A House to Let

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"Advised by her doctor to have a change of scene, the elderly Sophonisba moves from her home to take up lodgings in London. Immediately intrigued by the permanently vacant 'house to let' opposite, she charges Trottle - her trusted, yet philandering, servant - and long-time suitor Jabez Jarber, to unearth the secret behind its seeming desertedness. Rivals to the end, they each seek to outdo the other to satisfy the old lady's curiosity. Whilst Jarber turns his attentions to the histories of the house's former occupants, Trottle discovers a surprising link between the house to let and Sophonisba herself. However, it is only after repeated false starts - and by way of elaborate tales of lost men at sea, circus performers, and forged death certificates - that they happen upon the most unexpected truth." "Compiled by Charles Dickens and counting Elizabeth Gaskell and Wilkie Collins among its contributors, A House to Let is a composite tale of mystery and intrigue set amid the dark streets of Victorian London, and a remarkable testament to the storytelling powers of some of literature's finest writers."--Jacket