The Blackbirds of St Giles by Lila Cain
The Blackbirds of St Giles
by Lila Cain
was published on 30th January 2025 by
Simon & Schuster.
My thanks to the author and publisher for sending me a copy to review and to
Anne at Random Things Resources
for inviting me to take part on the tour.
Some things are earned. Some things are worth fighting for…
It’s 1782, Daniel and his sister Pearl arrive in London with the world at their feet and their future assured. Having escaped a Jamaican sugar plantation, Daniel fought for the British in the American War of Independence and was rewarded with freedom and an inheritance.
But the city is not a place for men like Daniel and he is callously tricked and finds himself, along with his sister Pearl, in the rookeries of St Giles – a warren of dark and menacing alleyways, filled with violence and poverty.
The underworld labyrinth is run by Elias, a man whose cruelty knows no bounds. But under his dangerous rule is a brotherhood of Black men, the Blackbirds of St Giles, whose intention is to set their people free.
Can Daniel use his strength, wit and the fellowship of the other Blackbirds to overthrow Elias and truly find the freedom he fought for…?
My Thoughts
My first thoughts on receiving The Blackbirds of St Giles and reading the information was " Oooh , two authors ". I have yet to discover a book I have read which has had two authors that I have not enjoyed immensely . For some reason two minds working together on a book far exceed one , especially when it comes to historical fiction and The Blackbirds of St Giles with its historical and dark story line , set in the late 1700s. The depth to the storyline is incredible and it will pull at your heartstrings in many ways. The deceit and conditions that Daniel and Pearl have to endure both in Jamaica and London are appalling at times though there is also a closeness between the community they are in and the fiercely supportive nature of the characters they live with.
It is a novel that will have you cringing at how workers were treated in the plantations, crying at how they were greeted when they first arrived in London to find the streets were not paved with gold and the huge contrast between the "haves" and the "have nots" in this era. Throughout it all we follow Daniel and Pearl, through the filth and squalor , the London Gangs, and, in contrast, the high society living with its balls and sumptuous feasts.
I was gripped from start to finish through the alleyways of despair and the wings of hope and, talking of hope, I am really hoping that , if I have not misread the last sentence, there will be a sequel to follow from these two amazing authors who have collaborated to produce this wonderful historical and gritty novel.
About the Authors
LILA CAIN is the pseudonym for two authors writing together.
KATE GRIFFIN won the Faber/ Stylist Magazine competition with Kitty Peck and the Music Hall Murders
and went onto to write three more novels in the series before writing her first standalone novel, Fyneshade.
Born to Windrush-era Jamaican parents, MARCIA HUTCHINSON worked as a lawyer before founding
educational publishing company Primary Colours and was awarded an MBE for services to Cultural Diversity in 2010. Her solo debut novel Mercy is due for publication in summer 2025.
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