Death Cloud by Andrew Lane -- ESSENTIAL

Lane, Andrew. Death Cloud, 306 pgs. Farrar Straus Giroux, 2011. $16.99. Sexual Content-G; Language-G; Violence: PG-13. How did Sherlock Holmes become the most world renowned detective? Author Andrew Lane explores Sherlock’s teenage years and the people who influenced him. Fourteen-year-old Sherlock is disappointed that he doesn’t get to go home for the holidays, instead his brother Mycroft has arranged for him to stay with relatives and a tutor. Sherlock doesn’t look forward to continuing his studies until he meets the American tutor Amyus Crowe who not only knows the classics, but is an expert in tracking—people. Their first lesson they discover a dead body with a face covered in bloody boils and a suspicious yellow powder. Sherlock is determined to find out what happened and stumbles across a unique villain with a plot that could affect all of the British Empire. The pacing and characterization is excellent. The twists and turns of the plot keep the reader guessing, a great mystery for both boys and girls. MS/HS – ESSENTIAL. Samantha, Public Librarian.