Review: Death Cloud by Andrew Lane
Posted by childofthehive | Filed under Adventure books, Book Reviews
Death Cloud by Andrew Lane is written with the permission of the Conan Doyle Estate Ltd and tells of the early life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous character, Sherlock Holmes. This novel is the first of a series telling of Sherlock’s teenage years and how he came to develop the keen mind and detective skills which are demonstrated in the original stories. This book is a fast-paced adventure aimed at teenagers and needs no background knowledge of Sherlock Holmes to be enjoyed. Andrew Lane has tackled the challenging task of creating a series which is consistent enough to the original to appeal to fans, while remaining accessible to those who haven’t read the stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I can’t speak yet for the other books in his series, but this one certainly meets that goal.
In Death Cloud, young Sherlock is told that he can’t go home from boarding school for the summer holidays but must go stay with an aunt and uncle. While there, he befriends the independent Matty Arnatt, who recently saw a strange black cloud that was somehow connected with a death. Sherlock is informed that he is to have a tutor, Amyus Crowe, a cheerful man determined to teach Sherlock how to think. When they find a second dead body, Sherlock’s curiosity is peaked and he is determined to unravel the mystery behind the two deaths and the strange, black cloud.
Together with Matty, Crowe and Crowe’s daughter Virginia, Sherlock begins to uncover the facts and come to face with the man behind the deaths, whose plot could spell disaster for Britain. The story is written much more in the style of an adventure or thriller than a standard murder mystery. The tension is kept throughout not so much to find out who was behind the deaths but how, why and, more importantly, how to stop him. The mystery, combined with a sense of danger, keeps you turning the pages to find out what happens next. There were a couple of not quite believable escapes, but that’s all part of a fun adventure.
Altogether, the book is an action-packed tale that gives a bit of insight into a beloved fictional character. The supporting characters are interesting and believable. The mystery is very cleverly constructed and the adventure is maintained throughout. I would recommend this book, regardless of whether you know anything about Sherlock Holmes. I’ll certainly be looking out for the other books in this series to see how young Sherlock continues with his second mystery.
Tags: adventure, Andrew Lane, books, review, Sherlock Holmes
One Response
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Georgann Trokey Says:
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