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A few
days before Christmas 1833 Scrooge's beloved mentor and former
employer Fezziwig is violently murdered. Scrooge is unaware
of this, and is even talking to him when it is suddenly obvious
that he is conversing with a ghost. Thus begins a tortuous
investigation to discover what Fezziwig was mixed up in, with
the help of a young reporter called Dickens and Scrooge's
newest employee.
Somehow the title and general idea of Scrooge and Dickens
as sleuths seems to suggest something rather cozy, but instead
the authors have concocted a much darker tale. Scrooge narrates
the story, coming across as sharp and having an eye for the
main chance, hoping to transform himself from a moneylender
into an investment banker. He is acutely aware of these shortcomings,
but is not interested at being any other way despite his love
for Belle and affection for the late Fezziwig. Several other
Dickens characters also appear, from Mr. Pickwick to Fagin,
and although most of these have brief walk on parts, some
are vital to the story. Appealing to the modern reader is
the spirited Miss Adelaide Owen, who applies for the job as
Scrooge's clerk and gets it by being very good at the job,
very attractive and rather mysterious. The plot itself keeps
the pages turning and despite its length (400 pages) manages
to always have something of interest going on. Less appealing
are the many mistakes as to how things would have been done
back in the 1830s, and most of the time the background had
more in common with something set at the time of Sherlock
Holmes. If these problems are ironed out, this has all the
makings of an entertaining new series.
Reviewer
Notes: some violence
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