Higgins's debut begins with a bang--on the streets of a London as dark as in any Dickens novel--and ends in a mysterious cave, with no let-up in pacing from start to finish. As the book opens, young Ludlow Fitch stands to lose his teeth as Barton Gumbroot, "the notorious tooth surgeon of Old Goat's Alley," attempts to pry them loose for "thrupence apiece." To make matters worse, Ludlow's parents arranged the sale (to support their gin habit). But Ludlow, a pickpocket by trade and fleet of foot, escapes the trio as a stowaway on the back of a carriage bearing one Jeremiah Ratchet, bound for the small mountain town of Pagus Parvus. There Ludlow meets Joe Zabbidou, a unique pawnbroker: Joe buys secrets. One of Ludlow's only friends in London was a pawnbroker who had taught the boy to read and write. So the young hero becomes Joe's scribe, recording in a black book the secrets of those who come to pay midnight calls. Jeremiah Ratchet may have unwittingly provided Ludlow's ticket out of London, but the man earns his living off the backs of the poor townspeople, and many of their secrets circle back to his cruelties. He "was the kind of man who knew the cost of everything but the value of nothing." The realities of Victorian England (the desperation of the poor, the lack of education for most, scarce and insufficient medical care) shape the plot, while the "secrets trade" allows the author to examine the way guilt and greed undermine the tenuous trust Joe develops with the villagers. One of Higgins's great achievements is the way she manages to convey a degree of innocence in Ludlow despite his harsh life surviving the city streets. Redemption emerges as a strong theme in the book, as she reveals the complexities of human nature, and she leaves open several mysteries (including the history behind a wooden leg and Joe's prized pet frog). Readers can only hope for many more black books filled with secrets.--Jennifer M. Brown