A grown-up Tiny Tim navigates the grimy underbelly of 1860s London in this "dazzling blend of literary fiction and white-knuckle thriller" ( People). A New York Times Notable Book From the author of Courting Mr. Lincoln comes an audacious take on the beloved Dickens character as an ambitious young man. It's the Christmas season, and Mr. Timothy Cratchit, not the pious child the world thought he was, has just buried his father. He's also struggling to bury his past as a cripple and shed his financial ties to his benevolent "Uncle" Ebenezer by losing himself in the thick of London's underbelly. He boards at a brothel in exchange for teaching the mistress how to read and spends his nights dredging the Thames for dead bodies—and the treasures in their pockets. Timothy's life takes a sharp turn when he discovers the bodies of two dead girls, each seared with the same cruel brand on the upper arm. The sight of their horror-struck faces compels Timothy to become the protector of another young girl, Philomela, from the fate the others suffered at the hands of a dangerous and powerful man. "Bayard is daring to elaborate on a work that has become deeply embedded in our culture [and] he is confident enough to turn this story on its head." — The New York Times
