A rumbustious romp through 1720s London, very enjoyable and interesting historically as it has a blend of fictitious characters and real ones. I loved the appearance of the poets and John Gay writing The Beggar's Opera based on his first hand knowledge of the seedy side of London (or Romeville). I was a little bit bogged down by all the vernacular in the middle of the tale but overall found it a tale that cracked on with great verve and enjoyment. Edgeworth Bess was a real character and a product of her times and I think she would be happy with this account of her life and times.

Jake Arnott's romp into 1720s London show what good research and an eye for detail can do. His tale centres around characters notorious, and already fictionalised in their own time but largely forgotten today and builds a clear picture of their world largely through their "flash" talk, the jargon and lingo of thieves and prostitutes and the gutters of the great city.
He walks a fine line between historical fiction and historical pastiche, not least because the real lives were full of escapades grubby flirtations, double-crosses, duplicitous lawmen and midnight escapes - that have become clichés in eighteenth-century historical fiction. At times it can stray a little close to Blackadder. What (deservedly) saves it is the flash talk. The gritty vocabulary of the criminal subculture is fresh and original to the reader and allows a new grimy window onto the eighteenth-century.
As vivid as the language is it is less successful in fleshing out the characters themselves. It often feels like they are mere vehicles for the flow of colourful phrases and any nuance of thought and feeling is buried by their spoken word. Nevertheless, the pacy, rollicking tale of Edgeworth Bess, Jack Sheppard and Jonathan Wild as they jockey and jostle for position and survival on the streets of old London is a treat.

I found this book incredibly fascinating and really entertaining. It tells the story of Jack Shepherd, Jonathan Wild and Elizabeth Lyon, otherwise known as Edgeware Bess, as they make their way through the seedy underworld of London in 1726. The prose is wonderful and includes a lot of slang terms used by the thieves and prostitutes living in London in the early 18th century. Be warned, this can take a bit of getting used to, but the author does provide a glossary of terms at the back and I found that the text was easy to understand in context. Arnott has really skillfully woven the true life events of these three individuals into a compelling narrative and has included a cast of characters that, while one wouldn't necessarily want to meet them on a dark night, they certainly add some spice to the story. I particularly appreciated the inclusion of Pope, Swift and Gay and just found the world incredibly evocative.

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.

If you are looking for something different to read this might very well be the book for you. Written in the vernacular of the seedy criminal underbelly of Romeville, it is a rip roaring historical yarn of an 18th century London and characters that were real. This is a well researched and richly textured world brought alive by the vivid language, for which you might need the glossary at the end although the meaning of most words is self evident. This is a story of what it takes to survive if you are poor, where the slightest misdemeanor can bring the fatal tree closer. It has elements that resonate with our world today, such as the South Sea Bubble and the financial crash which makes the lives on those on the lower rungs of life more tenuous and harsh whilst protecting those responsible. The crash also gives rise to the crime boss, Jonathan Wild, the self styled Thief-Taker General, a man who brutally controls organised crime, playing people off against each other and holding their lives in his hands. Bess is Wild's lover.

Edgworth Bess, aka Elizabeth Lyon, is waiting to be hanged on the eponymous fatal tree. She tells her story to Billy Archer, a molly, grub street hack, poet, with a colourful backstory of his own that on occasion connects with Bess. His writing on the Thief-Taker General raises Wild's profile immensely. Her story from innocent to whore and pickpocket in the Hundreds of Drury life is relayed without sentiment whilst peppered with the importance of close relationships such as the one with Punk Alice. The awkward beginning of her relationship with the stammering Jack Sheppard has an underlying sweetness that cements their future, personal and criminal. Poll's observation of Jack, that he looks like he was born to hang, is prescient in charting how it brings him and Bess closer to the fatal tree. Bess and Jack are the only people to take on the constricting stranglehold Jonathan Wild has on people.

This an atmospheric story of ambition, doomed love, loss, betrayal and relationships bought to life in a compelling and gripping narrative. The language lends it an authenticity that places it in its time, with the criminal and poor communities of London, and lends credence to the characters. This is historical fiction that captures the interest of the reader easily. A great story. Thanks to Hodder and Stoughton for an ARC.

Very impressive literary feat - and the speakers telling the tales of Bess and the one man she falls for who betrays her, It is all told in language of that time with all the slang amazingly kept in - allusive and difficult at times (there's a glossary in the back), and an amazing portrayal of the time. It is the story of a young girl thrust into a tough world and her surviving, and of how her companions in utter poverty in a huge city succeed in their ways too. The tree of the title is the gallows - and they all know in one way or another they are for it - so it's how to cope with it. The gimmick here is that people publish their stories in exchange for money the public pays to read it ... it helps to pay off people in the gaols to give them better access and amenities. It is a literary piece and entertaining in its adept use of language and its verve - not an easy read. I also found I wanted to leap through at times without parsing out all the meanings.