The year is 1868, and Sherlock Holmes is fourteen. His life is that of a perfectly ordinary army officer’s son: boarding school, good manners, a classical education – the backbone of the British Empire. But all that is about to change. With his father suddenly posted to India, and his mother mysteriously ‘unwell’, Sherlock is sent to stay with his eccentric uncle and aunt in their vast house in Hampshire. So begins a summer that leads Sherlock to uncover his first murder, a kidnap, corruption and a brilliantly sinister villain of exquisitely malign intent . . .
The Death Cloud is the first in a series of novels in which the iconic detective is reimagined as a brilliant, troubled and engaging teenager – creating unputdownable detective adventures that remain true to the spirit of the original books.
Death Cloud
was an enjoyable read and would particularly capture the attention of ten to fourteen year old boys. In some ways it very much reminded me of the Alex Rider books, although with less gadgets lol, so fans of that series and similar books would like this one.The cast of characters were likable, I think my favourite was probably Matty, who is taking on the role of Sherlock's side-kick. The two make a good duo, with Sherlock being the thinker and puzzle solver and Matty being the tough, street-wise kid. There's also potential love interest in Virginia, although no doubt as with most 'boys' books this won't be a large part of the plots - this is actually the reason why I like to have a change and read this kind of book.
A good start to the series, I will definitely be making time to read any future Young Sherlock Holmes books.
