Death Cloud by Andrew Lane
Review by Lizzie Meade
Genre: historical fiction, mystery, retelling
Rating: 2/4 stars
Sherlock Holmes, at the age of 14, is on a school break. He is being tutored by an interesting American man who is very knowledgeable on a number of things, and they end up discovering a mysterious chain of events during his studies.
Teen fans of the BBC show “Sherlock” would probably enjoy this book, because it portrays the famous detective as a beginner who is their age while still keeping with some basic elements of his character. Although it is slow at times, readers who enjoy clever explanations of deductions, historical context, and some interesting side characters will find it worth the read. Another thing to keep in mind is that it is the first in a series, and as somebody who has read the second and third books, I found them a lot faster to read and more interesting. This book is somewhat necessary to understand how the story starts, though. The characterization also greatly improves over the course of the series, as all the characters learn more and Sherlock becomes a lot more recognizable to current fans. Fans of Alex Rider, the STORM books, and the 39 Clues series will also enjoy the action scenes, which, while somewhat out of character for Sherlock Holmes, keep the book moving. All in all, I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in a mix of action and deductive reasoning.