A LOCK & MORI MYSTERY (Book 2) by Heather W. Petty, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, December 2016
* An e-galley was provided by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers and Edelweiss for an honest review.
Mind Games by Heather W. Petty
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
In LOCK & MORI: MIND GAMES, Heather W. Petty has written a tight, intriguing mystery filled with interesting twists and turns and several unique Sherlock Holmes references. Though it ends in a cliffhanger, the path to that point contains such a captivating storyline with well-drawn, compelling characters (and a pinch of small side cases to appeal to young Sherlock Holmes fans), that the story is well worth the time it takes to read it and wait for the next installment.
The story begins shortly after the end of the series' first book, with high school friends Sherlock "Lock" Holmes and James "Mori" Moriarty practicing Bartitsu, a type of martial arts, to add to Mori's self-defense arsenal. Strong, self-sufficient, and intelligent Mori is still recovering from the brutal beating she received as her father, Detective Sargeant Moriarty, tried to kill her, and she needs to be mentally and physically ready to keep her three young brothers safe from their father's cruelty by insuring he remains in jail. But with the help of fellow officers wanting to exonerate one of their own from being charged as a murderer, DS Moriarty strives to have Mori charged as the killer, so he can get out of jail and take the boys where no one can find them.
Mori's worries multiply when she begins receiving threatening letters and the police start believing tips implicating her as the Regent Park murderer. She feels she can only rely on herself to prove her innocence. But her brilliant, frustrating, gorgeous Lock won't be pushed away from helping Mori. She is the one person he cares so much about, and he promises she can trust him. In a race against time, they travel around London following clues to the third player's identity. Through it all Mori realizes what lengths she's willing to go to protect her family and for justice to be served.
Issues of physical and mental abuse, school bullying, and the ethics of right and wrong actions are interwoven with the grief of losing a parent and trusting others. The burgeoning romance between Lock and Mori has just the right amount of teen angst, internal dialogue, and hesitant touches. The book is fast paced and full of action, and Sherlock Holmes fans will enjoy the several scenes of Lock's experiments and examples of his deductive reasoning.
Petty has a definite winner in LOCK & MORI: MIND GAMES. It's a great addition to the series and a smart mystery for both teens and adults. I look forward to the final book in the trilogy, to be released in Fall 2017.
If You Like This, You May Like: LOCK & MORI (Book 1) by Heather W. Petty, CHARLOTTE HOLMES NOVELS by Brittany Cavallaro, STOKERS & HOLMES SERIES by Colleen Gleason, GLASS AND STEELE SERIES by C. J. Archer, THE BASKERVILLE AFFAIR SERIES by Emma Jane Holloway, EMBASSY ROW SERIES and HEIST SOCIETY BOOKS by Ally Carter
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