THE GREAT STINK

In 1855 London, an old sewer rat and a surveyor with a war-scarred psyche unknowingly owe their separate woes to the same villain. The cad has cozened the former out of his beloved dog and connived to get the latter locked up as a homicidal lunatic. In the cholera-ravaged metropolis, the novel details the ensnarement of our heroes and the violent outcome triggered by an inexperienced barrister. Steven Crossley makes the most of the Dickensian portrayals and, resisting the temptation to chew the scenery, engrossingly describes the action. He is, however, no help to the pitiable surveyor, who, if not given much of a personality, at least is "blessed" with an interesting psychological affliction. Y.R. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/ SEP 06]