(4) YA Famous tales of monstrosity, ranging from Beowulf to Frankenstein, infuse this account of Edgar Brim's search to understand the terrors that have haunted him since childhood. His quest extends from the Scottish moor to a Victorian theater as he hunts the mysterious threat. A rambling pace and frequent shifts between past and present tense undermine an otherwise powerful, evocative novel.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Sophie Casson. An elderly gentleman compiling a scrapbook looks back on his childhood in the south of France, specifically time spent tormenting an eccentric artist (whom readers discover is Vincent van Gogh). Peacock's first-person narrative, framed as the scrapbook's text, is forthright and self-aware; sunlit illustrations reflect the artist's brilliance without mimicry. End notes offer information about van Gogh and the story's inspiration. Bib.

Reviewer: Thom Barthelmess | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2016

(3) 4-6 Boy Sherlock Holmes series. In this series conclusion, young Sherlock continues his quest to become London's master detective. Distressed that his mentor is dying and haunted by nemesis Malefactor, Holmes must rally his resources to outwit his deadly foe and prevent him from taking over the police force. Sherlock leads readers on a reckless but entertaining pursuit to stop Malefactor from committing his most heinous crime yet.

Reviewer: Nancy Hull

(3) 4-6 Boy Sherlock Holmes series. In his fifth story, the young "sword of justice" investigates his latest case, involving a dragon hunt near Trafalgar Square and the River Thames. Deceptive magicians and unusual dwellings with hidden rooms complicate both his mission and his rapport with Scotland Yard. Fans of the real thing will continue to be entertained by young Sherlock's recognizable investigation methods.

Reviewer: Nancy Hull

(3) 4-6 Boy Sherlock Holmes series. A trapeze artist's murder leads thirteen-year-old Sherlock Holmes to London's nastiest gang. As the young detective tries to track down and collar these hoodlums, Peacock's text raises thought-provoking questions about where the line falls between good and evil and whether the end justifies the means. Throughout, Peacock paints a riveting portrait of both Victorian England and the moody, lonely, approval-craving Sherlock.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(3) 4-6 Boy Sherlock Holmes series. Sherlock Holmes is here imagined as a hyper-intelligent, lonely thirteen-year-old outcast, the son of a Jewish scientist father and a blue-blood mother whose family disowned her. Holmes tackles his first case: the stabbing of a beautiful woman in a seedy London alleyway. Peacock effectively evokes Conan Doyle's London, and his young Sherlock is a compelling and poignant character.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger