The Dream Thief by Catherine Webb is the fourth outing for former Special Constable and rather reluctant hero Horatio Lyle. As the industrial revolution races on across England, Horatio Lyle wishes nothing more than to devote himself to assisting modernity and the forward motion of the Empire through his scientific experiments and his passion for inventing. Unfortunately for Horatio, his reputation as a great detective precedes him and, whenever Her Majesty’s Government comes calling, he finds himself plunged into intrigue, danger and life in the criminal underbelly of Victorian London.

London, 1865, and The Dream Thief opens with a nasty surprise for Horatio Lyle and his ward, the almost totally reformed young pickpocket Tess. They discover a young girl exhibiting all the signs of having been poisoned passed out on the doorstep of Horatio’s house. This time there is no need for government persuasion; attacks on the children of his city are not something that Horatio could ignore. Their investigations into the apparent poisoning lead Horatio and Tess to Tess’s former home, a dilapidated workhouse that certainly hasn’t improved during her absence. While an explanation for the fate of the young girl they found is not forthcoming, Horatio and Tess quickly discover that something sinister is afoot and that something very, very bad is threatening the children of the East End.

Forging ahead with their investigation, Horatio and Tess (aided as ever by upper crust adventurer Tom and Horatio’s faithful dog Tate) venture deep into Tess’s old stomping grounds and discover that a terrifying fate has befallen her old crowd of pickpockets and sneak thieves: the children are either ‘wandering the streets like zombies, drooling in the workhouses or plain mad in the asylum.’ It’s not just Tess’s friends who are affected either, children across the district are turning up with their memories in shreds and their minds near destroyed. The only clue left for Horatio to work with is a name, half-whispered in fear: Old Greybags.

The Horatio Lyle adventures have always been a mix of crime and the supernatural but The Dream Thief is by far the spookiest of the series. Horatio [I defy anyone to spend any length of time contemplating a detective named Horatio without imagining a ginger haired fellow taking off his sunglasses to stare at the Miami sun as he engages in a fine bit of 'smell the fart' acting] is a great detective but he is, first and foremost, a scientist who always searches for the rational explanation behind any mysterious event. The mystery of Old Greybags is therefore certainly his most difficult challenge to date. Catherine Webb presents these supernatural elements of the story in a way that is delightfully spine-tingling but still suitable for readers at the younger end of the age spectrum – there should be no nightmares after reading. The mystery element of the story and the methods which Horatio Lyle employs in the course of his investigation are as inventive and convincing as past readers of the series will expect. Webb has certainly done a great deal of research into her characters and the world which they inhabit. There is also a nice amount of humour and friendship to be found in The Dream Thief which should help to keep all readers entertained. All of the familiar characters from Webb’s previous novels are back while she also provides an interesting and moving insight into Tess’s past.

The Dream Thief could be read as a standalone novel but would inevitably provide spoilers for earlier books in the series so that those new to Horatio Lyle might be best off beginning with The Extraordinary and Unusual Adventures of Horatio Lyle and working through the series in order.

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