Customer Reviews

Vanishing Girl: The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His Third Case

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This was a great book, I couldn't put it down. This book inspired me to read not only the rest of the series, but to also take on the true Sherlock Holmes series.

This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
There are a couple of different ways to look at this book. The first is imagine that the main character, Sherlock Holmes, is actually named something else entirely. In which case the book is a decent detective story with mildly interesting characters. There are a couple of plot holes and rather lengthy passages that seemingly have nothing to do with the plot of the story, but overall is fairly easy to follow. The major drawback is that its a book in a series and you're introduced to characters and have mentions of other plots thrown at you, but no clue as to the real relationship they have with the characters.

Reading the book as a Sherlock Holmes story, is a bit different. All of the above remain true, but there are other exasperating questions thrown in, the details of which seem to have been pulled from no where in the Sherlock chronology. For example, at a few different points in the story the insult of "Jew boy" is thrown out and "half breed". There's no explanation given in this novel as to why those are the insults of choice, but even more exasperating to a fan of the Holmes mythology is...why is he referred to as Jewish? Basically all this character has in common with Sherlock Holmes is the name and heightened powers of deduction.

In short, if you're a fan of Sherlock Holmes avoid the book. If you're looking for just a mystery to read and don't really care about Sherlock Holmes then the book isn't terrible.

It is quickly apparent why Peacock's works have won him several awards. Vanishing Girl is the third in a young adult series establishing Sherlock Holmes' detective career and prowess. I had not read the first two when I received this book. Although it would have added a little bit of clarity to the past referenced throughout, it is certainly not necessary to have read the other books before enjoying the third.

In Vanishing Girl, Holmes attempts to beat Scotland Yard to the solution of the kidnapping and burglary crimes. In the process of discovering the answers and solving the riddles, Holmes learns more about himself as a young man, as a friend, and as a detective. He employs many of the technical skills he has begun to learn to solve the crimes, but the real reward arrives when he learns what kind of person he will choose to be.

Peacock weaves a believable and solvable mystery around a great story of a young man with a troubled past and a complicated future. I was drawn into the mystery and its facets, but I was even more taken by Holmes, his guardian Bell, his friend Irene, and all of the minor characters that plotted the story. I look forward to reading more of the books in this series.

Highly recommended for all young adult readers, mystery readers, and Holmes fans.

Reason for Reading: Next in the series.

This third entry into the series is not as dark or scary as the previous two and there are no dead bodies this time either but this mystery involving kidnapping and robbery is very clever and full of twists. Irene is back on the scene after an absence in the last book and is a welcome return. All the regular characters, including the new Mr. Bell, are also assembled and while of course there are some new characters involved in the plot the character development is all saved for the regulars.

A spoilt rich girl just home from three years in India, daughter of a Lord in politics, in kidnapped. A few months go by without a single word or trace of her then suddenly an anonymous tip tells of her location and she is rescued but the culprits have escaped. The family retires to the country to relax and immediately their home in the city is robbed, not just robbed but almost totally emptied of its contents and days later the daughter is caught again. Sherlock has been on the case from the beginning and has clues that have sent him the wrong direction. But not only does he have to solve this crime for his own pride before the police, there is also a little boy's life at stake that Irene is desperate to save and finding the missing girl is crucial.

Another page-turning, exciting mystery that I've come to expect from Shane Peacock. Peacock gives a nod to Holmesian fans by naming the missing girl's family the Rathbone's. Holmes character as a boy is really developing in this book towards the man we eventually will come to know. Up to and including this point he has been searching for cases to solve to show up Inspector Lestrade and prove himself to the police and the world that he is a genius detective. I haven't liked this aspect of the young Holmes as it runs contrary to the adult Holmes' confident arrogance. In this book young Sherlock comes to a realization about this aspect of his behaviour and changes. His relationship with the young Lestrade is also explored in this novel much further than it has been so far and we see the inklings of their future relationship. Malefactor has been a wild card up to this point and his true character is finally revealed in this book as well.

Vanishing Girl is a satisfying read for followers of the series as we get another clever, exciting mystery, set in an accurate historical portrayal this time concentrating on the contrast between life of a child in a poor orphanage and life as a neglected but spoilt rich girl. We also come to a major point in all the major characters' development that will affect their behaviour now in future volumes. I have book 4 in my line-up and am looking forward to it.