Library Journal Best Books 2011: Historical Fiction selection
Finalist for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize
Finalist for the Canadian Authors Association Fiction Award
Finalist for the Amazon.ca First Novel Award
Finalist for the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize
1851. London, England. Once a well-known prize-fighter with a terrifying right fist (known as “The Hammer of Heaven"), Daniel O'Thunder has seen the light, and now the protection of the poor and the weak is his life's work. He runs an establishment for those in need of food, shelter and counsel—a place where virtue and vice rub shoulders uneasily. But an ancient evil is stalking the streets, preying on the vulnerable souls it finds there. It is an evil that takes different forms and hides behind many faces, threatening everything Daniel loves most. Driven to desperation, Daniel responds by issuing a breathtaking challenge...to the Devil himself. Rich in humor and memorable characters, Daniel O'Thunder is a rollicking literary thriller set in the teeming slums of Dickensian London. Fast-paced and gripping, comic and tragic by turns, it is a spectacular fiction debut.