B-Rate Sherlock
Summer reading continues! This one wasn't as good as I had hoped, however. But it was good enough to occupy me on a long car ride! Lock & Mori by Heather W. Petty was yet another Sherlock tale, but with some significant twists (that didn't always work the way I hoped).
In this new version of the classic crime solver, instead of teaming up with Watson, Sherlock bonds with a girl named Mori- short for Moriarty. Mori is our narrator. Her mother has died from cancer and her dad, a Detective Sergeant in London, is nearly crazed with grief, even going so far as to start abusing Mori and her brothers. Then Mori meets Sherlock. He's odd and off the beaten path and somehow knows all about her from a glance. He also happens to be the guy that always stands in the same bandstand as her in Regent's Park, though they never realized it until they met in school. When the father of a schoolfellow is murdered in the park, "Lock" and Mori can't help but investigate. Lock challenges Mori to a game, the two of them competing to solve the crime first. The only rule: they must share all evidence they find with the other. Slowly, they uncover clues that lead them to believe that this murder is simply the most recent in a string of killings in Regent's Park in the last six months. Could there be a serial killer on the loose? And while Mori struggles with her growing feelings for Sherlock, she also has to contend with the rapidly increasing tension at home, as well as unsettling clues about the murders that seem to point to a killer that could change Mori's life forever.
Usually, I'm a big fan of Sherlock retellings. This one was not a hit for me. And I'm not saying that this one was an epic fail. The basic murder mystery plot was good, with lots of twists and surprises that kept me solving right along with Mori and Lock. My biggest concern was Mori herself. She narrates the story in the first person, so we see her thoughts and reactions firsthand. I just didn't think Mori was a likeable narrator, nor was she a reliable character. At times in the story, her actions came out of nowhere and left me a bit confused by her character development. I couldn't understand where Petty was taking her, whether she was destined to be a classic Moriarty or she was going to buck the trend and walk a righteous path. Her motivations were messy and clouded. Sherlock was actually a much more likeable character than he is usually portrayed. He had a heart for once.
Don't let my negative points fool you- I really did enjoy 85% of this book. However, those last 15% are important. I still recommend this book, but be prepared to end it a little frustrated and confused.
I thought I'd start a proper review system! I'm going to give certain characteristics and the book overall a "grade". Future teacher problems! Here we go:
Characters: B-/B+ (Mori/Lock)
Plot: B+
Book Overall: B
In this new version of the classic crime solver, instead of teaming up with Watson, Sherlock bonds with a girl named Mori- short for Moriarty. Mori is our narrator. Her mother has died from cancer and her dad, a Detective Sergeant in London, is nearly crazed with grief, even going so far as to start abusing Mori and her brothers. Then Mori meets Sherlock. He's odd and off the beaten path and somehow knows all about her from a glance. He also happens to be the guy that always stands in the same bandstand as her in Regent's Park, though they never realized it until they met in school. When the father of a schoolfellow is murdered in the park, "Lock" and Mori can't help but investigate. Lock challenges Mori to a game, the two of them competing to solve the crime first. The only rule: they must share all evidence they find with the other. Slowly, they uncover clues that lead them to believe that this murder is simply the most recent in a string of killings in Regent's Park in the last six months. Could there be a serial killer on the loose? And while Mori struggles with her growing feelings for Sherlock, she also has to contend with the rapidly increasing tension at home, as well as unsettling clues about the murders that seem to point to a killer that could change Mori's life forever.
Usually, I'm a big fan of Sherlock retellings. This one was not a hit for me. And I'm not saying that this one was an epic fail. The basic murder mystery plot was good, with lots of twists and surprises that kept me solving right along with Mori and Lock. My biggest concern was Mori herself. She narrates the story in the first person, so we see her thoughts and reactions firsthand. I just didn't think Mori was a likeable narrator, nor was she a reliable character. At times in the story, her actions came out of nowhere and left me a bit confused by her character development. I couldn't understand where Petty was taking her, whether she was destined to be a classic Moriarty or she was going to buck the trend and walk a righteous path. Her motivations were messy and clouded. Sherlock was actually a much more likeable character than he is usually portrayed. He had a heart for once.
Don't let my negative points fool you- I really did enjoy 85% of this book. However, those last 15% are important. I still recommend this book, but be prepared to end it a little frustrated and confused.
I thought I'd start a proper review system! I'm going to give certain characteristics and the book overall a "grade". Future teacher problems! Here we go:
Characters: B-/B+ (Mori/Lock)
Plot: B+
Book Overall: B
(picture courtesy of goodreads.com)
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