Friday 13 May 2011

Book Review - Red Leech

Title: Red Leech
Author: Andrew Lane
Series: Young Sherlock Holmes (book 2)
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
Release Date: 5 Nov 2010
ISBN-13: 978-0330511995

Synopsis
Sherlock knows that Amyus Crow, his mysterious American tutor, has some dark secrets. But he didn't expect to find a notorious killer, hanged by the US government, apparently alive and well in Surrey - and Crow somehow mixed up in it. When no one will tell you the truth, sometimes you have to risk all to discover it for yourself. And so begins an adventure that will take Sherlock across the ocean to America, to the centre of a deadly web - where life and death are cheap, and truth has a price no sane person would pay . . .

My Review
I actually finished this first thing this morning, but because Blogger was down (grrr, thanks for the warning! Not, was I the only one that didn't know about the down time or was it a surprise to everyone?) Anyway, as I say I finished this book this morning and have read half of another since so will have to think about this review, try to remember everything I wanted to say.
Sherlock Holmes is still at his Aunt and Uncle's house and it looks like he will be there for the rest of summer, but spending his time with Amyus Crowe, his tutor helps to pass the time, but when Sherlock's brother drops in with news of a plot concerning an assassin who is supposedly dead, things start to get interesting and Sherlock, Virginia and Crowe are all whisked away to America to help solve the case, and rescue Matty at the same time.
Once again Sherlock ends up in all sorts of trouble and his skills are put to the test, he's got a lot to learn but he's a willing student. On the boat to America he meets many great characters, foils a murder plot and picks up a Violin for the first time, it was very well done and once again showed more of where Holmes gets some of his quirks from in later life.
As with the first book I found the book really easy to read and I was hooked into it, It's full of action, drama, clever plot and great characters and I did overall enjoy it, but again I found the villain a bit disappointing, he didn't seem too menacing to me and the thing with the leech was just gross, had me squirming in my chair (but I think this may have been the desired response) but he was an improvement on the bad guy from book one so overall it was better.
My one niggle was that the blurb on the back of my book said something about a dangerous plot and Sherlock's brother possibly being involved, and so I kept waiting for him to spring up somewhere and be found to have done something wrong or helped the villain, but apart from delivering the message about the plot at the beginning of the book he didn't appear again, and part of me wanted Mycroft to turn out bad,(although the other part of me waws glad he didn't) but I was still slightly disappointed.
Overall though another very enjoyable read, well researched and action packed. Very enjoyable and fast paced.


My Rating
I would give this book 8/10 an exciting read that whisks you back to another time.

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