When a petty thief falls though a glass roof in his attempt to escape from the police, what should have been the death of him marks the beginning of a while new life. After his broken body is reconstructed by an ambitious young doctor, he is released from prison, and--with the help of Victorian London's extensive sewer system--he becomes the most elusive burglar in the city. He adopts a dual existence as a respectable, wealthy gentleman named Montmorency, and his degenerate servant Scarper. But Montmorency must always be on guard. The smallest mistake could reveal his secret and ruin both his lives.
Download and start listening now!
"Looking forward to reading the next one. I liked how the plot shifts completely (no spoiler here) by the end of the book leading into the sequel. It did take me a few chapters to get into the story and get used to the older English used in the writing. Lots of action and mystery included as well as fun well developed characters. I worry that my students will trip up on how it goes back and forth from Montmorency to Scarper and they are same person, but different characters."
— Alan (4 out of 5 stars)
" This is the first in a series of four (so far). It's billed as a children's book but I would recommend it to readers of all ages. The characters are well-developed and the imaginative narration is fun to follow. "
— Norah, 2/20/2014" THIS SERIES IS A GREAT ONE FOR THOSE WHO LIKE MYSTERY AND SUSPENSE, BUT IN A MILD FORM. "
— Randa, 2/13/2014" Very interesting premise, but at times it was difficult to hold my attention. The second one is so far much better. "
— Monica, 2/10/2014" while fleeing from the police, it should have been the death of him. Instead, it marks the beginning of a whole new life. Soon he has become the most successful -- and elusive -- burglar in Victorian London, plotting daring raids and using London's new sewer system to escape. He adopts a dual existence to fit his new lifestyle, taking on the roles of a respectable, wealthy gentleman named Montmorency and his corrupt servant, Scarper. "
— Kevin, 1/31/2014" Montmorency is a thief masquerading as a gentleman in late 1800s London. He got the idea for his most recent crime spree while in prison, as he listened to lectures on London's new sewer system. Now he lives a double life, careful never to run into the doctor who tended him in prison for fear he will be found out. An interesting look at London during this time period and at a man's ability to reform himself. "
— WCPL, 1/26/2014" Awesome! A bit reminiscent of Les Miserables (The musical). "
— Calamity, 1/16/2014" The idea and plot of the story was interesting, but the writing lacked spark, and made it difficult at times to keep reading. "
— Lizzy, 12/30/2013" Was a very good book but I don't think I would want to read the other books. "
— Keegan, 12/23/2013" Odd for a juvenile book, but I will listen to most anything Stephen Fry reads. "
— Bhan13, 12/17/2013" ok. liked the double life aspect. "
— Ruth, 10/21/2013" I really enjoyed this book. I found the part about the "Sams" hilarious. I would love to get my hands on more of Updale's books. "
— blackteiwaz, 9/5/2013" Montmorency is a gentleman. Scarper is a thief. They both are liars. "
— Kellee, 1/22/2013" A little slow starting out, but it picked up for me. Not enough for me to pursue the rest of the series though. Unless I found them at a library sale. "
— Daelith, 9/25/2012" A pretty good series that I did enjoy and would probably rank it somewhere on my top 10. I love how it engulfed real events and places in with fictional characters. I love how Montmorency useshis skills to outwit society but later for the greater good. "
— Elizabeth, 7/2/2012" An interesting read and I'd highly recommend it for those who love Victorian type novels and a bit of suspense. I thought it was charming and fun, but I'm not sure I would read another in the series. "
— Andi, 12/25/2011" I'm a sucker for anything that involves the stinking sewers of London. "
— Meredith, 9/9/2011" This was wonderful! One of my absolute favorite childhood books of all time. "
— Maddie, 5/16/2011" I meant to read this one years ago and never did. I like Montmorency, even though he's a thief and I think I'll pick up the next one to see what happens to him. "
— Julie, 5/8/2011" Great. yes. Suspenseful. No. I thought it would be more 'on the edge of your seat' kind of book but it felt like it was going kind of slow. I still love the idea and what happened but i felt there was no, real climax. "
— Kaito, 5/1/2011" This one was really between a 3 and a 4. For a YA mystery-type book it was really well done. It created an intriguing storyline, yet the plot unfolded very slowly and differently than I would have expected it to. I'll still go on to read the next in the series. <br/> "
— Erin(and, 4/27/2011" Ugh. I got 60 pages in and didn't care, so I quit. "
— Molly, 4/27/2011" Nice little book. Easy read. Protagonist is likeable enough. "
— Lando, 4/26/2011" This book is pretty much AWESOME!!! It is so amazing how a person have two seperate "persons" in one body, and it isn't two heads. It's pretty amazing. I love this book and I WANT TO READ MORE! I think that everyone should have a chance to read this and get hooked!!!!!!! ????? "
— Sarah, 4/3/2011" What a great character. I really didn't like the guy much at first, but he grew on me as he grew into the new person he was turning himself into. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series. "
— Kristen, 3/12/2011" I read this series when i was in elementary school and there's just something about it that I've remembered the title years later. This is definitely a good book but might not be interesting for some. "
— Brianna, 3/12/2011" I hadn't had so much fun reading a book in a long time. <br/> <br/>Brought me back to the stories of my childhood, like Dumas' The count of Montecristo, Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, Oscar Wilde's Dorian Gray. <br/> <br/>Compulsive reading. <br/> <br/>Don't miss. "
— Carmen, 2/9/2011" Usually not the kind of story I would be reading (I'm not a crime-fan). But I got this as an audiobook and Stephen Fry was the narrator so I simply adored everything about it. Moreover, the story itself and the characters are funny and colourful. "
— Trish, 1/27/2011Eleanor Updale studied history at St. Anne’s College, Oxford, before becoming a producer of television and radio current affairs programs for the BBC. Her first children’s novel, Montmorency, won the Silver Smarties Prize and the Medway Book Award.
Stephen Fry is a celebrated actor, novelist, journalist, presenter, intellectual, wit, and winner of several award for narration. He has produced four novels and two volumes of autobiography and has written for radio shows and television. His television credits include Jeeves and Wooster and Blackadder, and he hosted the BBC TV series QI.