Young Sherlock Holmes Fire Storm by Andrew Lane

Fire Storm by Andy Lane
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - on and off over 5 days

Pages - 345

Publisher - MacMillan Childrens Books

Blurb from Goodreads

Sherlock 14 finds the house empty, his tutor Crowe and daughter Ginny vanished. When a clue points to Scotland, he brings along pal Matty. Villain Bryce Scobel follows, hunts the hunters.


My Review

So this is book four I believe in a series, I didn't know that when I bought it. I just noticed the cover and HAD to buy it, the yellow is actually gold and has a shine and that skull is both magnificent and sinister. I never used to comment on or bother with covers but of late they do seem to catch my eye and this one absolutely jumps off the shelf. So young Sherlock is just a teenager, he has already been mixed up in a few adventures and these are referred to in this tale so I don't think we are missing too much by starting here. Sherlock's tutor and his daughter have left in haste, Sherlock knows there is more to it and looks for clues around the abandoned home. He finds himself off to Scotland with his friend, the bad guys are hot on their tale and once again Sherlock has to use his wits to get him and his friends out of trouble.

I have never read this author before and never really thoughts about Sherlock Holmes as a kid. We watched the programme with Benedict Cumberbatch and the movies with Robert Downey Junior. I have Cumberbatch in mind when I read this young Holmes. He is super smart and really sharp for his age whilst just a little bit socially awkward that you can see become the character portrayed in the show.

Whilst this is aimed at a younger audience, it has enough action and darkness to be enjoyed by the mature reader. There is violence and some animal death is mentioned which may be uncomfortable for some readers. Otherwise we have a daring tale of bravery, righteousness and friendship, Holmes is such a loyal wee chap and just goes about solving puzzles & cases singularly focused on the job at hand. Some of the clues I would never have got in a million years but it is enjoyable seeing how his mind connects the dots and pulls it all together. This is my first dance with this author and I will definitely be reading more by him, I may well seek out the earlier books in this series and those that follow, 3.5 for me this time.

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