" Philip Pullman's Two Crafty Criminals consists of two novellas--Thunderbolt's Waxwork and The Gas Fitter's Ball. Like The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials) the stories were probably written for youth, but they are at least as likely (or more) to be appreciated by adults, and like The Golden Compass et al, they are set in Victorian England with a lot of accurate historical trivia. Thunderbolt's Waxwork does have a head scuplted by Benny, not Thunderbolt, which gets placed in the Horror section of the Waxwork Museum, but the real plot is about "uttering snide"--putting fake money into circulation. The smasher was not Thunderbolt's father after all, and the gang is able to prove it and set him free from prison. The Gas Fitter's Ball is ostensibly about getting Dick, an extremely shy guy, to propose to Daisy, a gorgeous girl. However it is really about the theft of some silver, and as the gang discovers the real culprit, they not only help Dick get Daisy, but Orlando, the strong man, get Honoria, the daughter of the Mr. Whittle, the leader of the Ancient and Worshipful Company of Gas-Fitters. The plots are intriguing, but the main interest for the reader is humor. Many time I laughed out loud reading these exploits. My cats thought I was crazy, but I enjoyed the novellas immensely. "
— Marilyn, 2/4/2014