Peter Mottley (1935–2006)

This novel is nothing short of a sumptuous medley of everything you'd expect from a period thriller; innocence stolen, greed, romantic love, folly, debauchery, ruthless betrayal etc. But its one with a much more integrity. The story is loosely based around William Hogarth's series of etchings called A Harlot's Progress – the life of an 18th Century prostitute. The attention to period detail is so strikingly precise and so well written that it really does breathe life into Hogarth's prints, who knew witch's hats and broomsticks were early dominatrix props? I loved the way Mottley pepper's the story with such accurate detail of criminal trials at The Old Bailey, the stench of the Thames, the London churches, early bankers and barristers, Smithfield, Cheapside and Spitalfields, even The Beggar's Opera.

The story begins in a world of horse drawn carriages, polite society and poetic landscapes but just as you settle into Jane Austin territory, the story quickly unravels a chain of events that change Yorkshire Molly's life forever. From the moment she steps off the Yorkshire coach, she is seduced into a life of prostitution at The Bell, a Wood Lane brothel in the City of London run by the slithering notorious bawd, Mother Wickham. The pace gallops along, twisting and turning unexpectedly and all the time drawing you into the seedy underbelly of London life, until finally the tale ends with a “breathtaking twist” that leaves the you rewarded but wanting more. Luckily it is apparently the first in a trilogy, I can't wait for Annie's Quest!… (altro)