‘Robert Dinsdale mixes history and mythology with great panache . . . Richly textured and with an appropriately labyrinthine plot . . . Book of the Month’ - The Sunday Times Some villains are meant to be heroes . . . London, 1861: Ten-year-old Nell belongs to a crew of mudlarks who work a stretch of the Thames along the Ratcliffe Highway. An orphan since her mother died, leaving Nell with only broken dreams and a pair of satin slippers, she spends her days searching for treasure in the mud in order to appease her master, Benjamin Murdstone. But one day, Nell discovers a strange body on the shore. Nearly seven feet tall, the creature has matted hair covering his legs, and on his head is the suggestion of horns. Nell's fellow mudlarks urge her to steal what she can, but as she ventures closer the figure draws breath – and Nell is forced to make a decision that will change her life for ever . . . From the critically acclaimed author of The Toymakers comes an imaginative retelling of the legend of the Minotaur, perfect for lovers of historical fiction with a mythical twist such as Stone Blind and Circe. Praise for Once a Monster: ‘A wonderful magic trick of a story, full of very human monsters and monstrous humans. Dinsdale is a beautiful, evocative story teller’ – Stuart Turton, bestselling author of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle ‘Imaginative mash-up of the mythical with Victorian gothic’ – The Times ‘Historical writing at its finest’ - Essie Fox, bestselling author of The Fascination