This is the first book written by F.E. Higgins. Ludlow Fitch is a boy with the misfortune to be born in The City, a harsh, filthy place from the times of horsedrawn carriages. His parents teach him to steal before he can walk, and he becomes an accomplished pickpocket. When they decide to sell his teeth in order to buy more gin, Ludlow flees for his life. His escape delivers him into the company of a strange man, a Secret Pawnbroker. Ludlow and this stranger set up shop in an isolated mountain village, paying good money for the town's secrets. But what does this stranger want with them? More importantly, what will the town's most illustrious (and bullying) citizen, Jeremiah Ratchet, do now that all his debtors are able to pay up?
This is a great book, sprinkled with the confessions of the townspeople. At the end are several snippets about real activites of the time, including bodysnatching, being buried alive, and even Sweeny Todd. It's a quick read, but so satisfying!
This sounds good- I'll ty to read it.
ReplyDeleteI just finished it, and really enjoyed it. Do you think there'll be a sequel?
ReplyDeleteThere are two more in the same series, but I don't think they are necessarily sequels. The one I'm reading now, The Bone Magician, is what the author calls a "paraquel". It takes place at the same time, but has different characters. The style and world are the same, though, which is what I loved about the first one!
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