A dazzling Dickensian thriller set in a Victorian underworld inspired by Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.The characters and the setting are written exceptionally well.

In the blurb it read, 'A different kind of Christmas story.' and that it was. Set in London in the 1860's this is the story of Mr Timothy Cratchit who's 'Uncle' is Ebenezer. so as you can see this is going to be a great read. And let me tell you it is.

Mr Timothy comes across a couple of dead girls and so the intrigue and mystery begins. and so the original story by Dickens somewhat continues if that makes since.

This is a great read and I must say I devoured it. The writing is fantastic and the story keeps you reading, The characters are wonderful and make this story, the descriptions and references to Dickens are great and the story itself exceeds what I had expected of this book.

This author has an imagination that makes this book come to life and I can see it becoming a best seller and a booked loved by the readers of Dickens, of classics and of mystery. I highly recommend it.

I was fascinated by this book as it's an excellent novel and the language could date it back to XIX century.
It's dark, well plotted, full of twists, and gripping.
An excellent story that kept me hooked.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

I had previously read this when it was first released a few years back being a massive Charles Dickens fan as well as loving crime fiction so wanted to reread to see if it stood up to my " Great Expectations" ( I know, wrong novel!). Really enjoyed it, possibly more so, the second time round.
I do like it when a character, in this case the slightly nauseating sweet child Tiny Tim, grows up into a dark and troubled character involved in dark deeds, but waiting to see if that inner goodness will win through.

‘Mr Timothy’ answers the intriguing question of whatever happened to Tiny Tim after he grew up. As a fan of ‘A Christmas Carol’, I had my doubts about the wisdom of a sequel, but Bayard has done his homework and captures the social setting perfectly. His style of writing also reflects and respects his source material. The book took a while to get going and, like Timothy, seemed a bit aimless to begin with. However, with the introduction of the murder mystery element, both Timothy and the novel itself gain a sense of direction and the reading experience was much improved.

An interesting read written in the style and language of the Dickens so might not suite people who prefer more modern language. It's an interesting view on how Tiny Tim might have turned out. He is in his twenties with Scrooge still in his life providing a stipend which seems to have stopped him finding his place in the world until he runs across a murder mystery covering high levels of society. It was a bit slow to get going but then runs at full pelt with lots of action. A must for anyone who loves Dickens and Christmas Carol. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

It's almost Christmas, but Tiny Tim Cratchit is no longer a child. Having lost both parents & several of his siblings, twenty-three year old Tim is trying to forge his own path in life. Currently reliant on handouts from 'Uncle Neezer', he lives in a room in a brothel in London, & pays his way by teaching the madam to read. One day he finds the dead body of a young girl who has a peculiar branding on her shoulder - the letter G. When he fleeting sees another young girl with the same branding, she is gone before he can speak to her. He engages a young urchin, Colin the Melodious, a ten-year-old street kid to track her down. Together they find the girl, Philomela, but when a strange woman & richly dressed man try to kidnap her off the street,Timothy realises that she is in grave danger. Philomela is placed with a friend & Timothy works to gain her trust, & she finally reveals that the rich man is running a human trafficking operation, bringing in young girls for the sex trade.

The book gets off to a slow start & it takes a while for the pace to actually pick up. I found it worth sticking with though as the author paints a vivid picture of life in Victorian London with its deprivations & squalor. Colin is a great character, he seems to be somewhat reminiscent of the Artful Dodger - a young boy who has had a tough life for his tender years & had to grow up quickly to survive on the streets. He's more engaging than the main character, Tim, who until at least halfway through the book is rather timid & bland. The book deals with some dark subjects including paedophilia, human trafficking, & murder. I found some sections difficult to read due to the subject matter, & there were several scenes which became rather ridiculous, including the ending. Overall, a slow burner which covers some dark subjects, & for me, it ultimately fails at providing a main character to be invested in. 3 stars

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, John Murray Press/Baskerville, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

I was so intrigued by this book and loved that its protagonist was a grown up Tiny Tim who flees to the underbelly after the trauma of losing his dad and fleeing Scrooge. I didn't know what to expect but it was so much better than I thought it would be. I love reading books with characters that were featured in other authors works especially classic literature characters. I really enjoyed it, the pacing was good and there was a good amount of mystery.