The Age of Fury by John Stephens – at a glance
The School Reading Lists’ five word review: Two strangers, linked by loss.
YA book title: The Age of Fury.
YA author: John Stephens.
Genre: Historical Young Adult/Thriller/ Romance.
Published by: Hot Key Books.
ISBN: 9781471421907.
Recommended for children aged: 14+.
First published: Paperback October 2026.
This YA novel is ideal for: Readers who enjoy mystery-driven historical fiction with romantic tension and morally complex characters. Ideal for fans of slow-burn romance, historical settings and ‘Peaky Blinders’ style crime drama. If you liked Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief, Chloe Gong’s These Violent Delights or Karen McManus’s The Traitors’ Circle, then this is for you.
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Our review:
Set in 1907, Caitlin Quinn, an ordinary Irish girl, receives a desperate letter from her estranged twin sister Mary, urging her to come to New York at once. But after a gruelling voyage aboard the Juno, she arrives at the New York Foundling, a charitable institution run by Father McDonagh and the Sisters of Charity, only to discover that Mary has been murdered. Nothing will stop Caitlin from hunting down the culprit responsible for her sister’s death, even as she comes up against the murderous Pinkertons, warring gangs, a vindictive aristocracy and a corrupt police force led by the immoral, repugnant ‘Giant Rozzer’.
William Furey is the right-hand man of the infamous gangster Frank Shannon. Rescued and raised by a Fagin-esque figure, William is loyal and unflinching, working relentlessly against their sworn enemies, the Gophers, to seize control of New York’s streets and property.
In the dark, menacing alley where Mary’s body was found, William and Caitlin’s worlds collide, with Caitlin feverish and fighting off a stranger with far from good intentions. United by their determination to uncover Mary’s killer and forced to navigate who they can and cannot trust, they find their scruples tested as feelings slowly kindle between them, forcing loyalty-testing choices neither expected to make. Trust is a luxury neither of them can afford, and love an even greater risk.
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Our verdict:
The Age of Fury is fast-paced, well-researched and authentic in the details, and the atmosphere is spot on. There’s a great combination of darkness and cynicism running alongside genuine humour, so it never feels too heavy. Caitlin’s tenacity really drives the plot. She is funny at times in her naivety and sense of invincibility, even as things get darker and more dangerous around her.
The book is littered with plot twists and unexpected obstacles which keep things entertaining throughout, and the pace never really lets up. William brings something different too, as beneath the hardened gangster exterior there’s real conflict: a man questioning who he’s become and who he still might be. This is a gripping, well-crafted read that balances grit with wit.
Teaching points and book club discussion ideas:
Teaching Points
Immigration in the 20th Century
- Caitlin’s journey from Ballykelly to New York shows the realities of immigration at this time. Many immigrants had idealistic hopes but were faced with disillusionment and hardship.
Social Inequality
- In the novel, there is a clear contrast between Gilded Age New York and the darker world operating beneath it. Social inequality and corruption existed, so who really held the power?
Identity and Morality
- Caitlin transforms herself like Mary to fit into a wealthy society and finds she does not fit, whilst William is a man torn between his violent persona and who he truly is. Can people really become something else?
Justice and Corruption
- The corruption of the police force is a key theme, along with criminal networks and ways of hiding the truth. What is justice and where does it lie when official systems are potentially corrupt?
Book Club Questions
- Caitlin crosses an ocean based on nothing but a letter from her missing sister, only to arrive and discover Mary is already dead. How did the opening shape your expectations for the rest of the story? Did the book deliver on the tone it set from the start?
- William is a hardened gangster, but the novel shares his inner conflict about who he is and who he could become. Do you think his transformation felt earned by the end, or did you find yourself more sceptical of his change?
- The novel sets Gilded Age New York’s glittering wealth against the corruption and violence running beneath it. What did the book reveal about who really held power in this period, and who was left to fend for themselves?
- Caitlin’s naivety is often the source of humour, even as the story around her darkens. Did that balance of light and dark work for you? Were there moments when it felt like the tone shifted too sharply?
- With a corrupt police force and Pinkertons working against her, Caitlin has almost nowhere official to turn. What does the novel suggest about where ‘justice’ really comes from when the system can’t be trusted? Is this the case in today’s world?
- Caitlin and William’s alliance slowly develops into something more, even as they’re both hiding parts of themselves from each other. Did you find their relationship believable? What did trust, or the lack of it, mean for each of them individually?
Many thanks to Hot Key Books for the review copy.
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