Mr Timothy Bayard, Louis

A Victorian gentleman and a London street urchin collide in this ingenious reimagining of Dickens's *A Christmas Carol* — told from the perspective of Tiny Tim, all grown up. Timothy Cratchit is now a jaded opium addict navigating the grimy underbelly of 1860s London when a murdered prostitute lands at his doorstep, pulling him into a mystery that threatens to unravel everything he thought he knew about his famous past. Louis Bayard gives us a Tim who's bitter, damaged, and utterly unsentimental — the anti-Dickens hero — while keeping the Victorian atmosphere thick and atmospheric. The prose is sharp, the mood is noir, and the central question cuts deep: what happens to the poster child for redemption when the fairy tale ends? Perfect for fans of Sarah Waters, *The Alienist*, or anyone who likes their period fiction dark and revisionist.