Publishers Weekly
★ 07/22/2019
In this exceptional series launch from Edgar–winner Edwards (Dancing for the Hangman) set in 1930 London, ambitious tabloid journalist Jacob Flint is hoping to make a name for himself by interviewing Rachel Savernake, a judge’s daughter, whose amateur detecting solved a murder that baffled Scotland Yard. Rachel had identified Claude Linacre, a prominent politician’s brother, as the killer shortly before Linacre fatally poisoned himself. After Rachel rebuffs Jacob’s inquiries about the Linacre case, she persuades a terminally ill banker and philanthropist to write a confession that he strangled and dismembered a nurse—and then shoot himself. Entries from an 11-year-old journal, written by someone whose role is initially unclear, accuse Rachel of being a murderer. More bloodshed follows as Jacob tries to figure out Rachel’s motives and culpability. The labyrinthine plot is one of Edwards’s best, and he does a masterly job of maintaining suspense, besides getting the reader to invest in the fate of the two main characters. Fans of Edgar Wallace’s classic Four Just Men won’t want to miss this one. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
"Exceptional series launch from Edgar–winner Edwards...The labyrinthine plot is one of Edwards’s best, and he does a masterly job of maintaining suspense, besides getting the reader to invest in the fate of the two main characters. Fans of Edgar Wallace’s classic Four Just Men won’t want to miss this one." — Publishers Weekly - STARRED review
"Highly atmospheric, spine-tingling fun...the way that Edwards keeps deepening the creepiness of this mystery until the very end is utterly stunning." — Booklist, STARRED Review
"Martin Edwards crafts vivid descriptions of both character and setting that embed the reader into the scene in a way few writers can achieve." — New York Journal of Books
"A heroine called Rachel Savernake had better live up to that dangerous-sounding name, and in Martin Edwards’s Gallows Court, she does...Is Rachel a female Moriarty? A lucky dilettante? An avenging angel? Edwards keeps the reader guessing deep into the lively narrative...a clever pastiche of the golden-age mystery." — Air Mail
"Martin Edwards’s GALLOWS COURT seems awfully bloodthirsty for a traditionally designed mystery set in foggy old London in 1930... Fans of clean-cut heroes will be rooting for Jacob, although some of us would rather see devilish Rachel clean his clock. Either that or commit a clever, more refined murder of her own." — The New York Times Book Review
"Superb—a pitch-perfect blend of Golden Age charm and sinister modern suspense, with a main character to die for. This is the book Edwards was born to write." — Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author
