What's the Name of That Book??? discussion
Query abandoned by poster
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ABANDONED. Book set in (Victorian?) London with bodies found in river
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When did you read it? Adult or YA?I don't think either of these fit perfectly, but they both have elements of what you are talking about (meaning it might be a book in the series)
Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman?
The Ruby in the Smoke
Nope, not Pullman nor Montmorency - and Dodger was actually what brought this book to mind (read it a few years ago, so the Pratchett's a touch too new).I might have the timing off - might be a more modern setting than Dickens, but I do remember specifically the body/bodies being found in the river at low tide - and the very detailed description of how boggy it was and how foul it smelled.
The Crimson Petal and the White?The Tea Rose?
Do you remember if this was any fantastical elements, or just a straight historical?
Doesn't match exactly to all the points of your description, but certain elements (especially river trawling and finding bodies et al, heroine hiding, and Dodger-like character) match The Thief Taker by Janet Gleeson
No hits yet... I'm pretty sure it was straight historical.
Another vague recollection - at one point, the man looking for the heroine goes to the place she's hiding (maybe by following protagonist?), but she's able to hide in another room while the actual homeowner stymies him from searching.
To clarify: Have you ruled out all Dickens novels, or just Great Expectations?
Hrm. No hits yet.I'm 99% sure it's not Dickens, although I've not read them all.
Midnight is a Place by Joan Aiken maybe? They actually hide the rich girl in a tree. The main character works with a man who makes boys go through the sewers looking for stuff to resell.
No, pretty sure it wasn't a kid's book. Dang.I think at some point, while trawling the river, they find a body/item pertinent to what they're looking for, but they leave it in the river to buy themselves time with the police/pursuers.
Bump...I haven't ruled out all of Dickens, just ones I've read. And I do remember the hero is a boy. I don't remember there being any fantastical aspects, and it wasn't a romance.
In Our Mutual Friend, by Dickens, there is more than one character who works on the Thames pulling dead bodies out of the water. However, the rest of what you described doesn't really match, so I would be surprised if that was it.
Haven't read 'Our Mutual Friend'. Will eventually, though - he's on my "completionist" list. :)
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No response in 2+ years. Moving to Abandoned.
What's the Name of That Book???
Books mentioned in this topic
Ratcatcher (other topics)Anatomy of Murder (other topics)
Mayhem (other topics)
Westmark (other topics)
The Bone Garden (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Janet Gleeson (other topics)Terry Pratchett (other topics)
* It's fiction, I seem to recall being set in Dickens or Victorian-era London/England (but don't think it was written at that time)
*Hero is street-savvy, a la Artful Dodger
*Hero has friend who trawls very mucky river at low tide, often finds bodies etc.
*Hero protects higher-class (?) heroine (who saw something she shouldn't - connected to body found in river?) from unsavory police (?) by hiding her in bad part of town - maybe with river trawling friend?
I've already ruled out Great Expectations/Dickens, and it's not Neverwhere.