In a lively wayside tavern, local men gather to drink and exchange gossip, while a long-buried murder from a nearby mansion looms over the community. Enter Barnaby Rudge, a lovable yet simple-minded young man whose good nature draws people to him, even as his gullibility makes him a target for the unscrupulous. As he navigates a world filled with a talkative black raven, a London locksmith and his family, a man seemingly returned from the dead, an overly enthusiastic hangman, an anti-Catholic lord, a violent mob, and the British Militia, Barnaby’s journey raises the question can he escape the clutches of those who would exploit him? Dickens masterfully blends humor with horror in this captivating tale inspired by the no-popery Gordon riots of 1780. And if the raven sounds familiar, its because he served as the inspiration for Edgar Allan Poe’s iconic poem, “The Raven.” (Summary by Debra Lynn)