The Betrayal of Thomas True: This year's most devastating, unforgettable historical thriller – THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

The Betrayal of Thomas True was my most anticipated book of the year. It is always slightly daunting starting a title I've been so desperate to read but having read A.J. West's previous book, The Spirit Engineer, and hearing him talk about this new novel at Yeovil Literary Festival, I had a good feeling about it. What I didn't expect, however, was just how much I fell head over heels in love with it. I am fortunate to read scores of superb books every year, many of which I will continue to recommend years after I publish my review. Every so often, though, I come across a novel which steals my heart; after I first read The Betrayal of Thomas True, I couldn't read anything else for days, such was the effect it had on me. I finished it for the second time recently and despite knowing what would happen, it enraptured me at least as much as the first time, perhaps even more, because returning to these characters felt like meeting old friends again.Thomas True is introduced at the start of the book as he embarks on a new life in London in 1715. His naïve sense of gauche excitement makes him an immediately endearing figure but even at this early point in proceedings, it's soon clear that he has suffered greatly at the hands of others. It's little wonder, then, that he should enter London with such high hopes – but his clumsiness quickly thwarts his early plans. He soon comes to the attention of a couple of characters who prove to be instrumental in his eventual transformation; one introduces himself, guides Thomas to his new home, and after a frightening, bewildering encounter, declares him to be "one of us"; the other observes him from high above the streets.Both Jack Huffins and Gabriel Griffin are mollies – a slang term given in the Georgian era to men who had sex with other men. They would meet at molly houses, where they dressed as women and gave themselves female names, and at a time when men found guilty of being a sodomite were pilloried or hanged, these places became sanctuaries for dancing, drinking and a place to express their romantic and sexual desires. Jack invites Thomas to find him at Mother Clap's, a real-life location and one of the most infamous of the molly houses.While Jack enjoys indulging in risky, provocative behaviour, poor Gabriel is bitterly ashamed of his true self. There are fascinating parallels and differences between Thomas and Gabriel; both have tried to hide their so-called sinful desires, but while Thomas is still youthfully optimistic, Gabriel has suffered tragic losses and is a lonely, tormented figure. Their appearances are in stark contrast to one another, too and one of the most touching aspects of the book is the manner in which their self-doubt and belief that they are ugly is contradicted by the admiration and secret passion they invoke in one another. Throughout the book, A.J. West perceptively explores self-acceptance and the need to belong, and the mollies' mantra, 'always together' is both deeply emotive and a stirring battle cry against bigotry and the hateful cruelty of the Society for the Reformation of Manners.The vibrant characterisation is complemented by the authentic, atmospheric evocation of the period and as Thomas begins to make a life for himself in London, the city is opened up to readers too. A.J. West captures all its chaotic, putrid squalor so vividly, it's almost possible to hear the clamour and smell the foul miasma. From the Squink's candle shop on London Bridge, through the busy streets and hidden alleyways, to the debauched hedonism of Mother Clap's and into the terrifying, dangerous underworld of Alsatia, the city becomes almost a character in its own right.As well as being immersive historical fiction, The Betrayal of Thomas True is also a compulsive, harrowing mystery as Gabriel and Thomas desperately try to uncover the identity of a traitorous figure known only as 'the Rat' before it is too late. It seems the culprit may be among the mollies but could it really be Sweet Jacky, Lavender Long-legs, Vivian Guzzle, Nelly Fump, the Duchess of Camomile or even Verity True-Tongue herself? The tense, compelling plot abounds with twists, turns and clever red herrings until the dramatic truth is finally revealed. Meanwhile, beyond the terrible fear and increasingly acrimonious suspicions aroused between supposed friends and intimates, a tender, captivating love story also develops. A.J. West's empathetic, emotional portrayal of these two scared, yet immensely courageous men is unforgettably moving throughout. It's not an unremittingly dark or poignant novel though and there's a finely tuned balance between the intense scenes and the lighter, humorous moments, some gently observed, others more gloriously bawdy.In his author's notes, A.J. West reminds us that this is a work of fiction, and certainly there are some almost fantastical elements woven into the intricately plotted storyline. However, Thomas True, Gabriel Griffin and the other mollies represent the real-life homosexual men of Georgian London whose bravery as they revelled in their authentic, often outrageous selves, in spite of the deathly penalties they risked, should be remembered and celebrated. I think they would be enormously proud to be brought back to life so vividly in The Betrayal of Thomas True. I couldn't have loved this exceptional book any more; I laughed, I couldn't breathe and I wept. Exciting, evocative, witty, heartbreaking and so, so beautiful; Thomas and Gabriel will be in my heart forever.

I don’t know how to review this book. I mean. I’m sure I will find some (many) words, but not necessarily the right ones. I don’t read a lot of historical fiction, crime or otherwise. That is usually more of my sister’s thing than mine, but I’m very glad I read this one. It’s somewhere between a gothic mystery, a love story and a review of social injustice that was so prevalent in the pious and oh-so-judgmental London of the eighteenth century. This is the story of Thomas True and his new found friends, the Mollys, a group of men whose prediliction for the love of another man is seen as abhorrent and unnatural and if caught, will ultimately lead to their death at the hands of the law. It is a story which is rich in atmosphere, tension, suspense and emotion. A tale of kinship, camaraderie, love, loss, and yes, ultimately, betrayal.We meet Thomas True as he is bound for London to start a new life. Seeing this as a chance to escape an impossible family life, one where he faed the wrath of his father for his inability to be the kind of man he expected, it is clear that Thomas had no idea how much his life would change on that particularly fateful day. An accidental separation from his carriage leads him to meet one of the ‘Mollys’ although as this stage, neither Thomas, nor we as readers, can have any idea of quite what this meeting will mean. I mean, there is a pretty big, and slightly unexpected hint early on there, but the full extent of what he is to learn about his new friend is yet to be revealed.Thomas is just one of our two key guides through this new and exciting world, the other being Gabriel Griffin. Gabriel is almost the exact opposite of Thomas. Where Thomas is young and seemingly exceedingly naive, Gabriel knows exactly who, and what, he is, and faces a battle between his desires and the shame that it brings to him. Gabriel is stuck in a vicious loop of grief and guilt, haunted by his past. Thomas is wide eyed and excited by the possibilities of his future, with no concept of the danger he faces from embracing this new life, and not just from the Police and those who are plotting to bring an end to the Mollys’ immoral behaviour. But despite their differences, which the author exposes and explores in beautiful detail, there is an undeniable spark between them, a chemistry and a kind of electric magnetism which drew me to them both and kept me entirely engaged in their stories.There is a real mystery at the heart of this book, a need to expose a ‘rat’, someone who is intent on bringing down the Mollys and ensuring that they all face justice for their ‘immoral behaviour’. It adds tension to the story, that ever present conflict and feeling of jeopardy that kept me on edge. The book is steeped in atmosphere, and the descriptions of the dark and sometimes hidden streets of London give the whole thing a kind of menacing, gothic edge. There is a darkness that contrasts with the bright and eccentric flamboyance of the molly houses, and this light and shade gives balance to the book but also adds to the tragedy and violence that we are to witness over the course of the story. It’s safe to say that someone wants to prevent Gabriel from uncovering the identity of the rat, but the lengths they go to took even me by surprise. AJ West has created a heady mix of fun and laughter, fear and threat, all combined into a story which kept me reading late into the night.I loved the characters in this book, in particular Gabriel and Thomas, but also the life and individuality of each of the Mollys. There was something free and engaging about all of the them, even those who were particularly gruff and suspicious of Thomas. There is such diversity in all of the personalities we encounter, from the forgotten street children who lurk in the shadows, to the two Justices who wish to impart their own view of morality on the world. I wish that it was harder to believe in the fates that awaited those found guilty of sodomy, but given that even as late as the latter half of the twentieth century, homosexuality was a crime worthy of imprisonment, death by hanging at Tyburn, whilst abhorrent to anyone with half an ounce of compassion was, simply put, the live entertainment show of the day. There is almost a kind of inevitability about what comes to pass for some of the characters, but it does not make the emotional impact any less visceral. This should be a story of love and friendship, and to some extent it is. But when that love is condemned as perverse, tragedy is an almost impossible to avoid conclusion.But still, the actual impact of the finale of this book … Well there are some stories which really hit you, that will cause you to shed a tear, and this is one such book. For a group of characters who are so full of life, joy, love and laughter, it is tough to be faced with such a tragic ending. The final chapters are truly emotional, shocking and left me feeling almost raw, and I know that it will take some time to forget Thomas and Gabriel. Definitely recommended.

Interesting and well written, moving at times, the good characters and plot capture the feeling of the time portrayed. Very nice.