A.J. West – The Betrayal of Thomas True (370)

Set in the buried streets of Georgian London and the outrageous underworld of the molly houses, a carpenter hiding a double life searches for a traitor who is betraying the secrets of the mollies. The visceral, raucous, tender and enchanting historical thriller by the award-winning author of The Spirit Engineer.

‘Heartbreaking, beautiful, lyrical. I was captivated from the start … you won’t want to put it down’ Catriona Ward

‘There has never been a book that made me cry … until today. It chewed me up hard more than once but it was also funny, colourful and decadent. Truly extraordinary’ Suzie Edge

‘Really very, very good’ Stephen Fry

***WINNER OF THE HWA DEBUT CROWN***

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It is the year 1715, and Thomas True has arrived on old London Bridge with a dangerous secret. One night, lost amongst the squalor of London’s hidden back streets, he finds himself drawn into the outrageous underworld of the molly houses.

Meanwhile, carpenter Gabriel Griffin struggles to hide his double life as Lotty, the molly’s stoic guard. When a young man is found murdered, he realises there is a rat amongst them, betraying their secrets to a pair of murderous Justices.

Can Gabriel unmask the traitor before they hang? Can he save hapless Thomas from peril, and their own forbidden love?

Set amidst the buried streets of Georgian London, The Betrayal of Thomas True is a brutal and devastating thriller, where love must overcome evil, and the only true sin is betrayal…

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‘You’ll smile, you’ll gasp, you’ll cry at this Georgian-era thriller awash with mystery and mayhem … and magnificent mollies’ Essie Fox

‘Fierce, funny, and fabulous; this is an important and deeply moving story. Highly recommended’ Jonathan Harvey