Mud and Smoke

Trust is a luxury orphans cannot afford—but Tobias Scutt and Nell have no one else. Thrown together on the treacherous mudflats of the Victorian Thames, these two young scavengers uncover a hidden strongbox that entangles them with one of London's most dangerous crime lords. Now bound by a bargain they never sought, they must navigate a shadowy war between powerful men who see children as disposable tools. Survival demands cunning, loyalty demands sacrifice, and the river never stops rising.