Smith

An excellent dramatization of Leon Garfield's book about an 18th century pickpocket. Smith robs an elderly gentleman, and minutes later the gentleman is murdered. Smith realizes that the murderers are looking for the document that he just filched from the old gentleman. He knows the document must be valuable - but unfortunately he can't read. Neither can his two sisters, who make a living altering clothes from hanged felons, though one helpfully suggests that a word that 'looks like a nest of maggots' is 'felonious'. So Smith is on the lookout for someone who can read his document, while trying to evade the people who want to get their hands on it. This is a thrilling story with some wonderful characters - Smith's two sisters are particularly amusing, and there is an entertaining performance from Windsor Davies as the singing jailer of Newgate prison. 18th century London is convincingly evoked. Great fun for anyone who enjoys historical adventure stories with good characters and plenty of humour.