T.K. Welsh

RESURRECTION MEN

RESURRECTION MEN is T.K. Welsh's second Young Adult (YA) novel, published by Dutton (Penguin) on April 19, 2007.

Publishers Weekly called RESURRECTION MEN, “A haunting tour of London's underclass during the 1830s...Welsh's visceral descriptions of industrial London are unflinching...Teens will likely be both captivated by Victor's harrowing story as well as his ability to prevail in the face of harsh injustices." The Thrushmetal Review said, "The action and pace is steady and quick, rarely pausing, and finishes in an unforgettable, movie-quality fight-to-the-death.” BIG A, little a called the novel, “A moody, evocative tale in which more than bodies are resurrected -- the souls of the primary characters are at stake as well. Welsh brings 19th-century London to life in all its horrors and brilliance and Victor is a hero worthy of the reader's attention...T.K. Welsh is fast becoming one of my favorite writers. His work transcends genre and audience classification.” VOYA said, "Welsh’s plot and writing style are reminiscent of Oliver Twist by Dickens but far more graphic. Teen readers will thoroughly enjoy the hair-raising suspense in this historical thriller." Kirkus Reviews called RESURRECTION MEN perfect for, “audiences that relish historical fiction...(A) lurid stomach-churner... strewn with corpses and gruesome relics." TeensReadToo termed it, “an intense, dark work of historical fiction that made me read every page intently to the end...T. K. Welsh’s rich vocabulary and detailed descriptions...transported me to the streets of London...I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction.” KLIATT, the Free Online Library, said, "Like M.T. Anderson's The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, this look at sinister events in history makes the era come alive and lingers in the memory." Jen Robinson's Book Page called the novel, “Gripping and fast-paced, filled with intriguing historical details...You can practically smell the smells, and feel the hair rising on the back of your neck, as you read this book. The ending is utterly satisfying and consistent. Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction." The Miss Rumphius Effect said, “T.K. Welsh, where have you been? I loved this book! Victor is a worthy protagonist, and one that is not easily forgotten once the book is finished. A wonderfully ghoulish story that captures the darkness of London in the mid-1800s. Pick it up and you'll find it hard to put down.” And School Library Journal said, “Part historical fiction and part adventure story, the novel brings excitement to Victorian England through an elaborate plot of body snatching, greed, and street life...Readers will be on the edge of their seats as they follow Victor from Italy to England as he seeks to solve mysteries and combat the rampant malevolence of the period.”

Inspired by the 1831 “Italian Boy” trial of body snatchers in London, England, RESURRECTION MEN is a spine-tingling murder mystery that pits a beggar boy named Victor against a nefarious group of Resurrection Men. In this tumultuous dark underworld, where a “fresh subject” can fetch as much as nine guineas -– the yearly salary of a working man -– Victor must risk his life to uncover the identity of the murderer who is at the heart of London’s furtive trade in human corpses.

RESURRECTION MEN has been chosen as a Junior Library Guild selection.

For a sample chapter of RESURRECTION MEN, click here.

To buy your copy, click here!

THE UNRESOLVED

THE UNRESOLVED is T.K. Welsh's first Young Adult (YA) novel, published by Dutton (Penguin) on August 17, 2006.

The Washington Post said, "Welsh writes with a precision and delicacy unusual for YA fiction."  School Library Journal said, "THE UNRESOLVED tells a remarkable story in a remarkable way."  Horn Book Magazine called THE UNRESOLVED, "A decidedly unconventional ghost story ... (and) a tightly wound novel."  Kirkus Reviews termed it, "A remarkable account."  Romantic Times said, "THE UNRESOLVED is a book you shouldn't pass up."  The Edge of the Forest said, "It may be the most beautifully written novel I've read this year."  All About the Book said, "THE UNRESOLVED is a great one. Mallory is the most well-developed ghostly character I've seen in a long, long time."  Midwest Book Review called THE UNRESOLVED, "a wonderfully different kind of ghost story."  And Bookslut.com said, "THE UNRESOLVED scores on several levels, most notably as a drama that blows apart all preconceived notions of how history can be retold."

Ghost meets Titanic -- For Teens
Inspired by the tragic events of 9/11, THE UNRESOLVED reaches back into history to explore what was, until recently, the greatest disaster in New York City history. At once a ghost story, a courtroom drama, an examination of immigrant life, and a tale of love, redemption and revenge, THE UNRESOLVED dramatizes how a single life – and death – can have a powerful influence on history.

Using the convention of a spirit unable to rest until its death is avenged, THE UNRESOLVED is a decidedly unconventional ghost story about New York’s General Slocum steamboat disaster of 1904. Fifteen-year-old Mallory Meer is one of some 1,300 pleasure-seekers -- mostly German Lutherans on a church outing -- on the Slocum; another passenger is Dustin Brauer, the sixteen-year-old Jewish boy she fancies. A quick “first kiss” down below decks is followed by a fire sparked by a carelessly flicked cigarette, which leads to the burning or drowning of over one thousand passengers, and the foundering of the ship. Mallory herself speaks to the reader from death, her spirit flitting from the official inquest into the disaster to the informal, parallel trial held in Kleindeutchland, Manhattan’s Little Germany, which seeks to hold Dustin responsible.

Ranked one of the Top Ten Children's Books of 2006 by the Washington Post, THE UNRESOLVED was recently nominated for a Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) 2007 Teens' Top Ten, the only book award recommended and awarded solely by teens.  The novel was previously named a 2007 Association of Jewish Libraries Notable Book for Teens by the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, which recognized only six works in Jewish teen literature last year.  THE UNRESOLVED was also nominated for the 2006 Cybils literary awards, and for the 2007 Best Books for Young Adults (BBYA) by the American Library Association.  It's currently featured as one of the Best Teen Books of the year 2006 at BarnesAndNoble.com.

To read (or print) a sample chapter of THE UNRESOLVED, click here.

To buy your copy, click here.