I'd describe this book as a romp. Half-hanged Thomas Hawkins (read the book to find out what 'half-hanged' means) is dispatched by the queen on a mission to Yorkshire, to the disgraced but wealthy John Aislabie of Fountains Abbey. Aislabie is being threatened with murder, by persons unknown. Blackmail is in the air. There's a lot of death, brutishness, and dangers seen and unseen. There's also a lot of humour, and the story of Tom, his lover Kitty and his ward Sam Fleet fairly races along. Hodgson has done her research, and the backdrop of Fountains Abbey and the Aislabie family, which as a volunteer at Fountains I know well, adds to the period detail of this drama. This book is lively, engaging and vivid, and I read it is double-quick time. You may too. ( )

This is the third in the series of whodunnits featuring gambler and womaniser Thomas Hawkins, manoeuvring his way through the perils and tragedies of early 18th century England. In this one, he is sent by his patron Queen Caroline to investigate the disappearance of a ledger which contains secrets exposing the financial wrongdoings of the "great and the good" at the time of the notorious South Sea Bubble, a financial crash that took place in 1720. The central character at the heart of the scandal here, John Aislabie, is a real historical figure, as are many of the other characters, but in addition to his notorious financial and political role, he is scarred by the emotional tragedy of a house fire many years before which killed his first wife and one of his daughters (again, a real incident in his life). These events become linked together in a web of deceit and revenge stretching back over the years. This was a good read, though it didn't feel quite as meaty as the previous two novels. I do like Thomas's partner Kitty. ( )

No sooner has Thomas Hawkins been saved from the gallows on the verge of death than he is dispatched to Yorkshire by Queen Caroline. Blackmailed into investigating a blackmailer Hawkins is accompanied by Sam Fleet and, eventually, by Kitty. At Studley Royal he finds John Aislabie, disgraced former Chancellor, being threatened. Tasked with finding the ledger that Aislabie keeps detailing corruption at the highest level during the South Seas Bubble crisis, Hawkins finds his life and the lives of those he loves threatened.
This is the third book in Hodgson's series about the rogue Thomas Hawkins and his adventures through all levels of 18th Century society. Again this is a wonderful tale with twists and turns aplenty. Hodgson researches her books in great details so that, although fiction, they feel completely embedded in time and place. Hawkins is a great alternative hero, a man of dubious morals with courage and loyalty that come out to protect those he cares about. The setting being in a place I know well only added to the general enjoyment of this tale. ( )

A Death at Fountains Abbey is the third book to feature Thomas Hawkins, a lovable rake. It can be read as a standalone, as can The Devil in the Marshalsea and The Last Confession of Thomas Hawkins, but things that happened in the earlier books are referred to quite a lot.

Set in 1728, Tom is sent by the Queen to Studley Hall, home of John Aislabie and his wife, to deal with some threatening letters that they have received and in turn to recover a ledger that refers to the South Sea financial scheme that went so horribly wrong a few years before. As usual, Tom, Kitty (his 'wife') and Sam Fleet (Tom's ward) end up in all kinds of trouble - we're talking about Half-Hanged Hawkins, after all.

I love this series of books. Antonia Hodgson weaves a fantastic tale of both fact and fiction and emerges with a thoroughly enjoyable romp of a story. Told in the first person by Tom himself, I can't help but like him. He gets into all kinds of scrapes, both humorous and dangerous. Hodgson really brings to life the era but writes in a very accessible style. Whilst Tom is very much a London rogue, it was nice to move the action to Yorkshire and the beautiful backdrop of Fountains Abbey.

I hope this is not the last we see of Thomas Hawkins and Co. More of the same please! ( )