This is a glorious romp of a novel, set among the criminal underclasses of early eighteenth century London. Taking the form of narratives sent from Newgate Prison to the editor of a journal specialising in salacious stories, it recounts the eventful life of Elizabeth Lyon. Under the soubriquet of ‘Edgworth Bess’, she had forged a successful career for herself in the margins of London lowlife, making her way as prostitute. Pickpocket and general opportunist.

Unfortunately, early on in her sojourn through this alternative society her path had crossed that of Jonathan Wild, famous as the Thieftaker General, though he was in fact one of the worst villains in London, running a criminal network as diverse and extensive as that operated by the Kray twins two hundred and forty years later.

Arnott first established his credentials as a crime writer with his stories set in the Krays’ London that unpicked the glamour to lay bare the squalor. He brings those same skills to bear here, but combines them with a lightness of touch that lends an air of jollity to proceedings. He also liberally peppers his prose with thieves’ argot. This is initially rather irritating, though the attentive reader does adapt to it very quickly, and it lends a verisimilitude to the accounts.

My one cavil was that the book seemed unnecessarily drawn out, with some superfluous complexities thrown into the plot. Still, such a judgement misses the point of the sheer enjoyment that the book provides. ( )

Born into servitude in early 18th century England, Elizabeth Lyons is seduced by her master's son and cast off into the world. Arriving in London she is quickly included in a world of prostitution and crime to which she proves adept. Falling for a criminal called Jack Sheppard she becomes his notorious accomplice and together they evade the noose until they are caught. Edgeworth Bess becomes the subject of notoriety until finally she realises the nature of true love and redemption.

Written in the slang of the time this book can seem impenetrable at the start but it rewards persistence. Based on a series of true stories, Jack Sheppard was a famous housebreaker who escaped from prison several times, Bess was his 'wife' and accomplice. Written from the perspective of Bess and also the journalist producing her 'death-bed confession' the book takes the reader on a journey through life in 'Romeville', Soho and Covent Garden. I particularly liked the way Arnott has woven the tale of the 'Molly-men' into the book, the harsh treatment of homosexuals. ( )

The Fatal Tree is set in London in the 1720s. The tale is told by William Archer from Newgate. William has the narrative from Edgeware Bess about her life as a whore and her marriage to Jack Sheppard.

I normally love any tale like this. I enjoy reading about London, and especially about the whores, pickpockets and how the poor lived. I didn't actually realise at first that this tale is about real people which then made the book more appealing.

I was enjoying the book at first but became very frustrated. Purely because of the street slang. Some of it I could make sense of but not all. There is a glossary in the back of the book but reading this on Kindle I found it niggling to get to it.

The descriptions of London made the book seem real and gave a good sense of place and time. The characters were fascinating and it never amazes how people lived their lives to survive.

I don't like giving up on books but the street slang made the read very frustrating and I did start to lose interest. The language perhaps did give the tale a bit more authenticity but its not always needed. For now the book remains unfinished.

Thank you to the publishers via Netgalley for the chance to have a go at this book. ( )