Y12: Charley Cross and the London Dead

Title: Charley Cross and the London Dead
Genre: YA historical thriller
Word Count: 76,000

When the eccentric inventor she works for goes missing, fifteen-year-old Charley Cross becomes lost in the underworld of Victorian London with only her street-rat friend Jack to help her fight an army of undead pursuers.

The explosion wasn't large, not in terms of explosions, but it rocked the house in Bayswater Road, making the chandeliers swing and plaster dust fall in the drawing room. Charley was on the stairs when it happened, carrying a silver tray laden with Grandmother Coghill's breakfast from the ground floor to the old woman's bedroom on the first. The noise and rumble put her off balance, and she had to lean against the wall to prevent her dropping the tray entirely. As it was, the worst was a clatter and splash as the teapot slid into the toast rack. Charley continued up the stairs with a nervous glance over her shoulder at the smoke trickling out from under the basement door, where Professor Coghill kept his workshop.

On her way back down the stairs, Charley was surprised again when the door to the basement slammed open, revealing her employer, Zachary Coghill, framed in smoke and shadow.