Death Cloud

Death Cloud
By Andy Lane
Macmillan, 2011. 6 CDs (approx. 7 hours). Middle Grade/teen fiction

Sherlock Holmes has to spend his school holiday living with an aunt and uncle he's never met before, and he isn't excited about the prospect. However, once there, things turn out to be more interesting than he'd thought. Two people die from what is suspected to be a plague, but there are some facts that just don't add up, such as why both bodies seemed to have a mysterious cloud float away from them after the death. As Sherlock, his friend Matty and his tutor Amyus Crowe, set out to figure out what is going on, Sherlock finds that he just might be the next one to be killed off.

I liked this young Sherlock Holmes book; watching Sherlock's process of using logic and finding facts to form conclusions was intriguing. I think the plot might appeal to younger readers, but at the same time, Sherlock's interest in Amyus Crowe's daughter (particularly when he's checking out her body, in her tight riding britches and shirt), might have some parents of younger readers objecting to the content. I very much enjoyed the audio version; the reader was good both in voice and in pace.

4 stars.