Fire Storm by Andrew Lane - Review

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I adore Sherlock Holmes and anything S.H. related, so of course I had to read at least one book from this series. After coming off of Mrs Hudson's Diaries: A View from the Landing at 221b, my expectations weren't all that high, but I did have some hope since this series has been endorsed by the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Estate. I ended up being pleasantly surprised by the story.

Virginia and her father, fourteen-year-old Sherlock's tutor, have disappeared. Their house is empty and the neighbors claim never to have heard of them. Sherlock begins to doubt his own mind when he discovers a lead that takes him to Scotland. In Scotland waits a web of mystery and deceit that only a mind like Sherlock's can unravel.

I'll admit I was a bit confused starting the series with book four (partly why I gave it four stars), especially since the reader is dropped right into the middle of the action. However, I loved the characters, or at least what I've learned of them from this point, especially Sherlock. Just in the course of this book I could see him begin to develop into the character he becomes, but he is still quite different from the Sherlock we know. Like other reviewers, I agree that the presentation of his character here reminds me a good deal of Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl and I like that comparison.

Another reason I knocked the rating down is because it feels fragmented. The opening section with Mrs. Eglantine, his uncle, and Harkness could have been a part of another book and I was actually kind of surprised that there was so much more to come.

Finally, I loved every reference to adult Sherlock's life. If you're a fan of Sherlock Holmes in any way, check out this series, but you'll probably want to start with book one just like I plan to do.




I listened to this on playaway from September 1 - 3, 2014 and my review is also on Goodreads.