It's the smoggy, gas-lit London of the 1880s. And three young men-Desborough, Challoner and Somerset-are bored stiff. So this trio make a pact. They'll alleviate their listlessness by seeking out adventures wherever they can. These adventures form "The Dynamiter", a collection of loosely inter-connected stories, which features everything from violent Mormons to ghostly mansions. Veering from suspense to comedy, it's a fun and light read. And for Stevenson fans, an interesting curio because it's his only book written in collaboration with his wife, Fanny van de Grift Stevenson

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