Vaguely Dickensian. Not for children. More of an adventure than a mystery. I'd probably not have finished it, were it not that it's short, and fits three of my challenges. I read the illustrated Folio Society" edition (found near mint in a thrift store) and do appreciate the art by Val Biro." ( )

When Steven's mother dies he goes to live with his grandfather, Capt'n Nat, in a tavern on the docks in Wapping. "It was wooden and clapboarded, and, like others of its sort it was everywhere larger at top than at bottom" While he awaits the return of his father from sea he learns about the characters that inhabit the dock.
A very readable book which portrayed the conditions in the poorer areas of London in the 1800's ( )

The story has many parallels with those of the greater writer Charles Dickens.It tells of Stephen,a young lad whose father is away at sea and whose mother has just died in childbirth. Left with nobody to take care of him,he is taken by his Grandfather Nat,who is publican at a riverside tavern,'The Hole In The Wall to live there. Nat,who is kind to him,is nevertheless a man with many secrets and one who is also a 'sinner'. Stephen's father dies in mysterious circumstances on his last voyage and the joint owners of the ship in question are suspected of insurance fraud. Several characters emerge who are after the money which has been stolen as part of the fraud including Dan Ogle and the blind fiddler,Blind George.
I throughly enjoyed this book,which I found one I could not easily put down. ( )