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The Black Book of Secrets Kindle Edition
A boy arrives at a remote village in the dead of night. His name is Ludlow Fitch—and he is running from a most terrible past. What he is about to learn is that in this village is the life he has dreamed of—a safe place to live, and a job, as the assistant to a mysterious pawnbroker who trades people's deepest, darkest secrets for cash. Ludlow's job is to neatly transcribe the confessions in an ancient leather-bound tome: The Black Book of Secrets.
Ludlow yearns to trust his mentor, who refuses to disclose any information on his past experiences or future intentions. What the pawnbroker does not know is, in a town brimming with secrets, the most troubling may be held by his new apprentice.
- Reading age9 - 12 years
- LanguageEnglish
- Grade level3 - 7
- Lexile measure830L
- PublisherFeiwel & Friends
- Publication dateJuly 14, 2010
- ISBN-13978-0312368449
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Editorial Reviews
Review
Praise for The Black Book of Secrets:
“Wonderful. Anyone looking for the next big thing has come to the right place. Higgins has created a uniquely grim fantasy world that more than holds its own with Dickens or Peake. Her characters are brilliantly realized and the story grabs at the reader with hooked talons.”—Eoin Colfer
“This polished debut from a British writer tantalizingly blends secrets and thick, evocative atmosphere . . . Higgins, framing her book as texts discovered in a hallowed wooden leg, expertly sustains the audience’s curiosity, revealing just enough information to keep readers riveted. And for all the grisly details, the novel gets at important themes about self-determination and trust. Original and engrossing.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
“The story’s vaguely Dickensian atmosphere is exquisite . . . A tantalizingly revelatory ending leaves at least one thread dangling for future volumes (which are sure to evoke more picaresque oddities and nefarious tales), making this a smart, peculiarly thrilling book that is sure to appeal to readers ready to sidestep the goodygoody Harry Potters of adventure fiction.” —Booklist, Starred Review
“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 . . . 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.” —Shelf Awareness
&...
From the Back Cover
“Grabs at the reader with hooked talons.”—Eoin Colfer
A boy arrives at a remote village in the dead of night. His name is Ludlow Fitch—and he is running from a most terrible past. What he is about to learn is that in this village is the life he has dreamed of—a safe place to live, and a job, as the assistant to the mysterious pawnbroker who trades people’s deepest, darkest secrets for cash. Ludlow’s job is to neatly transcribe the confessions in an ancient leather-bound tome: The Black Book of Secrets.
Ludlow yearns to trust his mentor, who refuses to disclose any information on his past experiences or future interactions. What the pawnbroker does not know is, in a town brimming with secrets, the most troubling may be held by his new apprentice.
Born in London, F.E. Higgins moved to Ireland at the age of seven. After attending university in Dublin, she returned to England, and now lives in a house that dates back to the 15th century in a small village in rural Kent. The Black Book of Secrets is her first novel.
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
The Black Book of Secrets
By F.E. HigginsMacmillan
Copyright © 2007 F. E. HigginsAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-312-62905-2
CHAPTER 1
Fragment from The Memoirs of Ludlow Fitch
When I opened my eyes I knew that nothing in my miserable life prior to that moment could possibly be as bad as what was about to happen. I was lying on the cold earthen floor of a basement room lit by a single candle, no more than an hour's burning left. Instruments of a medical nature hung from hooks in the beams. Dark stains on the floor suggested blood. But it was the chair against the opposite wall that fully confirmed my suspicions. Thick leather straps attached to the arms and the legs were there for one purpose only: to hold down an unwilling patient. Ma and Pa were standing over me.
"'E's awake," crowed Ma excitedly.
Pa dragged me to my feet. He had me in an iron grip, my arm wrenched up behind my back. Ma held me by the hair. I looked from one to the other. Their grinning faces were only inches away from mine. I knew I should not look to them to save me.
Another man, concealed until now in the shadows, stepped forward and took me by the chin. He forced open my mouth and ran a blackened, foul-tasting finger around my gums.
"How much?" asked Pa, drooling with anticipation.
"Not bad," said the man. "Thrupence apiece. Maybe twelve in all."
"It's a deal," said Pa. "Who needs teeth anyway?"
"Someone, I hope," replied the man dryly. "I sell 'em for a living."
And they laughed, all three, Ma and Pa and Barton Gumbroot, the notorious tooth surgeon of Old Goat's Alley.
Once the money for my teeth was agreed with Barton, they moved quickly. Together they dragged me over to the surgeon's chair. I kicked and shouted and spat and bit; I wasn't going to make it easy for them. I knew how Barton Gumbroot made his living, preying on the poor, pulling their teeth, paying them pennies and selling them for ten times as much. I was racked with fear. I had no protection. I was going to feel it all. Every single nerve-stabbing twinge.
They came close to succeeding in their evil quest. Ma was struggling with a buckle around my ankle, her hands shaking from the previous day's drinking, while Pa was trying to hold me down. Barton Gumbroot, that loathsome monster, was just hovering with his gleaming tooth-pull, snapping it open and shut, open and shut, tittering and salivating. I believe to this day his greatest pleasure in life was inflicting pain on others. So much so that he couldn't wait any longer, and before I knew it I could feel the cold metal of his instrument of torture clamped around a front tooth. He braced himself with his leg on my chest and began to pull. I cannot describe to you the pain that shot through my skull, my brain, and every nerve end in my body. It felt as if my whole head were being wrenched off. The tooth moved slightly in my jaw and another white-hot shooting pain exploded behind my eyes. All the while Ma and Pa laughed like maniacs.
Rage swelled in me like a mountainous wave. I heard a roar worthy of a jungle beast and I was taken over by seething fury. With my free leg I kicked Pa hard and sharp in the stomach and he collapsed on the floor. Barton, caught by surprise, let go of the tooth-pull, and I grabbed it and walloped him around the side of the head. I unstrapped my other leg and jumped down. Pa was groaning on the floor, Barton was leaning against the wall holding his head, and Ma cowered in the corner.
"Don't hit me, Ludlow," she begged. "Don't hit me."
I will not deny I was tempted, but this was my one chance to escape. Pa was almost on his feet again. I dropped the tooth-pull and in a matter of seconds I was out of the door, up the steps, and running down the alley. I could hear Ma screaming and Pa shouting and cursing. Every time I looked back all I could see were Pa's snarling face and Barton's hooked tooth-pull glinting in the yellow gaslight.
As I ran I tried to think where to go. They knew so many of my hiding places. I decided on Mr. Jellico's, but when I reached his shop the place was in darkness and the blind was down. I hammered on the window and shouted his name, but there was no reply. I cursed my bad luck. I knew if Mr. Jellico was gone at this time of night he might not be back for days. But knowing this was little help in my current predicament.
So where to now? The bridge over the River Foedus and the Nimble Finger Inn. Betty Peggotty, the landlady, might help me. I ran out of the alley and onto the street, but they were already waiting for me.
"There 'e is," screeched Ma, and the chase was on again. They surprised me, Pa especially, with their stamina. I had not thought they would last so long. For at least a half-mile they chased me down the uncobbled narrow alleys and the filthy streets, tripping over bodies and avoiding snatching hands, all the way to the river. Every time I looked back they seemed to be closer. I knew what would happen if they caught me again. The ache in my bleeding jaw was all the proof I needed.
By the time I staggered onto the bridge I was barely able to hold myself upright. Halfway across I saw a carriage outside the Nimble Finger. Just as its wheels began to turn, I clambered on the back, hanging on for my life. As the carriage pulled away the last thing I remember is the sight of Ma sinking to her knees. She was screaming at me from the riverbank, and the monster, Barton Gumbroot, was shaking his fist in rage.
* * *
My name is Ludlow Fitch. Along with countless others, I had the great misfortune to be born in the City, a stinking place undeserving of a name. And I would have died there if it had not been for Ma and Pa. They saved me, though it was not their intention, when they delivered me, their only son, into the hands of Barton Gumbroot. This act of betrayal was possibly the greatest single piece of luck I ever had. Ma and Pa's diabolic plan brought about the end of one existence and the beginning of another: my life with Joe Zabbidou.
CHAPTER 2Fragment from The Memoirs of Ludlow Fitch
I didn't know at the time, but I had hitched a ride on a carriage that belonged to, and contained, a Mr. Jeremiah Ratchet. We rattled along for hours, he inside snoring like a bellows, so loud I could hear it above the clatter of the wheels over the ruts, while outside I was clinging to the carriage like an organ-grinder's monkey. The weather worsened and it started to snow. The road narrowed and the potholes became larger, deeper, and more frequent. The driver had no thought for passenger comfort. If it wasn't for the fact that my hands were frozen in position I might well have fallen off. Despite this, and my churning innards (I suffer terribly from travel sickness), toward the end of the journey I was dozing. The carriage began to climb a steep hill, and finally we reached the place that was to be my home for the near future, the mountain village of Pagus Parvus.
Under any other circumstances I would not have chosen to come to Pagus Parvus, but at the time of traveling my destination was out of my hands. At last the carriage stopped outside a large house and the driver climbed down. I heard him rap on the carriage door.
"Mr. Ratchet," he called. "Mr. Ratchet."
But there was no reply, so he went to the house and rang for the maid. A young girl came out looking none too pleased. The driver called her Polly. Together they dragged the man up the steps, accompanied by much snoring (his) and grunting (theirs) and hauled him inside. I took the opportunity to jump down and sneak a look in the cab, wherein I found a leather purse, a fringed printed silk scarf, and a pair of gloves. I wrapped the scarf around my neck and slipped the gloves over my numb fingers. The purse contained only a few pennies but it was a start. I got out and saw the young girl standing in the doorway looking straight at me. There was a slight smile on her face and her eyes held mine for a long second. I heard the driver coming back and knew it was time to go. I could have gone either way, up the slope or down, but for some unknown reason I chose to climb.
The hill was treacherous. As I climbed I heard the church bell strike four. Although it was no longer snowing, the wind was sharp as a knife and I knew I needed shelter. Despite the hour, and the lack of streetlights, I could see well enough where I was going. It was not the moon that lit my way, for she was only a sliver, but all the lights ablaze behind the windows. It seemed that I was not the only one still awake in this village.
I stopped at an empty building at the top of the hill. It stood alone in the shadow of the church, desolate and separated from the other houses and shops by an alley. I was looking for a way in when I heard approaching footsteps in the snow. I ducked into the alley and waited. A man, hunched over, came carefully down the hill. He was carrying a large wooden spade over his shoulder and he was mumbling to himself. He passed right by me, looking neither to his left nor his right, and crossed over the road.
As he melted into the night another figure appeared. To this day I remember the man emerging from the gloom as if by magic. I watched him climbing steadily toward me. He took long strides and covered the distance quickly. He had a limp, his right step was heavier than his left, and one footprint was deeper than the other.
I believe I was the first person to see Joe Zabbidou and I know I was the last. Was it just coincidence that had us both arrive here together? I suspect other powers were at work. Unlike me, he wasn't fleeing. He had a purpose, but he kept it well hidden.
CHAPTER 3Arrival
It was not easy to describe Joe Zabbidou accurately. His age was impossible to determine. He was neither stout nor thin, but perhaps narrow. And he was tall, which was a distinct disadvantage in Pagus Parvus. The village dated from times when people were at least six inches shorter and all dwellings were built accordingly. In fact, the place had been constructed during the years of the "Great Wood Shortage." The king at the time issued a decree that every effort must be made to save wood, with the result that doors and windows were made smaller and narrower than was usual and ceilings were particularly low.
Joe was suitably dressed for the weather, though unheedful of the current fashion for the high-collared coat. Instead he wore a cloak of muted green, fastened with silver toggles, that fell to his ankles. The cloak itself was of the finest Jocastar wool. The Jocastar — an animal akin to a sheep but with longer, more delicate legs and finer features — lived high up in the mountains of the northern hemisphere. Once a year, September time, it molted, and only the most agile climbers dared venture up into the thin air to collect its wool. The cloak was lined with the softest fur in existence, chinchilla.
On his feet Joe wore a pair of black leather boots, highly polished, upon which sat the beautifully pressed cuffs of his mauve trousers. Around his neck was wrapped a silk scarf, and a fur hat shaped like a cooking pot was pulled down tightly over his ears. It could not fully contain his hair, and more than a few silver strands curled out from underneath.
With every step Joe took, a set of keys hooked to his belt jingled tunefully against his thigh. In his right hand he carried a rather battered leather satchel straining at the seams, and in his left a damp drawstring bag from which there emanated an intermittent croaking.
Quickly, silently, Joe climbed the steep high street until he reached the last building on the left. It was an empty shop. Beyond it was a walled graveyard, the village boundary, within which stood the church. Then the road stretched away into a gray nothingness. Snow had drifted into the shop doorway and gathered in the corners of the flyblown windows. The paintwork was peeling and an old sign in the shape of a hat creaked above the door in the biting wind. Joe took a moment to survey the street down to the bottom of the hill. It was the early hours of the morning, but yellow oil lamps and candles glowed behind many a curtain and shutter, and more than once he saw the silhouette of a person cross back and forth in front of a window. A smile broke across his face.
"This is the place," he said and let himself in.
The shop itself was quite tiny. The distance between the display window and the counter was no more than three paces. Joe went behind the counter and opened the solid door that led into a back room. A tiny window on the far wall allowed the dusty moon-glow to lighten the gloom. The furniture was sparse and worn: two ladderback chairs and a table, a small stove, and a narrow bed pushed up against the wall. In contrast the fireplace was huge. At least six feet across and nearly three deep, it took up almost the whole of one wall. On either side of the hearth sat a faded upholstered armchair. It was not much, but it would do.
In the depths of the night, Joe busied himself settling in. He turned up the wick and lit the lamp on the table. He unwound his scarf, took off his hat and unfastened his cloak, and put them on the bed. Then he opened his satchel, and as a silent observer peered through the window, Joe emptied it out onto the table. The onlooker never moved, though his already huge dark eyes widened impossibly as Joe pulled out clothes, shoes, a collection of trinkets and baubles, some rather fine jewelry, two loaves, a bottle of stout, another bottle (dark-glassed and unlabeled), four timepieces (with gold chains), a brass hurricane lamp, a rectangular glass tank with a vented lid, a large black book, a quill and bottle of ink, and a polished mahogany wooden leg. The satchel was deceptively spacious.
Deftly Joe fixed the tank together, then took his drawstring bag and loosened the tie. He set it down gently on the table and a second later a frog, a rather spectacular specimen of mixed hue and intelligent expression, emerged daintily from its folds. Very carefully Joe picked it up and placed it inside the tank, whereupon the creature blinked lazily and munched thoughtfully on some dried insects.
As Joe dropped another bug into the tank he stiffened almost imperceptibly. Without a backward glance he left the room, the eyes at the window still following him curiously. But they didn't see him slip out into the street. No human ear heard him tiptoe around the back of the shop, where he pounced upon the figure at the window and held him up to the light by the scruff of his scrawny neck.
"Why are you spying on me?" asked Joe in the sort of voice that demanded an answer without delay.
Joe had the boy in such a grip that he was half choking on his collar and his feet were barely touching the ground. He tried to speak, but fear and shock had rendered him unable. He could only open and close his mouth like a fish out of water. Joe gave him a shake and repeated the question, though less harshly this time. When he still received no answer he let the young lad fall to the snow in a crumpled, pathetic heap.
"Hmm." Joe took a long, hard look at the boy. He truly was a pale and sorry figure, undersized, undernourished, and shivering so hard you could almost hear his bones rattle. His eyes were striking, though, dark green with flecks of yellow, and set in a ring of shadow. His skin matched the snow in tone and temperature. Joe sighed and pulled him to his feet.
"And you are?" he asked.
"Fitch," said the boy. "Ludlow Fitch."
CHAPTER 4Poetry and Pawnbrokers
Ludlow sat at the table shivering in silence while Joe tended the fire. A blackened kettle hung over the flame and every so often Joe stirred its contents.
"Would you like some soup?"
Ludlow nodded and Joe ladled the thick mixture into two bowls and set them down. The boy gulped his noisily in spilling, overfull spoonfuls.
"Where have you come from?"
Ludlow wiped soup from his chin and managed to whisper. "From the City."
"I see. And do you wish to go back?"
He shook his head violently.
"I cannot blame you. In my experience the City is a rotten, diseased place full of the very worst of humanity. The lowest of the low."
Ludlow nodded again and drank at the same time, with the result that the soup dripped onto his gray shirt collar. Without hesitation, he put the stained cloth in his mouth and sucked out the juices. Joe watched unsmiling, but with amusement in his eyes.
"And what did you do in the City?"
Ludlow put down the bowl. The warming soup had brought life back to his frozen limbs. "All sorts, really," he said evasively, but then, under Joe's intense gaze, he continued, "though mainly I picked pockets."
(Continues...)Excerpted from The Black Book of Secrets by F.E. Higgins. Copyright © 2007 F. E. Higgins. Excerpted by permission of Macmillan.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Product details
- ASIN : B003R0LBOY
- Publisher : Feiwel & Friends; 1st edition (July 14, 2010)
- Publication date : July 14, 2010
- Language : English
- File size : 2193 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 239 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,242,007 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
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Customers find the book has an intriguing premise and exciting twists. They describe it as an easy, fun read with rich characters. The writing quality is well-written with clear fonts and descriptions that are not graphic. The book keeps readers hooked from beginning to end. Readers appreciate the vivid, tantalizing color palette.
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Customers enjoy the book's suspenseful and intriguing story. They find the details and twists engaging, keeping their attention throughout. The book offers an interesting world with rich characters and a compelling plot that keeps readers hooked.
"...is still really fun to read as an adult, it's definitely an easy but suspenseful tale perfect to read during short breaks...." Read more
"This book! What a wonderful tale. Deeply true and beautiful! Can’t wait to read the next one! Hope the whole series makes it to audio!" Read more
"THE BLACK BOOK OF SECRETS by F. E. Higgins has one of the most intriguing premises I've seen in a juvenile novel, or an adult novel, in a long time...." Read more
"This is a great book if you like suspense. There are a lot of secrets kept through the book and are not revealed until the end...." Read more
Customers find the book easy to read and enjoyable. They say it's a fun read for adults and perfect for short breaks.
"...The book is still really fun to read as an adult, it's definitely an easy but suspenseful tale perfect to read during short breaks...." Read more
"A good book with characters readers can relate to and an interesting story line...." Read more
"...It was a very good book. Enjoyed it from cover to cover. Would recommend it to anyone." Read more
"This is one of my favorite books. I've returned to it many times over the last couple of years and each time my sense of excitement is renewed. Love." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's character development. They find the story compelling with rich characters and a unique time and place.
"...Her descriptions in characters are so animated that I could easily imagine them like real persons. Definitely recommend this book." Read more
"...The novel offers a compelling story with rich characters and a unique time and place that still stands apart from 19th century England in the same..." Read more
"A good book with characters readers can relate to and an interesting story line...." Read more
"Great characters! Well written... A little predictable, but it is a kids book... Enjoyed it WAY more than expected!..." Read more
Customers appreciate the writing quality. They find the characters well-written, with an authority and confidence. The font is clear and easy to read, with generous margins and a thin, almost fragile style. The descriptions of violence and deaths are not graphic, adding to the story. Overall, the writing is spare and lean, not overly descriptive, and everything makes sense.
"...The book's generous margins, clear and easy to read font, and the thin, almost fragile feel, of the pages made me want to turn them...." Read more
"...It is a great introduction to quality writing." Read more
"...there are incidents of violence and some deaths the descriptions are not graphic and it adds to the story..." Read more
"Great characters! Well written... A little predictable, but it is a kids book... Enjoyed it WAY more than expected!..." Read more
Customers find the book engaging. They say it keeps them hooked from beginning to end.
"...The narrative pacing is well done - it obviously kept me glued to the book and turning pages till I reached the end, and I'm not always an easy..." Read more
"...The author does a great job of keeping your attention and pulls you through the book with elaborate details and exciting twists...." Read more
"...I was hooked from beginning to end. Just wonderful!!!" Read more
Customers appreciate the book's color palette. They find it beautiful, vivid, and evocative. The cover is described as curious and brightly colored.
"This book! What a wonderful tale. Deeply true and beautiful! Can’t wait to read the next one! Hope the whole series makes it to audio!" Read more
"...But the book's designer is fantastic. The only real bright spot on the book's cover is that curious and brightly colored frog...." Read more
"...reviews - unique, different, gothic, interesting, delicious, macabre, vivid, thrilling. How is that for making an impression on readers?..." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2020I first read the translated version of this book as a young teenager, and thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it. After several years, this book popped in my mind and decided to read again but in English, to fully absorb its story. The book is still really fun to read as an adult, it's definitely an easy but suspenseful tale perfect to read during short breaks. Her descriptions in characters are so animated that I could easily imagine them like real persons. Definitely recommend this book.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2022This book! What a wonderful tale. Deeply true and beautiful! Can’t wait to read the next one! Hope the whole series makes it to audio!
- Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2008THE BLACK BOOK OF SECRETS by F. E. Higgins has one of the most intriguing premises I've seen in a juvenile novel, or an adult novel, in a long time. A quiet man of questionable means moves into a neighborhood where everyone is being bullied by a man who owns everything worth owning. The quiet man, Joe Zabbidou, opens a pawnshop and starts buying what is basically worthless junk from the poor people who live there. Then, shortly after acquiring a young, homeless thief as his apprentice, Joe begins buying the darkest secrets of anyone who will sell them to him during the midnight hour.
I read about the book in a forthcoming announcement and wanted to think about it before I just purchased it. I was in Minnesota over the holidays and stopped in at a bookstore. THE BLACK BOOK OF SECRETS sat on the NEW ARRIVALS shelves. Immediately fascinated, I picked up a copy.
The packaging is as compelling and intriguing as the story's premise. The covers, front and back, are a flat black with the illustration and the back cover copy on them. My eye didn't catch the designs worked into the book until I felt them. The most eye-catching part of the whole package, though, was the black gilt that framed the pages all the way around. I've never seen a book like that. The treatment made the book feel almost...dangerous. And certain foreboding.
I was mesmerized, really. Whether the trade dress (publishing term for how a book looks) was really that good or I was just a soft touch, I don't know. But the book's designer is fantastic. The only real bright spot on the book's cover is that curious and brightly colored frog.
When I opened the book, I found the inside was just as different as the outside. The book's generous margins, clear and easy to read font, and the thin, almost fragile feel, of the pages made me want to turn them.
I read the opening chapter, a short but very intense five pages, and was instantly gripped by poor Ludlow Fitch's predicament. Ludlow lives in the City, but it can't be any other city than 19th century London, and the mean, downtrodden existence he leads is properly Dickensian. His lowlife parents have taken Ludlow to a foul dentist to sell the teeth right out of his head. They strap him into the dentist's chair and the dentist, Dr. Gumbroot - another nice, Dickensian touch, grabs a pair of pliers and latches onto one of Ludlow's teeth. In that scene alone, I was as hooked as Ludlow.
I picked the book up. Due to the work load I've got, I couldn't get back to it until yesterday. I started it to take a few minutes at lunch. Instead, I ended up captivated and read the entire novel. At 260 pages, it's fairly short by today's standards.
But I was swept away through the dirty streets of that neighborhood, got to know all the broken dreams and lost hopes of the people that came to Joe Zabbidou's pawnshop to sell their darkest secrets, and became even more curious about why Joe was buying them. I also discovered that our hero, Ludlow Fitch, wasn't the most reliable person Joe could have trusted.
I'm torn over calling this a children's book or an adult one. I think it plays equally well for both. The novel offers a compelling story with rich characters and a unique time and place that still stands apart from 19th century England in the same way that Joseph Delaney's THE LAST APPRENTICE books do. In some ways it breaks the tenets of juvenile books because it spends so much time with the adult characters. But it never discusses anything inappropriate about their lives or motivations that the 9-12 year olds won't understand.
The building sense of mystery and dread is fantastic, but I have to admit that when everything was said and done, I was somewhat disappointed. After all the tension that was raised, I really expected more at the end. Still, everything made sense and it satisfied.
This is F. E. Higgins's first book, but that doesn't show. Her writing is spare and lean, and not overly descriptive. The narrative pacing is well done - it obviously kept me glued to the book and turning pages till I reached the end, and I'm not always an easy audience. She writes with authority and confidence, and I liked her characters quite a lot because they were so real.
One of the best parts of the book was being a voyeur and listening to the secrets those townspeople came to tell. Each one of them seemed almost like an Edgar Allan Poe short story, filled with twists and turns and surprises.
I don't know yet if the book is going to be a series, but it could. Each Black Book of Secrets could be about a different place, with different secrets. Given the nature of people's curiosity about other people's secrets, I think this is a hook that would make a series work for a while. If Higgins can keep up this kind of quality, I'd definitely read another book or two about Joe and Ludlow.
Higgins does have a second book coming out in March 2008. It's called THE BONE MAGICIAN and sports a blood-red cover with a skull. I'll be picking that one up when it comes out.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2012This is a great book if you like suspense. There are a lot of secrets kept through the book and are not revealed until the end. The author does a great job of keeping your attention and pulls you through the book with elaborate details and exciting twists. I'll be reading more from this author!
- Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2009I read this book out loud with my son, one or so chapters a night. It is complex without being difficult to follow. There are stories within the story, but then everything comes together nicely in the end. It is not straight forward everything is not black and white, the good guys have a touch of gray. It is scary and suspenseful, but not enough to keep a young one awake at night. Looking forward to more from this author.
Other books that we have read out loud recently: Mysterious Benedict Society, Hobbit, Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Here Be Monsters, Leon and the Spiting Image, The Somebodies, The Nobodies, The Anybodies.
- Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2012Look at these reviews - unique, different, gothic, interesting, delicious, macabre, vivid, thrilling. How is that for making an impression on readers?
I don't know why the Higgins books have not made it into the mainstream, or why they get so little buzz, but I congratulate you on having found this site, and encourage you to give this book a try. It is a great introduction to quality writing.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2012This book suffers from an intense case of target audience confusion. A large amount of the book seems to be written for a younger audience. The slow moving story spoon feeds you the character's emotions while constantly shoving unwanted life lessons down your throat. Then, when the reader's mind has slowed to a sluggish coma, Higgins hits you with gruesome and murderous scenes, that by contrast seem almost inappropriate. A younger reader will probably be scarred for life while an older reader will most likely fall asleep, leaving this book in a strange limbo...read full review at theofficebooks.blogspot
- Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2021Read this a while back when I was a bit younger and enjoyed it. Looked it up curious to see if it held up and it honestly did. Cool world. Cool story. Would recommend.
Top reviews from other countries
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C.E.Reviewed in Germany on August 18, 2016
5.0 out of 5 stars Schön schaurig
Ein spannendes, unterhaltsames Buch. F. E. Higgins hat einen angenehmen Schreibstil, der die leicht dunkel-gruselige Stimmung gut rüberbringt. Die Art, wie die Geschichte aufgeteilt ist, verleiht ihr noch ein bisschen mehr Charakter, ohne beim Lesen hinderlich zu sein. Nachdem ich mit dem Buch fertig war, habe ich mir direkt die Fortsetzung geholt.
- Butler babooReviewed in India on October 25, 2014
5.0 out of 5 stars Splendid
Excellent writing. The author conjures a great gothic atmosphere. The story is intriguing and is a fine coming of age tale for a young boy.
Read it if you like old style, fireside reads.
- Laurence PaulReviewed in the United Kingdom on March 24, 2014
5.0 out of 5 stars A yesteryear’s whimsical malevolence and redemptive tale for youngsters, and grown-up youngsters too!
F E Higgins must be one of the most natural writers out there. This is a dark historical narrative that flows and smells just as rancidly as does the River Foedus itself, as it divides The City, where an unusual pawnbroker, Joe Zabbidou , arrives and offers his clients an even more unusual, and very personal mutual trade. Joe also offers a renewed life to young runaway Ludlow Fitch, and between these two characters a storybook masterpiece takes shape. The book beguiles and tempts the reader with every page turned. The plot is, I suspect, born out of nostalgia, possibly even a yearning for, a simpler way of life and death, and the yarn is brought to life brilliantly by many richly-drawn characters who all prove compelling. This book’s eeriness ought to be transformed into a quality, British-made TV dramatization, possibly shown around Christmastime, as Dickens’ works used to be. This quirky and unsettling little story is far too good to be left exclusively to youngsters alone and I will make a point of reading the author’s other works. I’d love to meet and speak with the author, who retains a most unusual perspective on life and all it can offer. This gripping tale is a worthy testament to that fact. Buy the book!
- manviReviewed in India on October 15, 2020
1.0 out of 5 stars Second hand
The product seems to be a second hand one. The binding also came off.
manvi
Reviewed in India on October 15, 2020
Images in this review -
Amazon CustomerReviewed in Germany on April 18, 2014
4.0 out of 5 stars Sympathisch
Ich bin irwann mal drauf gestoßen und nach langem Überlegen fand ich den Plot dann doch ganz interessant UND dann habe ich mir gedacht: Du wolltest doch eh mehr auf Englisch lesen, hol dir das Buch auf Englisch. Ist eh günstiger (JA, ich schädige die deutschen Verlage mit ihrer blöden Buchpreisbindung – danke Amazon, dass du mir das ermöglichst).
Zum Buch:
Ludlow Fitch hat echt Pech. Seine Eltern sind Assi, schicken ihn auf die Straße klauen, behandeln ihn wie den letzten Dreck, saufen und schließlich und endlich schleppen die ihn zu einem Menschen, der geschäftsmäßig Zähne zieht (da man diese ja verkaufen und zu gutem Geld machen kann).
In dem Moment, in dem es ihm ans Leder geht, flieht er. Zu seinem Glück kann er sich an eine Kutsche hängen und kommt des Nachts im verschneiten Dorf Pagus Parvus an, wo ihn Joe Zabbidu in seine Obhut nimmt.
Joe ist ein Pfandleiher, allerdings kein normaler Pfandleiher. Er kauft Geheimnisse. Und er zahlt gut, was Ratchet, dem die Dörfler alle ein ordentliches Sümmchen schulden, natürlich überhaupt nicht gefällt.
Doch bald reicht es den Einwohnern von Pagus Parvus nicht mehr, sich von ihren schlechten Gewissen befreit und ihre Schulden abbezahlt zu haben. Sie erwarten von Joe Zabbidu, dass er etwas gegen Ratchet unternimmt…
Mh. Ob das Buch jetzt spannend war? Ich glaube… ich weiß nicht xD auf jeden Fall war’s nicht uninteressant. Ich fand besondern die Geständnisse einfach genial. Jeder hatte eine Last, die er mit sich geschleppt hat und die ihn nachts nicht schlafen ließ. Mich haben vor allem diese voran getrieben.
Wenn ich so im Nachhinein überlege, was das für ein Genre ist… ein Krimi? Ein Verschwörungskrimi? Ich hatte am Anfang irgendwie auf mehr Fantasy getippt, was aber dann doch nicht war (was nicht unbedingt schlecht ist).
Für Zwischendurch mal wieder nette (idR – wenn man nicht sooo viele andere Sachen zu tun hat -.-) schnelle Lektüre, die einen dann doch in eine träumerische Welt entführt.
P.S.: Auf Deutsch heißt das Buch ‘Das schwarze Buch der Geheimnisse’. Weitere Bücher von Higgins auf deutsch übersetzt sind ‘Das Gift der Schmetterlinge’ und ‘Silbertod’
by Elektrohase (auch veröffentlich auf [...])