A deliciously dark and thrilling novel from the devilishly talented F. E. Higgins. Now with a stunning new series look!
The Black Book of Secrets (Tales from the Sinister City)
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Product Description
Book Description
When Ludlow Fitch's parents cruelly betray him, he steals away on the back of a carriage and leaves behind the stinking City. He arrives in the dead of night at a remote village, where he crosses paths with the tall and limping figure of Joe Zabbidou - a pawnbroker with a difference. For Joe trades secrets, not goods, for cash. Ludlow is employed to record the villagers' fiendish confessions in The Black Book of Secrets. Bodysnatching; thievery; murder. The people of Pagus Parvus have much to hide. But is Ludlow Fitch ready to release his own skeletons? And will he ever learn to trust his mysterious master?
About the Author
F. E. Higgins has been fascinated by the macabre ever since seeing a ghostly apparition as a child. Nowadays F. E. travels the lands that these books describe, collecting strange artefacts and the even stranger secrets and stories behind them. THE BLACK BOOK OF SECRETS, THE BONE MAGICIAN, THE EYEBALL COLLECTOR and THE LUNATIC'S CURSE, document the results of these eerie explorations and have sold all over the world. When not in pursuit of a story, F.E. may be found in a haunted house in Kent.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is Fiona Higgins's first novel, and is the first book in her 'Tales from the Sinister City' series. It's about a young boy, named Ludlow Fitch. Ludlow is fed up with pickpocketing just to provide money for his poor parent's alcohol addiction to gin. At the beginning of the book Ludlow is knocked unconscious by them and is sent to Barton Gumbroot, a dentist who plans to buy his teeth. In a scene reminiscent of 'Marathon Man', Ludlow fights the dentist off and runs away from his parents and the stinking city. He hitches a ride in a carriage that leads him to a remote village called Pagus Parvus, where he meets a mysterious man called Joe Zabbidou, who has also just arrived. Joe offers Ludlow a job as his apprentice to his work as a 'secret pawnbroker'. It is now Ludlow's job to write down other people's secrets into a black book. Things start to take a horrible turn when a local man, Jeremiah Rachett, finds out about this Black Book of Secrets. He has threatened or blackmailed just about everyone else in the village, and so he plans to steal the book to use it to his own advantage.
This is a dark gothic book full of black humour. It reads a bit like a Roald Dahl book, no bad thing, with a Catholic religious subplot lightened by the humour. The novel's finale has an obvious trailer for volume two. The book is 322 pages, and is aimed at 9-13 year olds. Overall my bookaholic daughter thought it was a pretty good read, and rated it 4*, a comparable score to 'His dark materials' and 'Inkheart' [she loves Harry Potter and rates his books 3*, with 'Chaos Walking' and 'Wyrmeweald' achieving 5*]. Fiona Higgins `Tales from the Sinister City' series now include: 1. The Black Book of Secrets (2007), 2. The Bone Magician (2008), 3. The Eyeball Collector (2009) and 4. The Lunatic's Curse (published 2010).
This is a dark gothic book full of black humour. It reads a bit like a Roald Dahl book, no bad thing, with a Catholic religious subplot lightened by the humour. The novel's finale has an obvious trailer for volume two. The book is 322 pages, and is aimed at 9-13 year olds. Overall my bookaholic daughter thought it was a pretty good read, and rated it 4*, a comparable score to 'His dark materials' and 'Inkheart' [she loves Harry Potter and rates his books 3*, with 'Chaos Walking' and 'Wyrmeweald' achieving 5*]. Fiona Higgins `Tales from the Sinister City' series now include: 1. The Black Book of Secrets (2007), 2. The Bone Magician (2008), 3. The Eyeball Collector (2009) and 4. The Lunatic's Curse (published 2010).
18 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
When I ordered the black book of secrets I didn't realise it was part of the Macmillan Children's Books collection, when I opened the first page and saw the Macmillan stamp I have to admit I was completely gutted, I presumed that this book was a grown up story but what I had in front of me was going to be no more than a childish attempt of scaring little children, but I was so wrong.
The book took hold of me from the first page and I felt I was walking with Ludlow through the dark cold & snowy village of Pagus Parvus. The descriptions where so clearly written that I was able to see the village and the creepy village inhabitants, like the grave digger and the repulsive Jeremiah Ratchett. The book is written so effortlessly that each chapter just flows incredibly well. I found that the book reminded me of those dark Benson animations- I would love to see an animated version of the book, it would be absolutely brilliant! Fingers crossed the next instalment will be out soon, I would love to know what happened next with Ludlow! A surprisingly brilliant book which got me hooked by the claws, give this a go you definitely won't be let down!
The book took hold of me from the first page and I felt I was walking with Ludlow through the dark cold & snowy village of Pagus Parvus. The descriptions where so clearly written that I was able to see the village and the creepy village inhabitants, like the grave digger and the repulsive Jeremiah Ratchett. The book is written so effortlessly that each chapter just flows incredibly well. I found that the book reminded me of those dark Benson animations- I would love to see an animated version of the book, it would be absolutely brilliant! Fingers crossed the next instalment will be out soon, I would love to know what happened next with Ludlow! A surprisingly brilliant book which got me hooked by the claws, give this a go you definitely won't be let down!
25 of 30 people found the following review helpful
By Ene
Format:Hardcover
The Black book of Secrets is an excellent book. It really makes you ponder about what you are reading and is suitable for very imaginative minds. The plot is very well thought out and quick- wittedly, everything falls in to place at the end. Ludlow Fitch is the main character and hasn't had a very calm and easy life, quite the opposite! His life is full of stress and after many years of harsh treatment he decides to leave the stinky city and lead a fuller life. He arrives at the village of Pagus Parvus and meets Joe Zabbidoe, a mysterious pawnbroker, he realises every thing in this small village in the mountains is not what it seems. Many of the viilagers have unbearable secrets to sell...
Many of the characters in this book have interesting personalities but some are very different. On one hand, Joe Zabbidoe, who takes Ludlow in, is quite relaxed at all times and his past is a mysterious subject. He never gives away his emotions by keeping his face blank. On the other hand Jeremiah Ratchett, the landlord of the village who cheats the villagers out of money, is always very uptight and jump, also his actions are sharp. Ludlow is a very samll and skinny boy who hasn't had much education although he is very street samrt from his past pick pocketing experience. Zabbidou and Fitch become quite a duo but Ludlow's frustration with Joe grows as it seems he isn't told the whole story.
F.E. Higgins is a very talented writer and her style is very easy to read. She is very good at persuading you to like some characters and dislike others.
I wolud say this book is a mixture of genres. It has a mixture of adventure/ magical/ horror and this makes it a very unique read and extremely enjoyable!
I would recommend it to readers who are adventurous and imaginative. Also it will suit you if you can relate to characters and sympathise with them.
OVERALL A MUST READ BOOK!!!
Many of the characters in this book have interesting personalities but some are very different. On one hand, Joe Zabbidoe, who takes Ludlow in, is quite relaxed at all times and his past is a mysterious subject. He never gives away his emotions by keeping his face blank. On the other hand Jeremiah Ratchett, the landlord of the village who cheats the villagers out of money, is always very uptight and jump, also his actions are sharp. Ludlow is a very samll and skinny boy who hasn't had much education although he is very street samrt from his past pick pocketing experience. Zabbidou and Fitch become quite a duo but Ludlow's frustration with Joe grows as it seems he isn't told the whole story.
F.E. Higgins is a very talented writer and her style is very easy to read. She is very good at persuading you to like some characters and dislike others.
I wolud say this book is a mixture of genres. It has a mixture of adventure/ magical/ horror and this makes it a very unique read and extremely enjoyable!
I would recommend it to readers who are adventurous and imaginative. Also it will suit you if you can relate to characters and sympathise with them.
OVERALL A MUST READ BOOK!!!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Revelling in secrets and the macabre nature of humanity
This is an excellent book suitable for younger teenagers and quite enjoyable for adults too. I'm currently teaching this to some 13 year olds in English and they seem to be... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Hannah McCormack
5.0 out of 5 stars
Full of unspectful hints A BRILLIANT READ!
Hidden hints to characters, and some wonderful techniques are used. See what you can find out in this masterpiece of a book!
Published 3 months ago by ¿?
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great spooky fun!
Murders! Rat infested pies! Frogs!
A rather gothic jaunt through a well written, well paced, adventure / mystery / young adult story. Read more
A rather gothic jaunt through a well written, well paced, adventure / mystery / young adult story. Read more
Published on 11 Oct 2010 by mutlien
5.0 out of 5 stars
One word...Amazing
I bought this book and left it on the shelf for a couple of weeks. Then yesterday evening, I was feeling tired and I had just finished reading a long fantasy novel - I wanted... Read more
Published on 26 April 2010 by Beetle
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book got my imagination going!
As soon as I read the first chapter of this book, it had me gripped. The descriptions of the characters and the scenery in this book are very well written and it's a very easy and... Read more
Published on 14 April 2010 by Jalelo Gram
3.0 out of 5 stars
Pleasing but unoriginal
"The Black Book of Secrets" is the story of a young boy, Ludlow Fitch, who lives a miserable existence in a horrible city. Read more
Published on 21 Sep 2009 by S. Diment
4.0 out of 5 stars
A secret surprise
This for me was a really interesting read. The story is quite different to anything that I was expecting. Read more
Published on 20 Aug 2009 by A. Wright
5.0 out of 5 stars
A good debut novel
The Black Book of Secrets I read a lot of children's and young adult books because I frequently find them more satisfying narratives than adult books full of sex and angst and... Read more
Published on 23 July 2009 by Michele Fry
5.0 out of 5 stars
Don't keep this great book a secret
Ludlow escapes the terrifying clutches of his drunken parents on the back of a chance carriage, fleeing the grimy city where he has lived his whole life. Read more
Published on 15 July 2009 by Clever Spud
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Pleasant Surprise
This book was a pleasant surprise. I don't usually go in for all this childrens fantasy/horror type thing (well, not since I was a young child) but I found this book to be... Read more
Published on 27 Jun 2009 by S. Vasicek
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