The Betrayal of Thomas True

By: A. J. West

Narrated by: Peter Kenny

It is the year 1715, and Thomas True has arrived on old London Bridge with a dangerous secret. One night, lost amongst the squalor of London's hidden back streets, he finds himself drawn into the outrageous underworld of the molly houses.

Meanwhile, carpenter Gabriel Griffin struggles to hide his double life as Lotty, the mollies' silent guard. When the queen of all 'he-harlots', Mother Clap, confides in him about a deadly threat, he realises his friends are facing imminent execution. To the horror of all mollies, there is a rat amongst them, betraying their secrets to a pair of murderous Justices, hell-bent on punishing sinners with the noose.

Can Gabriel unmask the traitor before it's too late? Can he save hapless Thomas from peril, and their own impossible love?

©2024 A. J. West (P)2024 Oakhill

Fantastic

What a great story, and a formidable mystery. I sobbed throughout much of the book.

A piece of queer history I didn’t know, told through a compelling bit of fiction.

Gender and sexual minorities have existed in all times and place. Too many of their stories are lost to time. While this is entirely a fictional story, it uplifts an experience deeply rooted in queer history. I truly appreciated that.

The story itself is also extremely compelling. The plot moves forward at a quick pace, with moments of real tension. The “twist” was both a surprise and, in hindsight, completely obvious, which I personally find the most satisfying type of twists.

I must admit the collective of omniscient children, central to the plot, confused me. Maybe I misunderstood something, but that felt a little too fantasy-esque in a story that was otherwise solidly realistic. It really drew me out of the narrative.

The narration of the text was stellar. The performer did a great job breathing life to the text.

Dark, Sad, Yet Still Worth The Listen…

Quite heavy with not a lot of happiness, however love persists in the greater sense and even though it’s a very, very dark and sad tale, it’s an important part of Queer history across the pond and I’m very glad I found out about and got to 📖 and 🎧 it. Terrific narration BTW… 👏👏👏‼️

A glimpse into the gay past!

What a story!! I was very much on my edge of my seat the last few chapters! What an emotional ride--your hope of love winning. A wonderful look at what gay culture may be been like in Victorian London. Highly recommend!

It really grew on me

I would say that this story really started to take off for me maybe halfway through. But once the mollies had me, they didn’t let go. A really spectacular finish. I learned a lot.