I’m a fan of Sherlock Holmes. Through the years I’ve come across many versions and spin-offs of the original books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and I’ve enjoyed them all. Here is yet another:
Sherlock, Lupin, and Me: The Dark Lady, written by Irene Adler.
Actually, the authors are Pierdomenico Baccalario and Alessandro Gatti. The book was originally published in 2011 in Italy, then translated to English by Chris Turner and published in 2014. The book is full of gorgeous black and white drawings by Iacopo Bruno.
In this series, the young Sherlock Holmes, Arsène Lupin and Irene Adler meet during a vacation to Saint-Malo in the summer of 1870 and become close friends. When a dead body washes ashore, they set out to solve the mystery.
I had fun getting to know the three young detectives. I loved having Irene as the narrator. She ignores her mother’s pleas to be a proper young lady. Instead she is climbing through windows, running on rooftops, and generally having a wild, wonderful time with her new friends. She hints at things that she will learn later, truths that will disrupt her carefree attitude. Horatio Nelson, the family butler, has more personality than the usual butler, and he helps Irene when he can.
I really enjoyed this book, and I look forward to reading the other books in the series.
5 stars.
Mystery, Middle Grade
Carol Nicolas 