Why You Should Read “The Betrayal Of Thomas True”

It is 1710, 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, molly’s silent guard. When the queen of all ‘he-harlots,’ Mother Clap, confides in him about a deadly threat, he realizes his friends are facing imminent execution.

To the horror of all mollies, there is a rat amongst them. Someone’s 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 impossible love?

If you’re in search of the perfect book that blends queer history, stunning storytelling, and characters you’ll fall in love with, look no further.

“The Betrayal of Thomas True” is an enthralling, gothic, and beautifully dark tale that transports us to the old days in London. It shows us the hidden underbelly of the Molly Houses where queer people celebrated, mourned, and existed together from the shadows. Set some hundred years before James Pratt and John Smith became the last people to be executed in the UK for falling in love with a man, this book transported me back to the years gone by in such a vivid and richly descriptive way that I could feel the cobblestones underfoot.

The prose was lyrical, poetic — almost spell-like in how it seduces and invokes a sense of glittering decadence and crushing despair.

It brings old English speech styles that are easy to follow and short chapters that keep an electric and exciting pace, jumping between places and people. The first line creates a sense of wonder and anxiety, giving a magical spark to even the most mundane moments.

Each voice was so distinct, even with a third-person narration style. Also, our cast took the time to meander curiously through their thoughts, take in the surroundings, and let us into their thoughts. I fell in love with Thomas; a young boy, almost naively hopeful, full of goodness and love in a world of darkness and loss, desperately wanting his story to be good as he finds himself amongst a world of murder, mollies, and magic.

It’s a devastating tale of mystery, love, and betrayal that broke my heart into countless pieces. And it also made me curse AJ’s name multiple times for making me feel things. Absolutely stunning.

“Whoever you love, whoever you are, we will always be righteous … always be free and always together.”

This review was originally published by Bee’s Bookshelf based on a UK reviewer’s copy of “The Betrayal of Thomas True.”

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