Title: The Dark Lady (Sherlock, Lupin & Me #1)
Author: Irene Adler
# of Pages: 240
Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
Publication Date: February 1st 2014
Source: NetGalley
Level: Middle Grade
Rating: 2 Hearts
Synopsis
While on summer vacation, little Irene Adler meets a young William Sherlock Holmes. The two share stories of pirates and have battles of wit while running wild on the sunny streets and rooftops. When Sherlock’s friend, Lupin, joins in on the fun, they all become fast friends. But the good times end abruptly when a dead body floats ashore on the nearby beach. The young detective trio will have to put all three of their heads together to solve this mystery.
My Verdict
I stumbled across this book when searching through NetGalley's available titles looking for something quite different. I've recently become obsessed with the BBC drama Sherlock and was very interested in this middle-grade mystery about a young Sherlock Holmes.
While this book is just being released in the US this February, it was originally an Italian title and part of a series that already has four books. The book is told from Irene Adler's point of view as she looks back at her childhood and the time her and Sherlock first met, one summer in the beach-side town of Saint-Malo. Unfortunately, the book lost my interest very early on. The "big" mystery was very slow paced which took away any potential suspense.
I wasn't impressed by the writing, it felt narrated rather than seen through the eyes of our protagonist, Irene. There was also an extreme over use of exclamation marks. It was as if everything that came out of Irene's mouth was super important! I began imaging that she didn't just speak, but rather yelled everything.
For a book about Sherlock Holmes I felt we hardly got to know him at all. He was quiet and mysterious, which I know are some of his famous character traits. I just wish he wasn't such a stranger to the reader.
Hopefully the target audience enjoys this book better than I did. As for me, I won't be carrying on with the series.
Bummer! It's always a shame when a book doesn't live up to expectations. It's hard to stay interested when you feel like an observer of the story instead of part of it.
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