Book excerpt: A criminal becomes a secret agent for Sir John Fielding and his Bow Street Runners in this historical novel set in eighteenth century London. At the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, London is a place of rapid expansion, population growth, and waves of crime like the city has never scene. The blind magistrate, Sir John Fielding, otherwise known as “The Blind Beak,” has instigated a new law enforcement organization, the Bow Street Runners, to combat the rise of criminals. Londoner Nick Rathburn is a man of a mysterious birth, who finds his luck coming and going throughout his life. A petty thief, he manages to fight his way out of Newgate Gaol and by some twist of fate, becomes a secret agent for The Blind Beak himself. Meanwhile, as protests against the Catholic Church devolve into the infamous Gordon riots, and Sir John finds himself caught amidst the terrorizing mob, Nick faces death on the gallows at Tyburn . . .