Priest of Gallows

Baronial Extortion, Magical Plague, and the Dark Ascent of Tomas Piety

Spanning eleven thrilling, smoke-choked hours, *Priest of Gallows* is the phenomenal third entry in Peter McLean’s *War for the Rose Throne*, escalating Tomas Piety’s ruthless criminal trajectory from back-alley extortion to the highest echelons of national power. Having survived the deadly espionage of Dannsburg in Priest of Lies, Tomas is rewarded with an astonishing promotion: he is elevated to the nobility as Lord Baron Piety, tasked by the Crown with restoring order to the war-ravaged province of Ourun.

Yet nobility brings terrifying new burdens. A devastating magical pestilence known as the 'Cough' ravages the slums, and famine threatens widespread civil revolt. As rival noble lords refuse to recognize a former gutter thug as their peer, Tomas must deploy the full, bloody brutality of his Pious Men to enforce royal taxation and crush insubordination. Worse, the horrifying sorcery wielded by his adopted son Billy the Boy is growing increasingly uncontrollable, threatening to consume everyone in Tomas's inner circle. McLean’s sharp, first-person prose provides a merciless deconstruction of power, showing that the only difference between a gang boss and a king is the size of their army.

Narrator David Morley Hale delivers an extraordinary vocal performance. Hale captures Tomas’s weary cynicism and calculating intellect with chilling perfection, contrasting his cold professional violence against his desperate love for his traumatized crew. The pacing is relentless and the underworld betrayals cut deep. For listeners who love Peaky Blinders, grimdark crime fiction, and morally ambiguous antiheroes, *Priest of Gallows* is an absolute triumph.

War for the Rose Throne Reading Order: • Priest of Bones (Book 1 – 10h 05m) • Priest of Lies (Book 2 – 11h 25m) • Priest of Gallows (Book 3 – 11h 05m) • Priest of Crowns (Book 4 – 11h 50m) • Paved with Good Intentions (Book 5 – 10h 30m)