The Pickpocket and the Gargoyle

<p><b>A beautifully crafted epic adventure spiced with magic from the acclaimed author of <i>Hour of the Bees.</i></b><br><br>Fished from the river as an infant and raised by a roving band of street urchins who call themselves the Crowns eight-year-old Duck keeps her head down and her mouth shut. It&#146;s a rollicking life always thieving always on the run &#150; until the ragtag Crowns infiltrate an abandoned cathedral in the city of Odierne and decide to put down roots. It&#146;s all part of the bold new plan hatched by the Crowns&#146; fearless leader Gnat to ensure the Crowns always have a steady supply of food and money. But no sooner is Duck apprenticed to the kindly local baker than her allegiances start to blur. Who is she really: a Crown or an apprentice baker? And who does she <i>want </i>to be? Meanwhile high above the streets of Odierne on the roof of the unfinished cathedral an old and ugly gargoyle grows weary of waiting to fulfil his own destiny to watch <i>and </i>protect. Told in alternating viewpoints this exquisite novel evokes a timeless tale of love self-discovery and what it means to be rescued.</p>