about since it was the topic and starting point of my ‘O’ level syllabus.
They say that history is written by the victors and that is seem cleverly here. Defeat in the colonies of America are passed over as we find London being triumphant over victory over Napoleon and the French at Waterloo.
The author is a master story teller and weaves his magic with an involved plot that mercifully is never over complicated. The many different strands give the book both a steady pace and an interesting feel as topics and characters are interchanged.
The writing is so crisp and its message so clear that characters remain formed in the reader’s mind. There is no need to go back and check people out and remind yourself of their place in the story. Yet the book is littered with well-drawn individuals who pass before you as fully formed characters.
The writing flows and the thrust of the story never stalls or diverts down some dead-end place.
However, you should realise that the same scenarios will be played out with twins as the main protagonists and a rivalry between their special services offered in detective work against the blunt instrument of bow street runners an early police enforcement agency.
The story is simple and has many aspects of appeal for a variety of tastes but also at times quite transparent in my opinion although many aspects of misdirection and partial reveals are used to good effect.
In the end the failure to identify motive and the aspirations of some of the players is almost unforgivable. In my opinion it sits uneasy in the otherwise success of the Skillen brothers.
As a new series to follow I am hooked and I hope to learn more about this interesting period I first encountered aged 14. Let me know what you think, I’m sure most will enjoy this book and those hat follow.
Here we are transported into the Great Britain in 1815 an area of history I know a great deal about since it was the topic and starting point of my ‘O’ level syllabus.
They say that history is written by the victors and that is seem cleverly here. Defeat in the colonies of America are passed over as we find London being triumphant over victory over Napoleon and the French at Waterloo.
The author is a master story teller and weaves his magic with an involved plot that mercifully is never over complicated. The many different strands give the book both a steady pace and an interesting feel as topics and characters are interchanged.
The writing is so crisp and its message so clear that characters remain formed in the reader’s mind. There is no need to go back and check people out and remind yourself of their place in the story. Yet the book is littered with well-drawn individuals who pass before you as fully formed characters.
The writing flows and the thrust of the story never stalls or diverts down some dead-end place.
However, you should realise that the same scenarios will be played out with twins as the main protagonists and a rivalry between their special services offered in detective work against the blunt instrument of bow street runners an early police enforcement agency.
The story is simple and has many aspects of appeal for a variety of tastes but also at times quite transparent in my opinion although many aspects of misdirection and partial reveals are used to good effect.
In the end the failure to identify motive and the aspirations of some of the players is almost unforgivable. In my opinion it sits uneasy in the otherwise success of the Skillen brothers.
As a new series to follow I am hooked and I hope to learn more about this interesting period I first encountered aged 14. Let me know what you think, I’m sure most will enjoy this book and those hat follow.
December 19, 2016
This was a good introduction to the series, and especially the Skilleen brothers - Peter and Paul. This book gives quite a nice flavour of the period at the end of the Battle of Waterloo. It also shows the underlying repercussions following this war and also the American War of 1812, with a connection to both these events. A rather convoluted assassination attempt is in the making and the Skilleen brothers set about trying to prevent the outcome, aided or rather at times hindered by their fierce rivals, the Bow Street Runners. It was a very enjoyable, light and quick read that held my attention throughout. I will look to continue the series although likely to leave a gap between each one.
March 17, 2018
This was an enjoyable historical mystery. I would say, however, that the mystery isn’t so much a mystery in the sense that the reader knows who the culprit is early on. It is more a case of hearing the culprit and detectives viewpoints as the case is solved. The story was good and had some nice twist and turns to it. You got to know the main characters a bit better. Overall, I liked this book and I will read the next book in the series.
July 28, 2021
1.5 stars
* * * Spoilers will be signposted
Every time I go into a charity shop my eyes are assailed by Edward Marston books. Medieval. Homefront. Trains. I think I've seem them all then I spot another batch, put on the shelves out of place. How can one man write so many books? What is his secret? I finally relented and purchased my first EM book. Now I know, now I know the secret of his work. This book was my first. It shall also be my last.
It's lazy. It's just, a really lazily written book.
To my mind, a historical crime book can place its strength around three points, helping to mask the stock nature of the characters whilst the writer focuses on:
First, The Investigation. The discovery of the crime, searching for evidence at the scene, interviewing witness, establishing motives, red herrings, the chase, the reveal, the arrest. Clues may be given that the characters don't catch but the reader can, allowing them to stay one step ahead of the detective, or alternatively, be shocked at the reveal then have the detective fit all the pieces together in a satisfying whole.
Secondly, the atmosphere, the tension. A crime has been committed after all, potentially a terrible one. Is there a ticking clock where the villain must be found before it runs out? Is there an escalation where they must be stopped before they kill, or kill again? Is the life or safety of a character we care about in danger if they are not stopped in time?
Lastly, is the historical setting. An author may not need an 'excuse' to write in a historical setting, the story doesn't need to be one unique to the time period but the reader should still be transported there. The sights, sounds, smells and tastes. Is the sound underfoot the click of a heel on Victorian cobblestones or the squelch of mud in a medieval village? What do they wear, what do they eat, what are their homes like, how are their lives and relationships constrained by the society they are in?
Marston's decision seems to have been to focus on none of these points.
The book follow the Bow Street Rivals, identical twin private investigators Peter and Paul Skillen. Peter is the sensible family man, Paul is the drinker and gambler. (Original, I'm sure you'll agree.) They are contacted by the Home Secretary Viscount Sidmouth to investigate the disappearance of Anne Horner, a cleaner at the Home Office. Peter is sure that she hasn't been murdered as, whilst her walk home took her through a dodgy area late at night, she had made that journey many times before, and there is no body. This seems . . . a stretch. Thankfully he finds a witness to corroborate this. Then nothing happens. Instead, the investigation, if it can be called that, is supplanted by their second task to find the pair of escaped convicts who have made death threats towards Sidmouth. Here some detecting does come into play, with the brothers initially trying to track them down by identifying their accomplices and working backwards, though the prisoners are able escape before the Skillen brothers arrive.
And so starts the real way the Skillen brothers track down criminals, having evidence fall into their laps, or standing around until their quarry shows up then arresting them.
* * * Spoilers start
The convicts say they are going to assassinate Sidmouth? Go to the place where Sidmouth will attending celebrations for the victory at Waterloo and arrest them as they scope out the area. The kidnappers have a house full of plans to assassinate someone at the same celebrations? Go there on the day and arrest. Even finding the kidnappers hideout falls right into the brothers' laps, as their blackmailing victim comes to them for help, and they simply follow the kidnappers back to the house after the money is exchanged, allowing them to find Horner and evidence for their larger plans.
* * * Spoilers end
Second to fall by the wayside is the tension. There is none. Early on Peter establishes that Horner has been kidnapped rather than murdered, backed up by a cutaway scene to her where the kidnappers say they will let her go once their plans are complete. She gets three meals a day and a glass of wine if one is late, and thankfully the male kidnapper isn't a massive pervert. Yes, she's locked in a basement and has to piss in a bucket, but with no immediate threat to her life and the Skillens losing interest to concentrate on the escaped prisoners it's difficult to feel too worried for her safety. Even when there are threats to life in the case of the convicts threatening Sidmouth, it's difficult to feel to worried about his safety given that he's under police protection and the prisoners hardly have the means or even a concrete plan to do him any harm. Even the schemes of the police who feel threatened by the Rivals' successes are unthreatening, with them soon shown to be no match for our protagonists.
But at least we'll get a solid feeling for the setting, right? The book is set in 1815 Georgian London, surely there's a wealth of details and atmosphere that could be woven in. Think of the brilliantly evocative, though not brilliantly coherent, series Taboo set one year earlier. The book setting is conveyed so well (I admittedly managed to overlook the initial date which didn't help) that I convinced myself it was Victorian until about 50 pages in. Instead of being delicately woven into the narrative we get expositional word dumps. At one point the Home Secretary is lectured by one of his undersecretaries that after the American war for independence the country is in debt. That there is chronic unemployment. That embittered factory workers are smashing up machinery. He even strikes a pose to do so. Under what circumstance could Sidmouth not know this? Of course he knows it, the undersecretary is informing the reader of this, but that Marston hasn't worked it into the narrative more naturally is telling.
A more cynical reader might say it's because he simply writes generic stories then copy and pastes paragraphs from wikipedia into the appropriate space when he decides which series to add it to. I think it's more likely that it's just uninspired writing.
But why the half star, or rounding it up if we're being generous? Even after all these complaints there is something still very readable about Marton's writing. I've read books with a more unique premise and more interesting writing style that were a harder slog to get through. You glance down at the page number and see you've finished off another 50 pages, or up at the clock and another hour has passed. That in itself is a skill, to make a work that is just very readable. It's the kind of readable you pick up at a WHSmith before a plane journey or a long train ride, one that'll pass the time, but where you don't need to worry too much about missing anything during the announcements or when a small child is kicking the back of your chair.
Would I recommend this book? No.
Would I buy another Edward Marston book? No.
Did I throw the book to the ground frustration when after a whole book of fannying around everything was wrapped up in less than 10 pages? Possibly.
Do I think there's something wrong with you if you liked the book? Not really.
It's a harmless enough way to pass a day or so reading, though you'll probably be left wishing you'd read something that made full use of the premise.
Just check out one of his rivals instead.
* * * Spoilers will be signposted
Every time I go into a charity shop my eyes are assailed by Edward Marston books. Medieval. Homefront. Trains. I think I've seem them all then I spot another batch, put on the shelves out of place. How can one man write so many books? What is his secret? I finally relented and purchased my first EM book. Now I know, now I know the secret of his work. This book was my first. It shall also be my last.
It's lazy. It's just, a really lazily written book.
To my mind, a historical crime book can place its strength around three points, helping to mask the stock nature of the characters whilst the writer focuses on:
First, The Investigation. The discovery of the crime, searching for evidence at the scene, interviewing witness, establishing motives, red herrings, the chase, the reveal, the arrest. Clues may be given that the characters don't catch but the reader can, allowing them to stay one step ahead of the detective, or alternatively, be shocked at the reveal then have the detective fit all the pieces together in a satisfying whole.
Secondly, the atmosphere, the tension. A crime has been committed after all, potentially a terrible one. Is there a ticking clock where the villain must be found before it runs out? Is there an escalation where they must be stopped before they kill, or kill again? Is the life or safety of a character we care about in danger if they are not stopped in time?
Lastly, is the historical setting. An author may not need an 'excuse' to write in a historical setting, the story doesn't need to be one unique to the time period but the reader should still be transported there. The sights, sounds, smells and tastes. Is the sound underfoot the click of a heel on Victorian cobblestones or the squelch of mud in a medieval village? What do they wear, what do they eat, what are their homes like, how are their lives and relationships constrained by the society they are in?
Marston's decision seems to have been to focus on none of these points.
The book follow the Bow Street Rivals, identical twin private investigators Peter and Paul Skillen. Peter is the sensible family man, Paul is the drinker and gambler. (Original, I'm sure you'll agree.) They are contacted by the Home Secretary Viscount Sidmouth to investigate the disappearance of Anne Horner, a cleaner at the Home Office. Peter is sure that she hasn't been murdered as, whilst her walk home took her through a dodgy area late at night, she had made that journey many times before, and there is no body. This seems . . . a stretch. Thankfully he finds a witness to corroborate this. Then nothing happens. Instead, the investigation, if it can be called that, is supplanted by their second task to find the pair of escaped convicts who have made death threats towards Sidmouth. Here some detecting does come into play, with the brothers initially trying to track them down by identifying their accomplices and working backwards, though the prisoners are able escape before the Skillen brothers arrive.
And so starts the real way the Skillen brothers track down criminals, having evidence fall into their laps, or standing around until their quarry shows up then arresting them.
* * * Spoilers start
The convicts say they are going to assassinate Sidmouth? Go to the place where Sidmouth will attending celebrations for the victory at Waterloo and arrest them as they scope out the area. The kidnappers have a house full of plans to assassinate someone at the same celebrations? Go there on the day and arrest. Even finding the kidnappers hideout falls right into the brothers' laps, as their blackmailing victim comes to them for help, and they simply follow the kidnappers back to the house after the money is exchanged, allowing them to find Horner and evidence for their larger plans.
* * * Spoilers end
Second to fall by the wayside is the tension. There is none. Early on Peter establishes that Horner has been kidnapped rather than murdered, backed up by a cutaway scene to her where the kidnappers say they will let her go once their plans are complete. She gets three meals a day and a glass of wine if one is late, and thankfully the male kidnapper isn't a massive pervert. Yes, she's locked in a basement and has to piss in a bucket, but with no immediate threat to her life and the Skillens losing interest to concentrate on the escaped prisoners it's difficult to feel too worried for her safety. Even when there are threats to life in the case of the convicts threatening Sidmouth, it's difficult to feel to worried about his safety given that he's under police protection and the prisoners hardly have the means or even a concrete plan to do him any harm. Even the schemes of the police who feel threatened by the Rivals' successes are unthreatening, with them soon shown to be no match for our protagonists.
But at least we'll get a solid feeling for the setting, right? The book is set in 1815 Georgian London, surely there's a wealth of details and atmosphere that could be woven in. Think of the brilliantly evocative, though not brilliantly coherent, series Taboo set one year earlier. The book setting is conveyed so well (I admittedly managed to overlook the initial date which didn't help) that I convinced myself it was Victorian until about 50 pages in. Instead of being delicately woven into the narrative we get expositional word dumps. At one point the Home Secretary is lectured by one of his undersecretaries that after the American war for independence the country is in debt. That there is chronic unemployment. That embittered factory workers are smashing up machinery. He even strikes a pose to do so. Under what circumstance could Sidmouth not know this? Of course he knows it, the undersecretary is informing the reader of this, but that Marston hasn't worked it into the narrative more naturally is telling.
A more cynical reader might say it's because he simply writes generic stories then copy and pastes paragraphs from wikipedia into the appropriate space when he decides which series to add it to. I think it's more likely that it's just uninspired writing.
But why the half star, or rounding it up if we're being generous? Even after all these complaints there is something still very readable about Marton's writing. I've read books with a more unique premise and more interesting writing style that were a harder slog to get through. You glance down at the page number and see you've finished off another 50 pages, or up at the clock and another hour has passed. That in itself is a skill, to make a work that is just very readable. It's the kind of readable you pick up at a WHSmith before a plane journey or a long train ride, one that'll pass the time, but where you don't need to worry too much about missing anything during the announcements or when a small child is kicking the back of your chair.
Would I recommend this book? No.
Would I buy another Edward Marston book? No.
Did I throw the book to the ground frustration when after a whole book of fannying around everything was wrapped up in less than 10 pages? Possibly.
Do I think there's something wrong with you if you liked the book? Not really.
It's a harmless enough way to pass a day or so reading, though you'll probably be left wishing you'd read something that made full use of the premise.
Just check out one of his rivals instead.
June 25, 2024
Really liked the different story lines that all ended up tying together, quick paced book which kept me hooked- enjoyed it more then I thought I would and keen to read the rest of the series.
August 21, 2016
Edward Marston's new series 'The Bow Street Rivals' cements his reputation as a master storyteller even more as in 'Shadow of the Hangman' he maintains the gripping and action-packed style he exhibits in all his other series.
Twins Peter and Paul Skillen are the main protagonists in this tale. They are detectives who rival the official Bow Street Runners, who feel that they should have a monopoly on policing in London. But all too often they are outwitted by the Skillen twins, who always seem to be one step ahead of them.
'Shadow of a Hangman' has two escaped prisoners from Dartmoor making their perilous way to London where they intend to commit an act of atrocity. Home Secretary Viscount Sidmouth is targeted and the suggestion is that if the escaped convicts demands are not met he will be murdered.
Sidmouth, against the better wishes of his Runners, hires the Skillens to bring the fugitives to justice. However, he also has his Runners in the frame making their own investigations so throughout the story there is this continuing rivalry between the two parties.
Both parties find themselves in perilous situations but all along, despite various injuries, they all manage to survive and continue their pursuit of the villains. Those villains, both American, intermingle with London's Irish community who do their best to deceive the authorities but in the end the Skillens get the better of them and finally apprehend the convicts.
Throughout there are one or two sub-plots, romantic as far as the Skillens are concerned and worrying for various other characters who are on the fringes of the main plot. It is a compelling tale of murder, kidnap, revenge, intrigue and political machination and is certainly one to be recommended by one of the masters of this genre.
Twins Peter and Paul Skillen are the main protagonists in this tale. They are detectives who rival the official Bow Street Runners, who feel that they should have a monopoly on policing in London. But all too often they are outwitted by the Skillen twins, who always seem to be one step ahead of them.
'Shadow of a Hangman' has two escaped prisoners from Dartmoor making their perilous way to London where they intend to commit an act of atrocity. Home Secretary Viscount Sidmouth is targeted and the suggestion is that if the escaped convicts demands are not met he will be murdered.
Sidmouth, against the better wishes of his Runners, hires the Skillens to bring the fugitives to justice. However, he also has his Runners in the frame making their own investigations so throughout the story there is this continuing rivalry between the two parties.
Both parties find themselves in perilous situations but all along, despite various injuries, they all manage to survive and continue their pursuit of the villains. Those villains, both American, intermingle with London's Irish community who do their best to deceive the authorities but in the end the Skillens get the better of them and finally apprehend the convicts.
Throughout there are one or two sub-plots, romantic as far as the Skillens are concerned and worrying for various other characters who are on the fringes of the main plot. It is a compelling tale of murder, kidnap, revenge, intrigue and political machination and is certainly one to be recommended by one of the masters of this genre.
June 19, 2017
4.5* This is the first of Edward Marston's latest historical fiction series, The Bow Street rivals #1. The third just being released this year 2017.
This is set in the early 1800s and features the Bow Street runners who were officially tasked with keeping law and order together with rival thief takers The Skillen brothers.
An exciting plot with twists along the way, packed with action and a true sense of accurate historical ambience.
A satisfactory ending leaving me excited to continue the series
This is set in the early 1800s and features the Bow Street runners who were officially tasked with keeping law and order together with rival thief takers The Skillen brothers.
An exciting plot with twists along the way, packed with action and a true sense of accurate historical ambience.
A satisfactory ending leaving me excited to continue the series
October 27, 2024
Really enjoyed this book and feel it is a good introduction to the Skillen brothers. I look forward to reading many more adventures in this time period
November 2, 2024
Brilliant. I love the twists in this authors writing and his language.
July 6, 2024
Enjoyed the characters cat and mouse game with the Bow Street Runners … can’t wait for the next one
February 2, 2017
Yet another great book from Edward Marston.
If you like your crime novels historical with great characters who are well developed then this is the book for you.
This one is set in 1815 and my only complaint was that it read a little too like the railway detective novels also by this author, so much so that I kept thinking we were in the late 1800's not the early 1800's. Not that that matters.
The fact the two main characters are twins also isn't an issue however the fact they are called Peter and Paul is. The amount of times I had to check back which brother was which was ridiculous. I know parents tend to give twins similar names but in the interest of reader enjoyment Peter and James would have made things a lot less confusing.
If you like your crime novels historical with great characters who are well developed then this is the book for you.
This one is set in 1815 and my only complaint was that it read a little too like the railway detective novels also by this author, so much so that I kept thinking we were in the late 1800's not the early 1800's. Not that that matters.
The fact the two main characters are twins also isn't an issue however the fact they are called Peter and Paul is. The amount of times I had to check back which brother was which was ridiculous. I know parents tend to give twins similar names but in the interest of reader enjoyment Peter and James would have made things a lot less confusing.
July 13, 2016
I had a hard time trying to finish this book. Nothing about it appealed to me. I felt that the book was simply extended with pages of repetitive descriptions and dialogues. The characters were not well defined, not much suspense or detection to keep my attention. The period in which it is set is fascinating but the characters did not seem to belong there. Overall, I did not gain much with this one.
March 15, 2018
Really enjoyed the read: the story line was perhaps a touch predictable but was a refreshing detour for me none the less. Haven't read another Marston so unable to comment on whether its a departure from his normal style or just another repeat with different names, but as a one off it was a welcome and attention holding read.
February 3, 2019
England 1815: Paul & Peter Skillen, Private Detectives, are twins both working for the Home Secretary. Their rivals, Yeomans & his group of ruffians, with criminal tendencies, also working for the Home Secretary. Both groups are always trying to best each other the former w/ class & intelligence, the latter w/ little regard for the law & brute force.
When the uprising at a local prison involving American POWs demanding better treatment, ends in a massacre... the leader O'Gara & his black friend Bass escape, making their way to London seeking asylum & carrying a truthful version of the peaceful uprising.
In London O'Gara finds a scribe who sends a letter on O'Gara's behalf describing the abuse of prisoners & the truth of the uprising to the Home Secretary, which causes a stir & prompts a formal investigation on behalf of the POWs... Unfortunately O'Gara threatens the Home Secretary in the letter thus making himself & Bass wanted men.
Both the of the Skillens and Yeomans & his group are hired to find O'Gara & Bass, which turns into a fiasco of attempted revenge against the Skillens by Yeomans & crew.
In a side plot, the office charwoman goes missing, when another is hired to take her place, confidential papers also begin to go missing.
I like the Skillen brothers, Marston has them as completely different individuals. Peter is a gentleman, married to a clever woman who chose Peter over Paul. Paul is robust, a gambler, drinker, womanizer who has fallen in love for the 2nd time and is grappling with his feelings.
Yeomans & his group are not only unintelligent & coarse, they are unlikable men and their underhanded schemes, leaning toward violence against the twins & others put me off.
I also liked O'Gara & Bass, I admired their sense of duty to their compatriots.... but I didn't like how they were handled by those in power.
I will attempt to read one more in this series.... If I do not like it any better, I'll drop it not continue.
When the uprising at a local prison involving American POWs demanding better treatment, ends in a massacre... the leader O'Gara & his black friend Bass escape, making their way to London seeking asylum & carrying a truthful version of the peaceful uprising.
In London O'Gara finds a scribe who sends a letter on O'Gara's behalf describing the abuse of prisoners & the truth of the uprising to the Home Secretary, which causes a stir & prompts a formal investigation on behalf of the POWs... Unfortunately O'Gara threatens the Home Secretary in the letter thus making himself & Bass wanted men.
Both the of the Skillens and Yeomans & his group are hired to find O'Gara & Bass, which turns into a fiasco of attempted revenge against the Skillens by Yeomans & crew.
In a side plot, the office charwoman goes missing, when another is hired to take her place, confidential papers also begin to go missing.
I like the Skillen brothers, Marston has them as completely different individuals. Peter is a gentleman, married to a clever woman who chose Peter over Paul. Paul is robust, a gambler, drinker, womanizer who has fallen in love for the 2nd time and is grappling with his feelings.
Yeomans & his group are not only unintelligent & coarse, they are unlikable men and their underhanded schemes, leaning toward violence against the twins & others put me off.
I also liked O'Gara & Bass, I admired their sense of duty to their compatriots.... but I didn't like how they were handled by those in power.
I will attempt to read one more in this series.... If I do not like it any better, I'll drop it not continue.
July 16, 2021
Some years ago, I read the Domesday Series ( https://www.goodreads.com/series/40756 ) by Edward Marston
so when I was searching for a mystery about the Bow Street Runners, I was pleased to find the Bow Street Rival series by Edward Marston and decided to start with the first one, Shadow of the Hangman.
It was a quite fun mystery which features twin brothers Peter and Paul Skillen , who excel in defensive arts and exceed the skill of the Bow Street Runners in detection. As it is the first in the series, it sets up the characters and background for the rest of the series. It was interesting, educational and entertaining, but it did fall through a bit in the end.
I will continue to read this series and I'm quite happy to have found a new one to follow.
so when I was searching for a mystery about the Bow Street Runners, I was pleased to find the Bow Street Rival series by Edward Marston and decided to start with the first one, Shadow of the Hangman.
It was a quite fun mystery which features twin brothers Peter and Paul Skillen , who excel in defensive arts and exceed the skill of the Bow Street Runners in detection. As it is the first in the series, it sets up the characters and background for the rest of the series. It was interesting, educational and entertaining, but it did fall through a bit in the end.
I will continue to read this series and I'm quite happy to have found a new one to follow.
August 2, 2020
"How many aunts can hit a target with a bow and arrow?"
A fun, and curious introduction to the Bow Street Rivals.
I like quite a few of the characters within, and the many parallel story threads. They all came together nicely near the end, and the conclusion was mostly satisfying.
I could have done without the Runners POV, I don't think it especially added anything to any part of the story. But all of the others had their merits and helped to make for an enjoyable read.
I won't hold it against the story that the book itself was a little disappointing, in that it had several spelling mistakes throughout at various points.
All in all, I liked it, and I shall be reading Steps to the Gallows.
A fun, and curious introduction to the Bow Street Rivals.
I like quite a few of the characters within, and the many parallel story threads. They all came together nicely near the end, and the conclusion was mostly satisfying.
I could have done without the Runners POV, I don't think it especially added anything to any part of the story. But all of the others had their merits and helped to make for an enjoyable read.
I won't hold it against the story that the book itself was a little disappointing, in that it had several spelling mistakes throughout at various points.
All in all, I liked it, and I shall be reading Steps to the Gallows.
November 18, 2017
Review - I thoroughly enjoyed this novel about one of my favourite historical periods. Having already read the Nicholas Bracewell series, set in Elizabethan London, I was anxious to also read this one. The first book in the series didn't disappoint, and I felt like I was right there among the action and the characters. The only thing I would say is that there seems to be a lot made of Peter and Paul's competition over Charlotte - it would be nice to see how that happened.
Genre? - Historical / Crime / Mystery
Characters? - Paul Skillen / Peter Skillen / Charlotte Skillen / Gully Ackford / Tom O'Gara / Moses Dagg / Viscount Sidmouth / Micah Yeomans
Setting? - London (England)
Series? - Bow Street Rivals #1
Recommend? – Yes
Rating - 18/20
Genre? - Historical / Crime / Mystery
Characters? - Paul Skillen / Peter Skillen / Charlotte Skillen / Gully Ackford / Tom O'Gara / Moses Dagg / Viscount Sidmouth / Micah Yeomans
Setting? - London (England)
Series? - Bow Street Rivals #1
Recommend? – Yes
Rating - 18/20
November 21, 2017
Set in 1815, this is the first in a series about identical twin detectives. In this case, they are called in by the Home Secretary to find a missing woman and to find two missing prisoners, which ends up also covering assassination attempts, kidnapping and illegal fighting rings. There is a lot going on here, and I found it hard to get into at first as there are so many stories and points of view: we find out what the twins are up to; we spend time with their bumbling rivals, the Bow Street Runners; we get a few chapters from the missing woman and from the prisoners; plus a few single points of view from various other parties. There's a ripping yarn in here somewhere, but there was too much going on for me to find it.
January 21, 2018
This book recounts the adventures of twin brother detectives in nineteenth-century London. The maritime conflict with the USA has ended, but American sailors are still being held, under harsh conditions. Two prisoners escape and take their complaints to London. But there are dark secrets and a kidnapping in the Home Secretary's office. Celebrations are being planned for the victory at Waterloo, and an attack is feared. Some of the plot events rely on people mistaking one brother for the other, and on the rivalry between the brothers and the official law enforcers, The Runners.
A good story, written very clearly in its epoch, as we might expect from the author of the railway detective stories. But I felt that the American sailors deserved a happier ending.
A good story, written very clearly in its epoch, as we might expect from the author of the railway detective stories. But I felt that the American sailors deserved a happier ending.
December 24, 2018
This is the first book in the fourth series of historical novels by Edward Marston. I really enjoyed it.
Set in the early nineteenth century, just after Wellington's victory at Waterloo, the action centres round a Dartmoor prison, with American inmates, and the Home Office under Lord Sidmouth in London, where plans are afoot to celebrate Wellington's famous victory.
Two escaped American prisoners make their way to London, and threaten Home Secretary Sidmouth's life if he doesn't meet their demands.
Meanwhile, a cleaner goes missing and her replacement is too good to be true. Vital information is stolen, but eventually the plot is uncovered by the Bow Street Runners, with more than a little help from a set of identical twins, whose methods are somewhat unorthodox.
Set in the early nineteenth century, just after Wellington's victory at Waterloo, the action centres round a Dartmoor prison, with American inmates, and the Home Office under Lord Sidmouth in London, where plans are afoot to celebrate Wellington's famous victory.
Two escaped American prisoners make their way to London, and threaten Home Secretary Sidmouth's life if he doesn't meet their demands.
Meanwhile, a cleaner goes missing and her replacement is too good to be true. Vital information is stolen, but eventually the plot is uncovered by the Bow Street Runners, with more than a little help from a set of identical twins, whose methods are somewhat unorthodox.
March 18, 2022
I picked this book up because I had picked up and enjoyed previous books by the author. I was interested in the setting, especially since the book included a lot of the political situation at the time and used it to inform the plot itself. There were several different plotlines going on, like the Americans escaping, Horner going missing, the Bow Street Runners trying to get one up on the brothers and Paul's romance with an actress.
I liked this book. With all the different plotlines, it kept my interest all the way through and there were a couple of sympathetic characters who I enjoyed when they came on page, like Charlotte and Mrs Horner. I'll probably keep going with this series but it will definitely be a library borrow.
3.5 stars!
I liked this book. With all the different plotlines, it kept my interest all the way through and there were a couple of sympathetic characters who I enjoyed when they came on page, like Charlotte and Mrs Horner. I'll probably keep going with this series but it will definitely be a library borrow.
3.5 stars!
December 11, 2022
This was probably my least favourite read of 2022. I was expecting a half decent crime thriller, but ended up with a book that truly was a real slog to get through.
Set in 1815, the book follows a pair of twins, Peter and Paul Skillen, who are notorious crime solvers in London. When the Home Secretary is faced with a missing staff member and a death threat against him, he calls on the Skillen brothers for help, much to the chagrin of the Bow Street runners who consider themselves the head honchos of London's crime fighters.
I found this such a tough book to get through, and was the closest I've come to DNF-ing a book in years. The main plot point was basically that the two main characters were identical twins and everything hinged around that.
Set in 1815, the book follows a pair of twins, Peter and Paul Skillen, who are notorious crime solvers in London. When the Home Secretary is faced with a missing staff member and a death threat against him, he calls on the Skillen brothers for help, much to the chagrin of the Bow Street runners who consider themselves the head honchos of London's crime fighters.
I found this such a tough book to get through, and was the closest I've come to DNF-ing a book in years. The main plot point was basically that the two main characters were identical twins and everything hinged around that.
July 21, 2022
3/5 Stars
I’ll be honest, I chose this book based on the title. And because it’s an author I have read before and enjoyed. And the write up has it pitched as a Sherlock and Watson-esque romp.
Whilst it’s well written and well structured, I just didn’t find it a challenging whodunnit. There was no sense that the Skillen brothers will fail in their efforts, and you don’t build enough of a relationship with any of the principle characters to care about what happens to them.
I found this mildly disappointing as I’ve read other stories by Marston and found they had heightened tension and good suspense.
All in all it passed the time, however I wouldn’t rave about this book.
I’ll be honest, I chose this book based on the title. And because it’s an author I have read before and enjoyed. And the write up has it pitched as a Sherlock and Watson-esque romp.
Whilst it’s well written and well structured, I just didn’t find it a challenging whodunnit. There was no sense that the Skillen brothers will fail in their efforts, and you don’t build enough of a relationship with any of the principle characters to care about what happens to them.
I found this mildly disappointing as I’ve read other stories by Marston and found they had heightened tension and good suspense.
All in all it passed the time, however I wouldn’t rave about this book.
February 2, 2025
This review contains spoilers.
This novel is set in England in the year 1815.
However, it could be anytime, anywhere. Apart from isolated examples, there is no attempt to create the world of 1815 either in speech, dress or environment. It lacks atmosphere.
The denouement felt rushed and plotlines are left unresolved.(Did Anne Horner return to her post at the Home Office?).
Some historical inaccuracies jar. Bathrooms were not a feature of most houses in 1815.
I always get the feeling with Marston's work that it is a 'rushed job'.
Undemanding reading ideal for a train journey or if you are feeling unwell.
This novel is set in England in the year 1815.
However, it could be anytime, anywhere. Apart from isolated examples, there is no attempt to create the world of 1815 either in speech, dress or environment. It lacks atmosphere.
The denouement felt rushed and plotlines are left unresolved.(Did Anne Horner return to her post at the Home Office?).
Some historical inaccuracies jar. Bathrooms were not a feature of most houses in 1815.
I always get the feeling with Marston's work that it is a 'rushed job'.
Undemanding reading ideal for a train journey or if you are feeling unwell.
May 23, 2025
A new series classic.
An easy five stars for a superb book introducing the Skillen brothers and their assistants as detectives to rival the bow street police. Brilliantly put together plotting together with an array of memorable vividly drawn characters. Two different cases are totally unrelated. The abduction of a cleaner at the home office appears to be a case of blackmail. The other case is more pressing involving a pair of escaped prisoners from Dartmoor. If their demands are not met the life of the Home Secretary is threatened. Highly recommended for all fans of historical crime fiction.
An easy five stars for a superb book introducing the Skillen brothers and their assistants as detectives to rival the bow street police. Brilliantly put together plotting together with an array of memorable vividly drawn characters. Two different cases are totally unrelated. The abduction of a cleaner at the home office appears to be a case of blackmail. The other case is more pressing involving a pair of escaped prisoners from Dartmoor. If their demands are not met the life of the Home Secretary is threatened. Highly recommended for all fans of historical crime fiction.
August 6, 2018
I really enjoyed my first encounter with Edward Marston’s work, and the Skillen Brothers. This was an amusing, and captivating read and I really enjoyed the historical context surrounding it. I also didn’t get confused with all of the characters which I often finds happens when I’m reading mystery/crime books so I was very impressed with that.
My only issue was I felt certain aspects were wrapped up a little too quickly at the end, but nonetheless am excited to continue in the series!!
4.25 stars
My only issue was I felt certain aspects were wrapped up a little too quickly at the end, but nonetheless am excited to continue in the series!!
4.25 stars
June 6, 2020
I loved the feel of 1815 London and the start of the police service; the bow street runners and their predecessors paid private investigators. The description of rivalry between the 2 representatives of investigation are as much a class war as the runners were drawn from one class whist the PI was seen as a higher class occupation. The underlying politics of a post war country help and hinder in equal parts the apprehension of 2 escaped prisoners who threaten the government itself. I enjoyed the book and look forward to the next one.
September 15, 2020
Another historical mystery from a prolific, entertaining author. It is just after Waterloo and the American War of 1812. American POWs who have yet to be returned despite the Treaty of Ghent have justly voiced their concerns but are fired upon by the evil Brit prison guards. Add to this French agents looking to avenge the defeat of Nappy, and you have an interesting mix for the Skillen brothers (and if you don't picture the Property Brothers when reading this, you are isolated indeed) and their rival Bow Street Runners.
A fine start to the series, one I'll continue reading, as always.
A fine start to the series, one I'll continue reading, as always.
July 13, 2017
This was my first Edward Marston book and I really looked it. It remined me of the television series "Ripper street". Good read.
One remark however,
One remark however,
October 1, 2019
This was an entertaining read and an easy page turner but nothing really exciting happens.
All the characters are laid out before the reader so there are no real surprises and the crimes committed were pretty tame compared to most crime novels I read.
I think the author missed a great opportunity to describe, in detail, the abysmal conditions of both the jails of the time and the areas of London occupied by the poor. This could have made it a far more interesting read.
All the characters are laid out before the reader so there are no real surprises and the crimes committed were pretty tame compared to most crime novels I read.
I think the author missed a great opportunity to describe, in detail, the abysmal conditions of both the jails of the time and the areas of London occupied by the poor. This could have made it a far more interesting read.
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