The Lives and Exploits of Most Noted Highwaymen, Rogues and Murderers is an interesting, short compilation of the lives of selected rogues and their impact on society. The book covers a nice range, from the more well-known Robin Hood and Dick Turpin to the lesser known (but most interesting, in my opinion) Jack Sheppard. The book is well researched and I liked the fact it talks about and quotes authors in the past who have also written about these men and how society viewed them at the time. It was interesting to find out how some of them came into such infamy and some didn’t.

However, I did find for such an interesting topic it was a little dry and even though it was short I struggled to keep picking it up. I found it a lot easier to get through when I was sat with someone else so I could tell them about the stories I was reading in a more interesting way than the book! I found the writing style to be quite clipped and some of the sentence structures and lengths still need some proof reading. I feel like the pictures could have been included before the glossary and references pages as on the Kindle I could have easily stopped reading and missed them altogether.

Overall The Lives and Exploits of Most Noted Highwaymen, Rogues and Murderers is an interesting introduction to the lives of men you may not have heard of before but needs a more engaging writing style to give justice to such an interesting topic. Thank you to NetGalley, Pen & Sword and Pen & Sword History for a copy of the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Who needs fiction when true crime can be more fascinating than the broadest section of mystery/thrillers? This book contains stories of true highwaymen, rogues and murderers. If you love ID TV, you'll love these. It's not big book, I read it in an afternoon. Stephen Basdeo did an excellent job of conveying the reader into history. It's obvious he did a lot of subject research and enjoyed sharing it with us. I'm recommending this to my true crime fanatic friends!

Thankyou to NetGalley, Pen and Sword, Pen and Sword History and the author, Stephen Basdeo, for giving me the opportunity to read a digital copy of The Lives and Exploits of the Most Noted Highwaymen, Rogues and Murderers in exchange for my honest, unbiased opinion.
I thought this book offered a good read. It was informative and well written. 3.5 stars.

The Lives and Exploits of the Most Noted Highwaymen, Rogues and Murderers was just an okay read for me.

For being a relatively short book, there is a lot of well-researched information provided here. Who doesn't love a good story about thieves, robbers and murderers? It's even more exciting when you know that you are reading non-fiction.

I liked the author's approach to writing this book, looking at the surviving historical fact and then comparing it to literature and film, particularly when he was talking about the many incarnations of Robin Hood. I was also happy to see that he chose some lesser well known figures to shed light on. This would be a great book for anyone interested in English history.

As a fellow writer, I found this book fascinating and one that I look forward to reading again. Definitely recommended.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

This is a non-fiction book in which Stephen Basadeo describes the lives and actions of some of the most notorious English highwaymen, thieves, and murderers, from the Middle Ages through the 18th century. He also sheds light on how these men were portrayed in films and novels. He is very thorough and it reads a bit like a school textbook. Don't get me wrong, I was excited to read it but the text was not as exciting as I was expecting.
I was still glad to receive an ARC for this book and learn more about highwaymen and the like.

Fascinating, but incredibly dry look at the lives highwaymen, rogues, and murderers from the Middle Ages through to the 18th century. It also covers how these figures have been portrayed in books and movies since. This book is quite short, but it covers quite a bit of ground. It's serves as a decent introduction to those it features, but I think I was hoping it could have done it with more pizzazz and excitement. My reading experience was something like reading a textbook on the subject - it doesn't quite bring everything alive in full color. I did learn some things that I didn't know before - I wasn't familiar with Jack Sheppard or Jonathan Wild, but now I think I'll have to look into them. I was especially intrigued to learn that Arthur Conan Doyle based Moriarty off of Wild.

This book has a very clear audience, and I don't think I'm it. It was very well researched and you can tell the author worked really hard. I'm just not the person it was intended for.

Stephen Basdeo is able to bring to life the stories most have heard from Robin Hood with evidence and documents that show the stories might be true using. The authors points out the laws, social and economical norms for the times each characters he presents to the readers so they are able to better understand what drove these men and women.
At times the stories are bogged down with information over load and readers will have to struggle to get though some stories.
Readers of True Crimes and history this is a must read book and can't be missed.
Thank you to Netgalley the publisher Pen and Sword History for the advance copy of Stephen Basdeo The Lives and Exploits of the most noted Highwayman, rouges and murders

Author Stephen Basdeo has written an entertaining book, whisking readers 200 to 300 years into the past to introduce and reintroduce us to some of the notorious figures of the 1700s. The truths, myths, and legends of Robin Hood are discussed in an early chapter, and I gained new knowledge and a deeper understanding of a character who has been with me for most of my life. Some of the others talked about I had heard of but knew little about (such as Dick Turpin), while others like Jack Sheppard and Jonathan Wild had to be introduced.

The author provides interesting background, detailing why certain books were written or the prevailing mood of the country at that time. Some of the stories and legends we have become accustomed to hearing are explained, or placed in a different light. For those who find this book has whet their appetite for more stories of 17th and early 18th century highwaymen, the author provides an extensive bibliography offering even the most prolific readers years of history and scholarly works.

As a way to demonstrate that thieves have been around for a while, Mr. Basdeo takes us further back in history to feature Bulla Felix, someone he terms the “Roman Robin Hood.” While a departure from the English rogues, I enjoyed the descriptions of ancient Roman life and reasons why Roman soldiers might be pushed into a life of crime.

Deep research has gone into this book, and each chapter offers a cohesive view of one of the rogues and brigands who preyed on the citizens and travelers of the road. While I wasn’t always happy with some of the translations earlier in the book (I thought I did better on my own and that the author altered the meanings of the words at times), it was easier to disregard the translations and just enjoy the rest of the book. This is a great look at a small slice of history. Four stars.

*I would like to thank the Authir, Pen & Sword and Netgalley for allowing me to read ARC in exchange for an honest review.*
This is an intetesting non-fiction book in which the Author describes the lives and deeds by some of the most notorious English highwaymen, thieves and murderers, from the Middle Ages through 18th century and how these characters were portrayed in the 19th and 20th centuries' literature and films. The Author starts with Robin Hood and then presents some more, some less famous rogues and rascals, always referring to all types of documents and books in which they appear. I admit that I have never heard of some of the criminals, which made the reading really enjoyable though some crimes were appalling. The most valuable part for me were all the references to the law and social background of the period together with detailed explanation why at a certain point there were no more highwaymen. A very good read!

An interesting, if dry read, into the lives of some of histories most infamous highway men and rogues. I found it comprehensive, and it covered a lot of ground for such a short book. At times I did find my concentration went slightly as the material could be hard going at times, but overall this was well thought out and researched.