Review: Sherlock, Lupin, & Me: The Dark Lady by Irene Adler

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. (from the online description)

Review: As a Sherlock junky, I excitedly picked this up when I found it at a used bookshop. Sadly, it was trite, boring, and not well researched.

The story plodded on and on, with all the action happening in the last chapter. It took forever to get to some of the clues and then – bam! – all the mystery solved in about three pages. And it was easy – no big reveal, no unmasking the culprit, just a very, “oh and, you’re the bad guy.” The mystery itself (who killed the dead guy) was boring and I honestly wasn’t very interested in the outcome.

In addition, the characters often used modern slang or syntax; there was a lack of attention to historical details or the social conventions of the time, and even the correct food! It was frustrating to someone who values historical accuracy in a novel.

If you are looking for mystery stories for kids, this is not the book for you. There are far better ones out there. 

Bookmarks: 2.5 of 5

Awards: None

ISBN: 978-1-4342-6526-5
Year Published: 2011 (2014 in English)
Date Finished: 5-25-2017
Pages: 238