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Young Adult Fiction Mysteries & Detective Stories

The Secret Fiend

The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His Fourth Case

by (author) Shane Peacock

Publisher
Tundra
Initial publish date
Aug 2012
Category
Mysteries & Detective Stories, Law & Crime, General
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781770493858
    Publish Date
    Aug 2012
    List Price
    $14.99

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Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels

  • Age: 12 to 18
  • Grade: 7 to 12

Description

It is 1868, the week that Benjamin Disraeli becomes Prime Minister of the Empire. Sherlock's beautiful but poor admirer, Beatrice, the hatter's daughter, appears at the door late at night. She is terrified, claiming that she and her friend have just been attacked by the Spring Heeled Jack on Westminster Bridge and the fiend has made off with her friend. At first Sherlock thinks Beatrice simply wants his attention, and he is reluctant to go back to detective work. He also believes that the Jack everyone fears is a fictional figure. But soon he is suspicious of various individuals, several of them close friends.

Set at a time when many in England were in a state of fear because a Jew was running the country, Shane Peacock presents a compelling story filled with an atmosphere of paranoia and secrets and surprises played out on late-night London streets. Sherlock gets drawn deeper and deeper into the pursuit of the Spring Heeled Jack, whose attacks grow in number until it seems that there are Jacks everywhere.

The Secret Fiend is the fourth book in Shane Peacock's award-winning Boy Sherlock Holmes series, combining brilliant storytelling with fascinating historical detail and a mystery worthy of one of the greatest sleuths in English literature.

About the author

Shane Peacock is a novelist, playwright, journalist, and television screenwriter. His first book was a biography of the spectacular Canadian personality “The Great Farini,” his plays have been produced by the acclaimed 4th Line Theatre, and his documentaries have included Team Spirit, aired on the CTV national network. His best-selling series for young adults, The Boy Sherlock Holmes, has been published in ten countries in twelve languages and has found its way onto more than forty shortlists. It won, among other honors, the prestigious Violet Downey Award, The Arthur Ellis Award for crime fiction, the Ruth & Sylvia Schwartz Award, a Moonbeam Children’s Book Award Gold Medal, the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction and The Libris Award. Each novel was also named a Junior Library Guild of America Premier Selection. The Ottawa Citizen said of the series, “More than just right, dazzlingly right for teen readers, is a new series by Ontario writer Shane Peacock. The vitality of Peacock’s creation of Sherlock is so inspired it feels like the writer is possessed, channeling Sherlock’s spirit.”

Shane Peacock's profile page

Editorial Reviews

"This novel is written for the young adult, but adult readers will also find it satisfying.... The fast-paced adventure is a treat."
-- The Globe and Mail

Librarian Reviews

The Secret Fiend (The Boy Sherlock Holmes)

It’s 1868, and Benjamin Disraeli has just become Prime Minister of England. Sherlock’s admirer and former schoolmate, Beatrice, appears at his door late one night, claiming that she and her friend have just been attacked by a maniacal, bat-like man. Reluctant to get involved at first, when the attacks increase, the boy detective is thrust into yet another mystery in which even his mentor is suspect. Book Four in the series.

Source: The Canadian Children’s Book Centre. Best Books for Kids & Teens. 2011.

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