This is a perfect example of how a book's packaging and a terrific first paragraph can really draw a reader in. I was attracted to the all-black, yet decorative cover (and the black-edged pages are nice as well). Once I read the first paragraph, I was hooked:
When I opened my eyes I knew that nothing in my miserable life prior to that moment could possibly be as bad as what was about to happen. I was lying on the cold earthen floor of a basement room lit by a single candle, no more than an hour's burning left. Instruments of a medical nature hung from hooks in the beams. Dark stains on the floor suggested blood. But it was the chair against the opposite wall that fully confirmed my suspicions. Thick leather straps attached to the arms and the legs were there for one purpose only: to hold down an unwilling patient. Ma and Pa were standing over me.
How awesome is that? I mean, if you like that kind of thing, that kind of gothic-y, mysterious, cobwebs-in-the-corner thing. Ludlow Fitch, abused by his thieving parents, runs away to a neighboring village, where he meets an enigmatic gentleman named Joe Zabbidou. Joe is a "Secret Pawnbroker." Joe pays people to tell him their deepest, darkest secrets, which he has Ludlow record in a (go figure) black book. How does this profit Joe? How does it profit the people of the village? How does the town's tyrannical rich guy feel about the whole thing? You'll have to read it to find out!
The author (in her first novel) says in the prologue that she found parts of Ludlow's diary and parts of the Black Book of Secrets hidden in a wooden leg. The text of the book alternates between excerpts from Ludlow's diary, and stories from the Black Book. This technique works quite well and I think the book would appeal to lovers of mystery and fantasy alike. This book is shelved in Young Adult fiction, but I think it could be appropriate for older J readers as well. Some of the stories are violent, and the abuse suffered by Ludlow at his parents hands could be frightening for kids below 5th or 6th grade. This would appeal to boys and girls alike.
