Lane, Andrew. Knife
Edge (Sherlock Holmes: The Legend Begins). 307 pages.
Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2013.
$18.99. Language: G. Sexual Content: G. Violence: PG.
Sherlock Holmes is returning from being shanghaied in Snake Bite, his brother Mycroft meets
him in Ireland. Mycroft wants Sherlock to
accompany him to a castle where a spiritualist is selling his skills to the
highest bidder. The castle’s owner, Sir
Shadrach Quintillan, has a beautiful daughter named Niamh. Niamh tells Sherlock
about the Dark Beast-a mysterious creature that kills people. A servant girl is found dead and Sherlock is
determined to discover the truth about the spiritualist and who or what the
Dark Beast is. The stakes are raised
when his brother Mycroft is injured and his old tutor and his daughter Virginia
arrive.
Author Lane turns tradition on itself by having the butler
and footmen all be female. Sir Shadrach
and his daughter were from the Caribbean which was a nice change too. Sherlock is an engaging character that you
can’t help but root for. His character
continues to develop (as do his detecting skills!). I was a little disappointed in the mystery
plot aspect. Like Sherlock, I never
believed there really was a Dark Beast or that the spiritualist was
genuine. Sherlock explains the hoaxes,
but I missed be caught up in an exciting mystery. The end seemed obvious rather than
exciting. Still, the series overall is excellent and will appeal to both boys and girls.
MS/HS-ADVISABLE.
Samantha Hastings, MA, MLS.
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