The Artful Dodger is back! London streets' most vivacious thief, leaping through sewers onto roofs and down foggy streets, finds the metropolis a different place after some years spent in Australian exile and the disappearance of his mentor Fagin. Following last year's eponymous debut, the colourful young thief is now ensconced with his own gang of followers in Seven Dials when the highly sinister Weeping Billy Slade comes to him with an offer he can't refuse but fraught with dangers. Benmore offers just the right blend of Dickensian humanity (and the welcome appearance of some highly familiar faces, including an older and wiser Oliver Twist...) and coarse reality, with episodes set in the bleakness of Newgate prison and the shadow of the gallows, alongside a cracking plot replete with reversals and triumphs. Long may this series run. ~ Maxim Jakubowski
Two years on from the events of Dodger, Jack Dawkins is back as top-sawyer with his own gang of petty thieves from Seven Dials. But crime in London has become a serious business - and when Jack needs protection he soon finds himself out of his depth and facing the gallows for murder. The evidence against him seems insurmountable, until a young reporter by the name of Oliver Twist takes up his cause. After freeing Jack from gaol, the pair must bury their past differences and join forces to hunt down the men who framed Jack and stole that which he treasures most.
'Blows its predecessor away ... Emotive, cathartic and inspired ... How James Benmore has managed to mix Dickensian England and characters with a modern humour and outlook on the world and retain that feeling of the original is a marvel' Parmenion Books
'Dodger is back! And oh, how I've missed him! The book is a gripping, fast-paced adventure with memorable moments, both light and dark ... Benmore has matured as an author and the quality of his writing shines through ... Please sir, I want some more' Bookbag
Author
About James Benmore
James Benmore studied literature at the Open University and has since completed an MSt in Creative Writing at Oxford University. He won the AM Heath prize in 2010 for best work of fiction by a writer graduating from Kellogg College. His short stories have been published in various anthologies. He lives in London.
