Recurrent themes in Leon Garfield's novels include the act of searching, and the ambiguity of appearance and reality or of good and evil. Often these themes are interwoven. Adolescent heroes must determine whether the person or situation they confront is genuine or deceptive. In Jack Holborn, the title character is confronted with twin brothers, each of whose identity and genuineness is open to question. In Devil-in-the-Fog, a young hero again faces confusion between two brothers.

Smith involves its young pickpocket hero in a quest to understand a document he has stolen. Both Black Jack and Footsteps involve a search for individual identity and for true, unchanging values in a changing world. The Apprentices, a series of short novels, explores the master-apprentice relationship, with young people finding a variety of guides in their struggles to reach adulthood.

The Sound of Coaches portrays both a literal...