Twelve-year-old Mog is the printer's devil (aka apprentice). It's a decent job for an orphan, and Mog finds printing the WANTED posters exciting--until he spots a criminal from one of his posters just as a valuable item from an East Indian ship goes missing. With the help of a new friend, Nick, Mog procures the stolen item, giving new meaning to the term cutthroat competition as war between thieves ensues to retrieve it. Murderous deeds, mistaken identities, surprise revelations, and Mog's own murky past come into play in this entertaining adventure, and Victorian London comes alive in all its dirty, dangerous glory as Mog skulks through endless back alleys. Although a large cast of characters with colorful names complicates the convoluted plot, and the ending is disappointingly vague after such a suspenseful buildup, Mog's curious but foolhardy sense of adventure keeps things sailing at a good clip, while Nick's practical wariness provides a nice counterpoint. A sequel is planned.