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A review by tcbueti
The Black Book of Secrets by F.E. Higgins
4.0
This book is a great combo of Dickensian era mystery, suspense and philosophy. Really unusual.
Ludlow Fitch runs away from his parents, who want to sell his teeth to raise money. He meets a mysterious stranger, Joe Zabbidou, who sets up shop as a pawnbroker in a small town. Ludlow. for the first time in his life, has a warm, safe place to sleep and someone who seems to care about his wellbeing. As the townspeople visit the shop, Ludlow starts to realize how much they are all in debt to their greedy and heartless landlord, Jeremiah Ratchet. And each villager has a secret, which they, one by one, sell to Joe--and Ludlow writes them in the big black book. They feel better--but then they start to expect Joe to deal with Ratchett, which he has never promised. Will the villagers turn against Joe & Ludlow? Who is Joe? Where does he get his money? Can Ludlow trust him?
It reminds me a bit of Funke's Thief Lord, which has a great setting and suspenseful plot, with a supernatural twist at the end. Here I felt it blended in better with the rest of the story.
Ludlow Fitch runs away from his parents, who want to sell his teeth to raise money. He meets a mysterious stranger, Joe Zabbidou, who sets up shop as a pawnbroker in a small town. Ludlow. for the first time in his life, has a warm, safe place to sleep and someone who seems to care about his wellbeing. As the townspeople visit the shop, Ludlow starts to realize how much they are all in debt to their greedy and heartless landlord, Jeremiah Ratchet. And each villager has a secret, which they, one by one, sell to Joe--and Ludlow writes them in the big black book. They feel better--but then they start to expect Joe to deal with Ratchett, which he has never promised. Will the villagers turn against Joe & Ludlow? Who is Joe? Where does he get his money? Can Ludlow trust him?
It reminds me a bit of Funke's Thief Lord, which has a great setting and suspenseful plot, with a supernatural twist at the end. Here I felt it blended in better with the rest of the story.