Two Crafty Criminals!

Readers have a dual romp with two bundled novellas, Thunderbolt's Waxwork and The Gas-Fitters' Ball, first published in the UK in the 1990s. Set in Victorian London, the stories feature a neighborhood band of children fancying themselves detectives. Both madcap adventures contain lots of characters and lots of plot, with all coming together in complicated, satisfying endings.

Years before publishing His Dark Materials, Pullman had already pointed his literary compass toward great storytelling with books such as the Sally Lockhart series; now readers have a dual romp with two bundled novellas, Thunderbolt’s Waxwork and The Gas-Fitters’ Ball, first published in the UK in the 1990s. Both madcap adventures contain lots of characters and lots of plot, with all coming together in complicated, satisfying endings. Set in Victorian London, the novellas feature the New Cut Gang, a neighborhood band of children fancying themselves detectives. Benny Kaminsky is the brains of the bunch. "When you saw Benny at first, you took him for an ordinary boy. When you’d known him for half an hour, you were convinced he was a genius. When you’d known him for a day, you suspected he was the Devil, but by then it was too late: you were drawn in." Like Benny, Pullman deftly draws readers into his stories. In the first tale, the New Cut Gang frees their own Thunderbolt Dobney’s father from charges of manufacturing "snide" (counterfeit) coins; catches the real thief; and manages to fulfill the dream of their friend Dippy, a hot chestnut seller, of inclusion in the Wax Museum. The second novella doesn’t disappoint; here the gang adds matchmaking to their detecting skills. An unseen glossary will define unfamiliar British terms, but in any language, these stories are a pip. betty carter