Antonia Hodgson's is the sort of book I'm delighted to encounter in the summer because, not only is it good summer reading in itself, it's one volume in a series of (currently) four books, which means I have 300% more reading fun to look forward to. The novel is set in London in the early 18th Century. Thomas Hawkins, its central character, is a disgraced nobleman living in a relatively poor—though certainly not the worst—neighborhood in the city. His partner Kitty, whose back story he doesn't completely know, has used a small inheritance to set up a "titillating" bookshop that also carries supplies that allow a customer to move from reading to active participation. She's told him repeatedly that she will never marry and that he may not propose to her. He also has a sort of foster son/brother, a young man who is the son by birth of one of the most dangerous criminals in London. The novel has a plot with two strongly overlapping threads—Kitty's disappearance following religious harassment and the fate of a slave girl illegally brought to London by manipulative, cruel mistress.

The real pleasure is the characters. They all have chips of one kind or another on their shoulders, are quick to anger, and make sometimes destructive errors in their relationships with one another. But they are all strong, engaging personalities.

I had no trouble following The Silver Collar, even though it was book four in the series. You can start with this title—or you can go back and start with volume one, The Devil in the Marshalsea, and devour the series in order.

I received a free review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions are my own.

I wish I had known about this series before as from the first chapter I knew that I loved this book and soon realised that I had could have had the pleasure of the company of Kitty and Thomas before. I have clearly missed out on some of the characters history and previous amazing adventures. This book does neatly cover the essential history so it can be read and enjoyed without having read the previous books, I’m just disappointed in myself for not knowing previous books existed!

This book is a great historical thriller with a sense of fun and adventure but for all the fun of this romp through history and the adventures of Kitty and Thomas, there is also quite a serious and emotional element to this story and I think that’s what makes this book so good; the balance of a good story at the same time paying tribute to the history of the time.

This book is set in 1728. The main characters are Thomas Hawkins and Kitty Sparks. They are happily living their lives running a disreputable bookshop when Tom’s life is threatened. With the help of Thomas’s ward Sam Fleet Thomas starts to uncover a plot to try and take him down.

It's been a while, but the fourth book in the Thomas Hawkins series is here. Set in 1728, several months after book three, Thomas and Kitty are growing the ‘The Cocked Pistol,’ to include not just books, but objects to enhance your lovelife. and the money is pouring in. The tone and humour of the previous books remains. Still not married though!

But as usual things quickly turn bad, and once again Thomas is on the run, with a definite personal interest this time. All good stuff. As with all these series, some background knowledge is useful, but the book has enough backfill to allow a reader to jump right in.

As in previous books, the Georgian period is well drawn without being a historical essay. You get a good feel for some of the hardships and issues of the time. But none of that gets in the way of another romp through Thomas' turbulent life. Like other recent works by Laura Shepherd-Robinson and Frannie Langton, topics touched on include slavery and the demeaning of women in Georgian times,

All in all, another excellent chapter in the series, and fans of Imogen Robertson, CJ Mackenzie et al will be satisfied.

This is the fourth book in the Thomas Hawkins series, and readers who have enjoyed Thomas’ exploits so far will not be disappointed. He and Kitty are living at The Pistol, Kitty’s shop in Covent Garden, and life seems to have returned to something akin to normalcy. Thomas and Kitty have enemies however, so life is not altogether peaceful. An attempt is made on Thomas’ life (although not a very good one), and this spirals into an adventure involving kidnapping, slavery in the West Indies, fractured family relationships and some interesting side characters. Sam Fleet, Thomas’ ward, and his criminal kingpin family, have a large role to play in what happens, and we are rooting for Thomas and Kitty throughout the book.
Hodgson weaves a deft thriller with plenty of adventure, in an 18th Century London that is expertly recreated on the page. Ultimately though, it is the characters who keep us enthralled throughout.

The Silver Collar by Antonia Hodgson
This is the fourth novel featuring Thomas Hawkins; better known as Half Hanged Hawkins. I had read and enjoyed the previous three novels but those who had not had this pleasure would be able to read this as a stand-alone novel. The backstory is filled in without getting in the way of the fast moving plot.
At the very beginning of the story we encounter a young slave girl held captive by the silver collar of the title. It is clear that someone wishes to free her from servitude but we have to wait until later the story to see how this story links to that of Thomas Hawkins.
The story, set in 1728, opens with Thomas and Kitty living and working at The Cocked Pistol where gentlemen are able to purchase all manner of bawdy material. Their relationship is loving but turbulent and after another of their arguments as he is pounding the streets in anger Thomas finds himself set upon by men with murderous intent. Indeed he is only rescued by the intervention of Sam Fleet his young ‘apprentice’ who thinks of Thomas as his brother.
He tracks down those who have plotted his murder and so begins his struggle to track down those who would see him dead and wish ill upon Kitty. The story is extremely well researched and life in London of the period is vividly evoked. It also features real characters of the period such as Sir John Gonson and Edmund Chishull. It has a very topical and moving account of the life of a slave in Antigua during the period. It is a fantastic, thrilling read and one which I thoroughly enjoyed. I will definitely be recommending this book to my various book groups. I would like to thank Hodder and Net Galley for the opportunity to read the book in return for an honest review.

Slavery, private madhouses, love and revenge. The most ambitious and the most gripping of Thomas Hawkins’ adventures so far. I loved it. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to read.

Complex mystery set in the bowels of London. Lots of interesting and diverse characters and an intriguing tale.

This is one hell of a book.

Antonia Hodgson has kept us waiting for a few years for the latest instalment of Thomas Hawkins’ story, but my god was it worth the wait. What a book.

Slightly different to the previous books in the series, this is a personal story which sees Hawkins in a race against time to find his missing wife. Hodgson has become a master of the craft. She weaves humour and despair effortlessly throughout the novel which creates a masterful tale this is virtually impossibly to put down.

I found the Silver Collar to be a powerful book. It pulled my emotions every which way, which just added to the pleasure of reading it.

It’s such a satisfying read, with a hugely enjoyable conclusion. An almost perfect read, I can’t wait for the next one.

**Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review**
I love historical fiction so I rushed to request this one as soon as I saw it. Unfortunately, in my hurry, I didn't notice that this wasn't the first book in the series. I realised this pretty early on but was happy to discover that it really didn't matter, there were enough re-caps that I could follow the story easily and I was quickly sucked in.
I really enjoyed the storyline and there were sufficient twists to keep my interest (not easy with my current lockdown brain lack of concentration).
I'll definitely look out for more titles from this author in future (maybe even the earlier books in the series!)

This is the first Antonia Hodgson book that I have read. I didn't realise it was part of a series when I requested it. Despite being the fourth (I think) in the series I got into The Silver Collar quickly. Hodgson weaves in the back story subtly so you can pick up enough information without it intruding on the narrative in this book. I enjoyed the book more and more as I read.

The Silver Collar by Antonia Hodgson is the fourth book to feature Thomas Hawkins. This story is set in 1728 or the Georgian period. Thomas Hawkins and Kitty now own a disreputable bookshop called ‘The Cocked Pistol,’ and for a time, life seems to be a roaring success. I loved the bawdy, spicy humour in the first part of this book, it fits in nicely with the narrative.

It is not long, however, until their happiness is cut short. Thomas is set upon by a street gang and events very quickly spiral, as he discovers there’s a price on his head. Who could want him dead? Living the life of a celebrity as ‘Half-Hanged Hawkins’ is not easy. With the help of Sam Fleet’s underworld connections, Tom realises that you can only run so far from your past before it catches up to you! Hiding in the shadows is the enigmatic, cunning Lady Vanhook, who will change Thomas’s life forever!

If you are new to this book then this is a great starting point, although there’s a bit of a backstory, this never gets in the way of the narrative. The author skilfully weaves plots together, so that this can easily be read as a standalone. Plus, you get to go back and enjoy Thomas’s three previous adventures.

The story is told in the first-person perspective, so you get everything from Thomas Hawkins’ point of view. Thomas is quite a loveable rogue and always tries to do the right thing, however, trouble is never far behind. The author draws on the Georgian period detail very expertly and weaves this into the narrative. This never gets in the way of the story, plot or characters. There is a shift in the perspective narrative partway through to the second person as we see events from Kitty’s perspective. Both perspectives work well.

The period detail is woven expertly as is the plot, it’s quite a wild reading ride, with some great characters that you could easily imagine lived and have been lifted straight out of history as it felt quite realistic.

There also some very emotive subject matters discussed throughout this novel, such as slavery and the role of women in Georgian society, love, friendships and the nature of evil. All this goes into making this one of my favourite and most compelling historical reads of the year.


Thanks to Hoddor and NetGalley for providing a reading copy. All points of view are my own.

I absolutely loved this book - great characters, a totally compelling story and it's beautifully written. For me, this is what historical fiction should be like. The period detail is so well drawn that you really feel as though you're there, in Georgian London, but it's skilfully woven in - there's none of the clumsy 'Ding, dong, research coming through' stuff that ruins a lot of historical novels. And the language is refreshingly free from gadzookery but still feels appropriate to the period.

I didn't realise when I started reading that this is the fourth in a series - there's quite a lot of backstory to bring again, but again, the author does this very skilfully so it never feels like tedious exposition. If you haven't read the other three, this works as a stand alone story - and as soon as I'd finished it, I went back and bought the first three.

1728 a few years after surviving the hangman's noose, Thomas Hawkins returns to London with Kitty and back to the Cocked Pistol - Kitty's disreputable bookshop - and back to happiness. Or so they believe.
When Tom is attacked by a group of men, he discovers he has an enemy who wants him dead, and as he digs deeper, their happy life soon turns into a nightmare.
This is book 4 in the Thomas Hawkins series. A powerful, captivating and often dark story that kept me gripped to the end.