Obadiah Grange is a wonderfully atmospheric return to the world of young Charley Dickens, full of fog‑shrouded streets, creeping dread, and that irresistible blend of curiosity and courage that makes this series such a pleasure to sink into. A year has passed since the mystery of Hungerford Stairs, yet danger seems to find Charley again the moment a young girl’s body is discovered by Blackfriars Bridge. What begins as a grim puzzle quickly deepens into something far more sinister, and the stakes feel sharper this time — more personal, more urgent.

Charley’s partnership with policeman Robert Hesketh remains one of the book’s great strengths. Their dynamic has matured beautifully: Charley’s sharp mind and earnest determination paired with Hesketh’s weary pragmatism create a compelling, almost father‑son tension that gives the investigation real emotional weight. When Mary Ann Mitton disappears, that weight becomes a knot in the stomach, pulling the story into darker, more unsettling territory.

The world of the itinerant waxworks show is wonderfully eerie — a travelling façade hiding something rotten beneath — and the recurring whisper of Obadiah Grange threads through the narrative like a chill draft under a door. The novel handles its themes of corruption, exploitation, and power with a deft touch, never sensational but always aware of the human cost behind every clue.

What makes this instalment shine is how grounded it feels in both history and heart. The Victorian setting is vivid without ever overwhelming the story, and Charley’s growing sense of responsibility — his fear, his bravery, his stubborn hope — gives the mystery a beating pulse.

A gripping, atmospheric tale that deepens the series’ emotional core while delivering a clever, unsettling mystery. It left me eager to see where Charley’s path leads next.

With thanks to Thom Braun, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC

“It was a murder and a mystery.” It started with a body, a girl of twelve or thirteen, recovered from the Thames near Blackfriars Bridge. “She had an almost puritan glow of innocence…a lost and fragile spirit of nature…that spoke of nursery and schoolroom rather than the bawdy house.” “Two nights prior she had been seen creeping away from Mrs. Rumpy’s.” A note delivered to Broad Court, the building that housed plainclothes detectives said: “Very young lady in Eden Road. Not the Usual Trade.” The detectives discovered a small wet bundle that contained a printed handbill for a cheap fairground show…” Varley’s Waxworks”.

Chief Detective Robert Hesketh headed the task force investigating the crime. Varley’s Waxworks, as advertised in the handbill, was housed in a once abandoned shop. Dark curtains obstructed Hasketh’s view of the exhibit within. In order to have rented the shop, the leaseholder required that Mrs Varley, proprietor, provide a reference. How suspicious that Mrs. Rumpy was said to be the reference.

Marshalsea Prison (1823) A rapid decline in the Dickens family finances caused the family to be sent to debtor’s prison. To help defray John Dickens' debt, the eldest child, eleven year old Charles, found employment working a ten hour work day, six days a week at Warren’s Blacking Warehouse on Hungerford Stairs. His job was to paste labels on pots of boot-blacking. After a sudden windfall, the debt was paid.

1825. Charles Dickens was hungry for knowledge. He was able to return to school based upon the generosity of Chief Hesketh. In the past, Charley had provided assistance in crime solving at Hungerford Stairs. Hesketh’s gift enabled Charley to continue his education once enrolled at Wellington House Academy. Dickens was “such a little fellow”, however his past experiences were among “a whole bevy of thieves and swindlers”. This gave him a different take on life as compared to his fellow students. To his new chums, he was a “comic genius…making up stories about the various masters and doing impressions of them for their entertainment.”

Charles Dickens lived across the street from Mary Ann Mitton. “She’s a girl-but also not like a girl at the same time.” Seated in Charley’s attic room, they would devour “The Terrific Register; or Record of Crimes, Judgements, Providences and Calamities.” Charley dreams, and with Mary Ann, he imagines tales of solving mysteries alongside Hasketh.

How does one investigate the Varley Waxworks? Hesketh again called upon Charles Dickens for assistance. Charley convinced his benefactor that a visit to the waxworks would be enhanced by the appearance of two schoolchildren instead of just one. Could Mary Ann’s watchful eye discover any new theories? To the duo, Hesketh’s quest for information was an adventure, until it wasn’t.

Author Thom Braun has penned a superb historical fiction novel drawing upon Charles Dickens’ young life. Charley’s rich imagination was shaped by a dark childhood where he viewed “organized corruption and child abuse”. Braun casts a wide web around a multitude of well fleshed out characters. The narrative is presented in a rich pattern of storyline alternating with Charley’s thoughts about family, jumbled feelings for Mary Ann as well as his quest to solve mysteries alongside the “highly esteemed Hesketh”. A fascinating read.

Highly recommended.

Thank you Troubador Books and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this as a sequel in the Untold Tales of Charles Dickens series, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed from the first book. I enjoyed the mystery of this and getting into the world and characters. I enjoyed how good the characters felt like they belonged in this universe and was glad I was able to go on this journey with the characters. Thom Braun wrote this perfectly and had that element that I was wanting from the previous book.