Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher

Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher by J.G. Sandom
Print Length: 234 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 145385875X
Publisher: Cornucopia Press; 2 edition (September 28, 2010)
Publication Date: September 28, 2010
Language: English
ASIN: B0044XV8W8

(formerly Resurrection Men, Dutton/Penguin, published under pen name T.K. Welsh)

Oliver Twistmeets Taken

London in the 1830s is a Dickensian freak show. Medical scholars are desperate for dead bodies to use in the study of human anatomy. Body snatchers, known as Resurrection Men, steal corpses from fresh graves, or even pose as relatives to the dying poor in order to claim their bodies and sell them to researchers.

After his parents are killed right in front of him, 12 year old Victor, from Modena, Italy, is sold as a cabin boy. His leg is shattered in a terrible fall on a ship and he is tossed overboard. Amazingly, Victor makes it to the coast of Britain where he is rescued by an elderly man who helps him learn English and nurses him back to health . . . only to sell him to Resurrection Men Tipple and Biggs.

The men bring Victor to London, where he joins a guild of beggars and befriends fellow outcasts Nico and Rebecca. Together, the children help each other beg, borrow and steal in order to survive.

Publishers Weekly called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher, “A haunting tour of London’s underclass during the 1830s . . . Teens will likely be both captivated by Victor’s harrowing story as well as his ability to prevail in the face of harsh injustices.”

Victor’s fortune changes when a kind physician, Dr. Thomas Quigley, takes an interest in him. He moves in with Dr. Quigley and becomes his apprentice. But Victor is unable to forget Rebecca and Nico.

As Victor attends an autopsy with Dr. Quigley, he is shocked to see his friend Nico on the table under the knife. Victor’s search to find out what happened to Nico eventually leads him to the greatest danger he’s ever faced. Someone is kidnapping and infecting street children with cholera in illegal medical experiments . . . and now Rebecca is missing.

To find and rescue her, Victor must uncover the identity of the ghoulish murderer at the heart of London’s furtive trade in human trafficking.

They killed his best friend. They kidnapped the girl that he loves. Now, there’s only one thing worse than their finding him . . . and that’s his finding them first.

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[Possible Cast Ideas: Owen Best, Preston Bailey, Andrew Astor, Josh Feldman.]