The Ruby in the Smoke

by Phillip Pullman

Sally Lockhart is a 16-year-old girl in Victorian London whose father was recently killed in a sinking ship while away on business. He sold his share of his business before leaving, leaving Sally with very little of what she thought she’d have coming. A note from a man with her father shortly before he died sends Sally on a quest, racing against an evil woman and the man responsible for her father’s death.

I quite enjoyed this book, the first I’ve read by Pullman, and am looking forward to reading the other books in the series.