Antonia Hodgson

Antonia Hodgson’s writing is a thrilling plunge into the shadows of history, where secrets lurk behind every corner and characters are haunted by their pasts. Born in Derby in 1971, Antonia’s literary journey began not as a writer but as an editor, honing her craft over a long and successful career in publishing. With a degree in English Literature from the University of Leeds, she moved from editor to author, quickly making her mark in the world of historical crime fiction.

Her debut novel, The Devil in the Marshalsea (2014), introduced readers to Thomas Hawkins, a charismatic and morally complex protagonist trapped in the brutal confines of an 18th-century London prison. Written with an atmospheric tension that draws on the murky depths of history, the book became an instant success, earning Hodgson the Crime Writers’ Association Historical Dagger Award and a shortlist spot for the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award. This marked the beginning of the Thomas Hawkins series, which would go on to captivate readers with titles such as The Last Confession of Thomas Hawkins and A Death at Fountains Abbey. Her work doesn’t just entertain; it immerses readers in the grim yet fascinating realities of historical England, always with a twist of suspense that lingers long after the page is turned.