Death Cloud

By Andrew Lane

It is the summer of 1868, and Sherlock Holmes is fourteen. On break from boarding school, he is staying with eccentric strangers—his uncle and aunt—in their vast house in Hampshire. When two local people die from symptoms that resemble the plague, Holmes begins to investigate what really killed them, helped by his new tutor, an American named Amyus Crowe. So begins Sherlock's true education in detection, as he discovers the dastardly crimes of a brilliantly sinister villain of exquisitely malign intent.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
• Release date: Feb 1, 2011
• ISBN: 9781429929530

Andrew Lane

Andrew Lane is an author, journalist and lifelong Sherlock Holmes fan. He lives in Hampshire with his wife and son. Before Moriarty and before Benedict Cumberbatch, Andrew's passion for the original novels of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his determination to create an authentic teenage Sherlock Holmes made him the perfect choice to work with the Conan Doyle Estate to reinvent the world’s most famous detective for the Young Sherlock Holmes series.

Book preview

PROLOGUE

The first time Matthew Arnatt saw the cloud of death, it was floating out of the first-floor window of a house near where he was living.

He was scurrying along the High Street in the market town of Farnham, looking for any fruit or crusts of bread that a careless passerby might have dropped. His eyes should have been scanning the ground, but he kept looking up at the houses and the shops and at the thronging people all around him. He was only fourteen, and as far as he could remember he’d never been in a town this large before. In this, the prosperous part of Farnham, the older wood-beamed buildings leaned over into the street, with their upper rooms looming like solid clouds above anybody underneath.

The road was cobbled with smooth, fist-sized stones for part of its length, but some distance ahead the cobbles gave way to packed earth from which clouds of dust rose up as the horses and the carts clattered past. Every few yards sat a pile of horse manure: some fresh and steaming, surrounded by flies; some dry and old, like strands of hay or grass that had been clumped together and somehow stuck.

Matthew could smell the steamy, putrid dung, but he could also smell baking bread and what might have been a pig that had been roasted on a spit above a roaring fire. He could almost see the fat dripping off and sizzling in the flames. Hunger made his stomach clench, and he nearly doubled over with the sudden pain. It had been a few days since he’d had any proper food. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could go on.

One of the passersby, a fat man in a brown bowler hat and a dark suit that was showing its age, stopped and extended a hand to Matthew as if to help him. Matthew backed away. He didn’t want charity. Charity led to the workhouse or the church for a child with no family, and he didn’t want to start out on the path towards either of those destinations. He was doing fine by himself. All he had to do was to find some food. Once he had some food inside him he would be better.

He slipped away down an alley before the man could take his shoulder, then doubled back round a corner into a street that was so narrow that the upper storeys of the houses were almost touching. A person could climb straight from one bedroom to another on the other side of the street, if they had a mind to.

That was when he saw the cloud of death. Not that he knew what it was, then. That would come later. No, all he saw was a dark stain the size of a large dog that seemed to drift from an open window like smoke, but smoke that moved with a mind of its own, pausing for a moment and then flowing sideways to a drainpipe where it turned and slid up towards the roof. Hunger forgotten, Matthew watched openmouthed as the cloud drifted over the sharp edge of the roof tiles and vanished out of sight.

A scream split the silence—a scream from the open window—and Matthew turned and pelted back down the street as quickly as his malnourished legs would carry him. People didn’t scream like that when they’d had a surprise. They didn’t even scream like that if they’d had a shock. No, in Matthew’s experience people only screamed like that if they were in mortal fear of their lives, and whatever had provoked that scream was not something he wanted to see.

ONE

You there! Come here!

Sherlock Holmes turned to see who was being called and who was doing the calling. There were hundreds of pupils standing in the bright sunlight outside Deepdene School for Boys that morning, each dressed in immaculate school uniform and each with a leather-strapped wooden chest or an overstuffed pile of luggage sitting in front of him like a loyal dog. Any one of them might have been the target. The masters at Deepdene made a habit of never referring to the pupils by name—it was always You! or Boy! or Child! It made life difficult and kept the boys on their toes, which was probably the reason why they did it. Either that or the masters had given up trying to remember the names of their pupils long ago; Sherlock wasn’t sure which explanation was the most likely. Perhaps both.

None of the other pupils were paying attention. They were either gossiping with the family members who had turned up to collect them or they were eagerly watching the school gates for first sight of the carriage that was going to take them home. Reluctantly, Sherlock swung round to see if the malign finger of fate was pointing his way.

It was. The finger in question belonged in this instance to Mr. Tulley, the Latin master. He had just come round the corner of the school, where Sherlock was standing apart from the other boys. His suit, which was usually covered in chalk dust, had been specially cleaned for the end of term and the inevitable meetings with the fathers who were paying for their boys to be educated, and his mortarboard sat straight on his head as if glued there by the headmaster.

Me, sir?

Yes, sir. You, sir, Mr. Tulley snapped. "Get yourself to the headmaster’s study quam celerrime. Do you remember enough of your Latin to know what that means?"

It means ‘straightaway,’ sir.

Then move yourself.

Sherlock cast a glance at the school gate. But, sir—I’m waiting for my father to pick me up.

I’m sure he won’t leave without you, boy.

Sherlock made one last, defiant attempt. My luggage…

Mr. Tulley glanced disparagingly at Sherlock’s battered wooden trunk—a hand-me-down from his father’s military travels, stained with old dirt and scuffed by the passing years. I can’t see anyone wanting to steal it, he said, except perhaps for its historical value. I’ll get a prefect to watch it for you. Now cut along.

Reluctantly, Sherlock abandoned his belongings—the spare shirts and underclothes, the books of poetry and the notebooks in which he had taken to jotting down ideas, thoughts, speculations, and the occasional tune that came into his head—and walked off towards the columned portico at the front of the school building, pushing through the crowd of pupils, parents, and siblings while still keeping an eye on the gateway, where a scrum of horses and carriages were all trying to get in and out of the narrow gate at the same time.

The main entrance hall was lined with oak panelling and encircled by marble busts of previous headmasters and patrons, each on its own separate plinth. Shafts of sunlight crossed diagonally from the high windows to the black-and-white tiled floor, picked out by swirling motes of chalk dust. It smelt of the carbolic that the maids used to clean the tiles every morning. The press of bodies in the hall made it likely that at least one of the busts would be toppled over before long. Some of them already had large cracks marring their pure marble, suggesting that every term saw at least one of them smashed on the floor and subsequently repaired.

He wove in and out of the people, ignored by everyone, and eventually found himself exiting the throng and entering a corridor that led off the entrance hall. The headmaster’s study was a few yards down. He paused on the threshold, drew a breath, dusted down his lapels, and knocked on the door.

Enter! boomed a theatrically loud voice.

Sherlock twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open, trying to quell the spasm of nervousness that shot through his body like lightning. He had only been in the headmaster’s study twice before—once with his father, when he first arrived at Deepdene, and once again a year later with a group of other pupils who had been accused of cheating in an examination. The three ringleaders had been caned and expelled; the four or five followers had been caned until their buttocks bled and allowed to stay. Sherlock—whose essays had been the ones copied by the group—had escaped a caning by claiming that he knew nothing about it. In fact, he had known all along, but he had always been something of an outsider at the school, and if letting the other pupils copy his work got him tolerated, if not accepted, then he wasn’t going to raise any ethical objections. On the other hand, he wasn’t going to tell on the copiers either—that would have got him beaten and, perhaps, held in front of one of the roaring fires that dominated the dormitories until his skin began to blister and his clothes to smoke. School life was like that—a perpetual balancing act between the masters and the other pupils. And he hated it.

The headmaster’s study was just the way he remembered it—vast, dim, and smelling of a combination of leather and pipe tobacco. Mr. Tomblinson was sitting behind a desk large enough to play bowls on. He was a portly man in a suit that was slightly too small for him, chosen presumably on the basis that it helped him believe he wasn’t quite as large as he obviously was.

Ah, Holmes, is it? In, lad, in. Close the door behind you.

Sherlock did as he was told, but as he pushed the door shut he caught sight of another figure in the room: a man standing in front of the window with a glass of sherry in his hand. The sunlight refracted in rainbow shards from the cut glass of the schooner.

Mycroft? Sherlock said, amazed.

His elder brother turned towards him, and a smile flickered across his face so rapidly that if Sherlock had blinked at the wrong moment then he might have missed it. Sherlock. You’ve grown.

So have you, Sherlock said. Indeed, his brother had put on weight. He was nearly as plump as the headmaster, but his suit was tailored to hide it rather than accentuate it. You came in Father’s carriage.

Mycroft raised an eyebrow. How on earth did you deduce that, young man?

Sherlock shrugged. I noticed the parallel creases in your trousers where the upholstery pressed them, and I remember that Father’s carriage has a tear in the upholstery that was repaired rather clumsily a few years ago. The impression of that repair is pressed into your trousers, next to the creases. He paused. Mycroft, where’s Father?

The headmaster harrumphed to attract attention back to him. Your father is—

Father won’t be coming, Mycroft interrupted smoothly. His regiment was sent out to India to strengthen the existing military force. There has been some unrest in the North West Frontier region. You know where that is?

Yes. We’ve studied India in geography lessons and in history.

Good boy.

I didn’t realize the natives there were causing problems again, the headmaster rumbled. "Not been in The Times, that’s for sure."

It’s not the Indians, Mycroft confided. "When we took the country back from the East India Company, the soldiers out there transferred back under Army control. They’ve found the new regime to be a lot … stricter … than the one they were used to. There’s been a great deal of bad feeling, and the government has decided to drastically increase the size of the force in India to give them an example of what real soldiers are like. It’s bad enough to have the Indians rebelling; a mutiny inside the British Army is unthinkable."

"And will there be a mutiny? Sherlock asked, feeling his heart sinking like a stone dropped into a pond. Will Father be safe?"

Mycroft shrugged his massive shoulders. I don’t know, he said simply. That was one of the things that Sherlock respected about his brother. He always gave a straight response to a straight question. No honeying the pill. Sadly, I don’t know everything. Not yet, anyway.

But you work for the government, Sherlock pressed. You must have some idea of what might happen. Can’t you send a different regiment? Keep Father here in England?

I’ve only been with the Foreign Office for a few months, Mycroft replied, and although I am flattered that you think I have the power to alter such important things, I’m afraid I don’t. I’m an advisor. Just a clerk, really.

How long will Father be gone? Sherlock asked, remembering the large man dressed in a scarlet serge jacket with white belts crossing his chest, who laughed easily and lost his temper rarely. He could feel a pressure in his chest but he held his feelings in check. If there was one lesson he had learned from his time at Deepdene School, it was that you never showed any emotion. If you did, it would be used against you.

Six weeks for the ship to reach port, six months in the country, I would estimate, and then another six weeks returning. Nine months in all.

Nearly a year. He bowed his head for a moment, composing himself, then nodded. Can we go home now?

You’re not going home, Mycroft said.

Sherlock just stood there, letting the words sink into him, not saying anything.

He can’t stay here, the headmaster muttered. The place is being cleaned.

Mycroft moved his calm gaze away from Sherlock and on to the headmaster. Our mother is … unwell, he said. Her constitution is delicate at the best of times, and this business with our father has distressed her greatly. She needs peace and quiet, and Sherlock needs someone older to look after him.

"But I’ve got you!" Sherlock protested.

Mycroft shook his large head sadly. I live in London now, and my job requires me to work many hours each day. I would not, I’m afraid, be a fit guardian for a boy, especially an inquisitive one such as you. He turned towards the headmaster, almost as if it was easier to give him the next piece of information than to tell Sherlock. Although the family house is in Horsham we have relatives in Farnham, not too far from here. An uncle and aunt. Sherlock will be staying with them over the school holidays.

No! Sherlock exploded.

Yes, Mycroft said gently. It is arranged. Uncle Sherrinford and Aunt Anna have agreed to take you in for the summer.

"But I’ve never even met them!"

Nevertheless, they are family.

Mycroft bade farewell to the headmaster while Sherlock stood there blankly, trying to take in the enormity of what had just happened. No going home. No seeing his father and his mother. No exploring in the fields and woods around the manor house that had been home to him for fourteen years. No sleeping in his old bed in the room under the eaves of the house where he kept all of his books. No sneaking into the kitchens where Cook would give him a slice of bread and jam if he smiled at her. Instead, weeks of staying with people he didn’t know, being on his best behaviour in a town, in a county that he didn’t know anything about. Alone, until he returned to school.

How was he going to manage?

Sherlock followed Mycroft out of the headmaster’s study and along the corridor to the entrance hall. An enclosed brougham carriage sat outside the doors, its wheels muddy and its sides dusty from the journey that Mycroft had already undertaken to the school. The crest of the Holmes family had been painted on the door. Sherlock’s trunk had already been loaded on the back. A gaunt driver whom Sherlock did not recognize sat in the dicky box at the front, the reins that linked him to the two horses resting limply in his hands.

How did he know that was my trunk?

Mycroft gestured with his hand to indicate that it was nothing special. I could see it from the window of the headmaster’s study. The trunk was the only one sitting unattended. And besides, it was the one Father used to have. The headmaster was kind enough to send a boy out to tell him to load the trunk onto the carriage. He opened the door of the carriage and gestured to Sherlock to enter. Instead, Sherlock glanced around at his school and at his fellow pupils.

You look as if you think you’ll never see them again, Mycroft said.

It’s not that, Sherlock replied. It’s just that I thought I was leaving here for something better. Now I know I’m leaving here for something worse. As bad as this place is, this is as good as it gets.

It won’t be like that. Uncle Sherrinford and Aunt Anna are good people. Sherrinford is Father’s brother.

Then why have I never heard about them? Sherlock asked. Why has Father never mentioned having a brother?

Mycroft winced almost imperceptibly. I fear that there was a falling-out in the family. Relations were strained for a while. Mother reinitiated contact via letter some months ago. I’m not even sure Father knows.

And that’s where you’re sending me?

Mycroft patted Sherlock on the shoulder. If there was an alternative I would take it, believe me. Now, do you need to say goodbye to any friends?

Sherlock looked around. There were boys he knew, but were any of them really friends?

No, he said. Let’s go.

The journey to Farnham took several hours. After passing through the town of Dorking, which was the closest group of houses to Deepdene School, the carriage clattered along country lanes, beneath spreading trees, past the occasional thatched cottage or larger house, and alongside fields that were ripe with barley. The sun shone from a cloudless sky, turning the carriage into an oven despite the breeze blowing in. Insects buzzed lazily at the windows. Sherlock watched for a while as the world went past. They stopped for lunch at an inn, where Mycroft bought some ham and cheese and half a loaf of bread. At some stage Sherlock fell asleep. When he woke up, minutes or hours later, the brougham was still moving through the same landscape. For a while he chatted with Mycroft about what was happening at home, about their sister, about Mother’s fragile health. Mycroft asked after Sherlock’s studies, and Sherlock told him something about the various lessons that he had sat through and more about the teachers who had taught them. He imitated their voices and their mannerisms, and reduced Mycroft to helpless laughter by the cruelty and humour of his impersonations.

After a while there were more houses lining the road and soon they were heading through a large town, the horses’ hoofs clattering on cobbles. Leaning out of the carriage window, Sherlock saw what looked like a guildhall—a three-storey building, all white plaster and black beams, with a large clock hanging from a bracket outside the double doors.

Farnham? he guessed.

Guildford, Mycroft answered. Farnham is not too far away now.

The road out of Guildford led along a ridge from which the land fell away on both sides, fields and woods scattered about like toys, with patches of yellow flowers spreading across them.

This ridge is called the Hog’s Back, Mycroft remarked. There’s a semaphore station along here, on Pewley Hill, part of a chain that stretches from the Admiralty Building in London all the way to Portsmouth Harbour. Have they taught you about semaphores at school?

Sherlock shook his head.

Typical, Mycroft murmured. All the Latin a boy can cram into his skull, but nothing of any practical use. He sighed heavily. A semaphore is a method for passing messages quickly and over long distance that would take days by horse. Semaphore stations have boards on their roofs that can be seen from a distance, and have six large holes in them that can be opened or closed by shutters. Depending on which holes are open or closed, the board spells out different letters. A man at each semaphore station keeps watch on both the previous one in the chain and the next one with a telescope. If he sees a message being spelled out, he writes it down and then repeats it via his own semaphore board, and so the message travels. This particular chain starts at the Admiralty, then goes via Chelsea and Kingston upon Thames to here, then all the way to Portsmouth Dockyard. There’s another chain leading down to Chatham Dockyards, and others to Deal, Sheerness, Great Yarmouth, and Plymouth. They were constructed so that the Admiralty could pass messages quickly to the Navy in the event of a French invasion of the country. Now, tell me, if there are six holes, and each hole can be either open or closed, how many different combinations are there that could signify letters, numbers, or other symbols?

Fighting the urge to tell his brother that school was over, Sherlock closed his eyes and calculated for a moment. One hole could take two states: open or closed. Two holes could take four states: open-open; open-closed; closed-open; closed-closed. Three holes … He quickly worked through the calculation in his mind, and then saw a pattern emerging. Sixty-four, he said

Reviews for Death Cloud

[jothebookgirl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was surprisingly wonderful. I don't know why I was skeptical. I have never read any books about Sherlock Holmes. Andrew Lane's goal was to portray a young Holmes. He is a teenager and gets into and out of so much trouble. It was all believable and i like that. The African bees offered a lot of interest to me. I see young Holmes in more violent adventures. This book was quite graphic. Boys get ready for adventure.

[wyvernfriend · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sherlock is sent to an aunt and uncle to while away his summer holidays from school. His brother Mycroft engages a tutor, an American, to keep him distracted but when Sherlock finds a body that looks like it has succomed to something like the plague he feels it necessary to investigate, along with his tutor, his tutor's daughter and a friend.It does capture a fair amount of Sherlock. I enjoyed the read.

[cbl_tn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's the school holidays, and 14-year-old Sherlock Holmes will have lots to write about in a “what I did during my holiday” essay. With Sherlock's father away in military service and his mother in poor health, Sherlock's brother, Mycroft, arranges for Sherlock to spend the holiday with relatives. Sherlock soon makes a friend of a local boy, Matty, who witnessed something odd at the scene of a sudden death. Sherlock later stumbles upon other strange happenings. Guided by his tutor, Amyus Crowe, and supported by Matty and Crowe's daughter, Virginia, Sherlock works to solve a mystery that endangers the whole community, and maybe the whole nation.The Sherlock Holmes of this story doesn't resemble the teenager I imagine Conan Doyle's Sherlock would have been. He's portrayed as a typical teenager with above average intelligence. Conan Doyle's Sherlock is anything but typical. The story involves more adventure than detection, since Sherlock is only beginning to develop skills of observation and reason under Crowe's tutelage. The author includes some educational material in the story, but in a way that serves the plot without being too obtrusive. Middle grade teachers could use it as supplementary reading for units on science or problem solving. However, the adventure itself is enough of an attraction for most readers.

[mamzel_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The first of a series about a young Sherlock Holmes, this story begins to theorize what may have formed the extraordinary character.During summer holidays, Sherlock is sent to stay with an aunt and uncle when he would have much rather stayed with his brother, Mycroft. He finds it difficult to follow the strict regimen set down in this household and goes off to explore, coming across Matty, a young man who lives on a boat. He is assigned a tutor, the American Amyus Crowe who has a daughter, Virginia. Sherlock, Matty, and Virginia soon become a team investigating a couple of weird deaths and the sighting of a black cloud after each of them.One thing that makes this a rather steampunk type of story is the get up utilized by the bad guy, Baron Maupertuis, a survivor of the Charge of the Light Brigade. Paralyzed, he devised a contraption operated by black-dressed flunkies who move him like a marionette.

[jedisakora_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

So i originally got this book for my sister for her birthday last march. Every time i walked into her room i would see it un-read sitting on her book shelf. Well i decided to pick it up and start reading it. Interesting enough the first thing i found out is that this is book was authorized and endorsed by the estate if Arthur Conan Doyle. Seeing that i knew it had to be good. I'm glad to say i wasn't disappointed. The book starts out with thirteen year old Sherlock Holmes getting read to leave Deepdene School for Boys. He's waiting for his father to pick him up, but unexpectedly Mycroft Holmes is the one to collect him. Mycroft did not come bringing good news. Sherlock's father has been called to duty in the East Indies and his mother is too sickly for him to come home. Neither does Mycroft have the time to watch in in London. Therefore he is going to stay with a uncle he's never met in a town called Farnham. Needless to say Sherlock is not the least bit pleased. Course Sherlock being who he is and destiny decided to come a knocking early. No sooner had he gotten settled in that a second man is found dead of a mysterious illness. Sherlock, along with his friend Matty, American tutor Amyus Crowe, Amyus's daughter Virginia, set out to discover why.My impression of this book is that it definitely was worth it's endorsement by the Doyle estate. Written in a tone similar to Conan Doyle's you really feel like your reading about the earlier adventures of Sherlock. Not quite the detective mastermind yet you can see how Sherlock would turn into the man he would become. Interesting enough i'm quite curious as to see what happens to Matty and the Crowe's later on. To my knowledge they don't appear in any of the original stories.Needless to say i'll be reading the sequel that is to come out. Whether i'll be getting it for my sister of myself is the question.Final Rating: 4 1/2 stars. There were some minor flaws in the book that kept it from being a 5. Plus a 5 star book for me is one where i jadored it. I liked this book, but didn't love love love it

[pharrm_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Young Sherlock is forced to stay with his uncle in the country. He makes friends and gets a new tutor (via Mycroft) who teaches him to think logically. He runs into unsavory characters and finds endearing one. Good read for all.

[jean_sexton-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I am a fan of Sherlock Holmes and tend to watch TV series and movies and read books that build on the legend. I had high hopes for this book; I was not disappointed. Andrew Lane has been careful to honor Arthur Conan Doyle's vision and I could see how the boy Sherlock would grow into the man. Through his friendships and mishaps, I could see him learning. Lessons from his tutor will become part of his life: That you can deduce all you like, but it’s pointless without knowledge. Your mind is like a spinnin’ wheel, rotatin’ endlessly and pointlessly until threads are fed in, when it starts producin’ yarn. Information is the foundation of all rational thought. Seek it out. Collect it assiduously. Stock the lumber room of your mind with as many facts as you can fit in there. Don’t attempt to distinguish between important facts and trivial facts: they’re all potentially important.If you enjoy Sherlock Holmes stories, you will most likely fall in love with the book. I strongly recommend it to you. Rebel Fire, book 2, has already joined my library.

[nicx27 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the story of the young Sherlock Holmes, as told by Andrew Lane and commissioned by the estate of Arthur Conan Doyle. Sherlock has broken up for the holidays from his boarding school, Deepdene School for Boys, and is looking forward to going home, when his brother Mycroft arrives to tell him that their father has been posted abroad and Sherlock must go to stay with an aunt and uncle that he has never met.This sets the scene for an adventure as Sherlock tries to find out what has caused the mysterious deaths of two men in the village in which he is staying. He starts to investigate and uses his clever mind to find out more and more about the reasons for the deaths. This leads him into a lot of tricky situations, and he has to use his cunning, and his new friends, to help him out of them.I haven't read any Sherlock Holmes stories so cannot compare them to this book, but certainly Young Sherlock Holmes: Death Cloud is a fast-paced, interesting and easy read. I can imagine that it will appeal greatly to young adults, but there are some violent scenes that may not be suitable for the younger end of the spectrum. This is a great adventure story and I enjoyed reading it very much. I would definitely consider reading the next in the series.

[keeline_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's Sherlock Holmes' first case. I was hesitant to buy this because of the young Justin Beiber lookalike on the cover made me a bit worried. I wasn't sure how I'd handle a "Beiber Holmes" but I saw that it was "Official" from the Doyle estate and decided to take a chance.I'm glad I did as it was well written and engaging. I think the author did a fairly good job at imagining a young Sherlock who has a lot to learn about detecting but has a lot of smarts.The elements of the supernatural which have explanation in scientific reality seems close to the stories.There are a few aspects that seem a little suspect but overall I thought this book was enjoyable and I look forward to the sequel which I hope will answer the questions raised in this book about the frequently alluded to sister whom we never get to see in this text.

[sithereandread · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

DEATH CLOUD, by Andrew Lane, is a great beginning to a new series which explores the life of Sherlock Holmes as a fourteen year old boy.Mystery books rarely enter my TBR pile, but when asked to review a Sherlock Holmes novel I could not resist. I always enjoyed the characters in the original works and I was interested to see how much of that Lane put into his new novels. The character of Holmes, even as a young teen, was a pleasure to read. Holmes was a very curious boy but his sleuthing skills were magnified with the help of his side-kick, Matty, and American tutor, Amyus Crowe.Lane molded a young Sherlock Holmes and created a character that you can visualize turning into the classic character. Crowe taught Holmes how to ask the right questions to get satisfactory answers. The relationship between teacher and student was refreshing and added the importance of education. I also enjoyed the relationship between Matty and Sherlock. They were from different social backgrounds but their commonality in crime-solving made them quite a pair. Although I do admit I missed the absence of Watson! But, my favorite character had to be Virginia. Where Holmes is a male icon, Virginia is definitely a strong female-icon. Her 'American' ways were exploited to make her desirable to Holmes, but she definitely gave him a run for his money!Overall, I think this series is a great introduction to the classic character of Sherlock Holmes to a younger generation. Lane created fabulous characters and a great mystery. I look forward to the next one!

[mountie9_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Jake's Review: This one was hard to read, but it was still a good exciting story. There are a lot of words I had to have mom explain to me so it took me a long time to read it. I also think it was a little old for me as there was some really scary stuff in it. I did like that Sherlock Holmes was a teenager and got to solve mysteries and help people. He was really smart at figuring out things and got to do a lot of stuff on his own. I felt bad for him at times because he was sort of all on his own with no Mom or Dad to help him out. TJake's Rating: 7/10Mom's Review: After reading this I realized it might have been a wee bit too old for Jake. Some of the language was difficult for a 10 yr old boy and it dealt with some rather violent scenes (Nothing too graphic though). Now I personally found it delightful, dark, witty and exciting and would recommend it more for teens with more sophisticated tastes. It did drag a wee bit in spots for me and I was frustrated with some of the repetition, but you have to remember it is not written for moms. The author obviously has researched Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle and the London of the 1860's as it rings very true. Fans of the original Holmes will see that the young Sherlock in this series could very well develop into Doyle's Holmes. He has his mannerisms, his intellect and you can see his passions for detective work developing. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.Mom's Rating: 8/10We received the book from HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review

[shellypya · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Fictional accunt of Sherlock Holmes' teen years and his "first" case. Sent to live with his uncle during summer break from boarding school, Sherlock is bored until he meets his tutor, Amyus Crowe, and discovers a body covered in blotches. He and local boy Matty, who discovered a similar body, work with Croew and his daughter Virginia to solve the case. Little do they know they've uncovered a sinister plot to cripple the British army by a sinister figure who may be back in future episodes.

[bookwyrmm_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a good old-school teen mystery. Some of the action, though, felt like it came out of nowhere, but the mystery was solid and very thought-provoking (like you would expect from a Holmesian novel), even if the denouement was a little early.

[mysterymax_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This review was originally written for GROANS, CRIES AND BLEATINGS: THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE BAKER STREET BREAKFAST CLUB.Up front I must say that while I have read and loved the Canon, I am by no means an expert on Holmes. I liked the book mostly because Lane did not make the young Sherlock into a miniature adult Holmes. Instead you see beginnings. You learn that he was not popular at school; in fact he was intolerant of the foolishness of the other students, quite the loner and somewhat lonely because of that. Hoping to spend the summer with his family he learns that instead he must stay with an aunt and uncle because his father is away, his mother ill and the older Mycroft is too busy in London to look after him.During the summer, Sherlock meets a homeless boy around his age named Matty. This relationship, I felt, was very important to the future, adult, Holmes. Matty comes from an entirely different world than Sherlock yet he is smart, resourceful and "knows his way around" from having to live on his own wits. This seemed, to me, to be the beginnings of Sherlock's willingness, as an adult, to form relationships with the "lower classes", both young and old, and his ability to use their resourcefulness to help him with his cases. As an adult he understands that people who have to fend for themselves 'see' far more than others who have everything given to them, and since they are 'invisible' he often disguises himself as one of them.Mycroft engages an American tutor, Amyus Crowe, for Sherlock over the summer. It is Amyus that helps Sherlock learn the importance of 1) acquiring facts and 2) reasoning. This will be far more important in his adult life than mere rote learning from texts.In [Death Cloud] Sherlock also learns that events that seem impossible or supernatural do have a logical, scientific explanation.Even Sherlock's attraction to Amyus Crowe's daughter, Virginia, seemed fitting. She is completely different from other girls. She is fiercely independent, and intelligent. There are no whining, fainting or other feminine wiles of the day with her. I want to see in future stories how Sherlock's attitude towards women develops. I see more of his admiration of Irene Adler in his relationship with Virginia, but something must happen to him later to form his overall opinion of women. I am eager to continue with the series to see how Lane develops these characters. I think it is a great series that could bring a whole new generation of readers to the Canon.

[kathy89_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a juvenile novel about a 13 year old Sherlock Holmes who goes to live with his uncle during the summer holidays and makes friends with another 13 year old boy who is an orphan and living by his wits and the 14 year old American daughter of his tutor. The tutor hired by Sherlock's brother, Mycroft, is to teach Sherlock how to use logic. It's not long before the children are caught up in an espionage plot to attack British soldiers. Lots of violence for a juvenile book.

[lyddz101 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Death Cloud by Andrew Lane was an exhilarating book! Featuring a young Sherlock Holmes at age 14 and his friends, several murders, a very creepy bad guy with an evil plot, some romance, and whole lot of action. I loved this mystery! Sherlock was depicted exactly as I would have imagined him to be at this age! I enjoyed seeing how the talent he already had and the skills he learned would turn him into the famous detective so well known. I also enjoyed seeing the word “deduced.” It’s probably my new favorite word.Sherlock’s tutor Mr. Crowe quickly became one of the best characters. Between the random bits of intelligence he was always giving, and the fact that he helped me understand a story problem that long has confused me, it was almost inevitable. Here’s the problem, a small taste of some of the problems and mysteries in this book:Three men decide to split the cost of a thirty shilling hotel room. Each fellow pays the manager ten shillings. The next morning the manager realizes he made a mistake in that a special rate was being charged on the room because of construction on the hotel. He sends a bellboy to give back five shillings. The men are so pleased they decide to each keep a shilling and give two to the boy as a tip. So each man ends up only paying nine shillings and the boy makes two. But, nine times three is twenty-seven shillings, and when you add the two shillings the boy got, it’s still only twenty-nine. Where did the missing shilling go?Not taken exactly from the text, I took out all the dialogue of them thinking it out, but it’s from pages 120 and 121. That problem has tortured my poor head since middle school and I actually squealed when the answer was explained! I leave you, dear reader, to the awful pondering that follows this story. But, unlike the evil classmate who posed this story to me, I’ve given you a way to find out the answer. Read Death Cloud!

[theokester · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It’s the ultimate storm of literary fun. With the recent reinvigorated love of Sherlock Holmes and the huge resurgence of teen and YA fiction it’s a logical step to see a “Young Sherlock Holmes” series on the market. Death Cloud introduces us to Sherlock Holmes as the teenage student of a boarding school. It’s time for summer break but due to the war and other elements, Sherlock is being sent to live with his aunt and uncle rather than returning home or moving to London with his older brother Mycroft. Sherlock is a bit dismayed at the prospect of living in a provincial town with unknown relatives but at Mycroft’s advice he decides to make the best of the situation.As we learn about Sherlock we find that his powers of deduction are just as present as ever but they are not yet fully developed or focused. While at school, he had used his deductive skills as a sort of parlor trick or way to influence others. He’d worked out some insignificant mysteries for other students but hadn’t really yet thought of himself as a detective of any sort. Shortly after his arrival in Farnham to live with his relatives, a few things happen. Sherlock makes friends with a rover orphan named Matty. Sherlock sees a strange cloud that seems to move with a mind of its own out of a window and over the rooftops. He then finds that the window from which the strange cloud appeared is the window of a room in which a man was mysteriously found dead. Sherlock’s curiosity takes over and he sets off to try and find the answers.As the story progresses it becomes very clear that Sherlock does not yet have the wealth and breadth of knowledge that are characteristic of his adult self. He is ignorant about many things that we would think as common knowledge to the Holmes we all know. For example he knows very little about geography, botany or biology. He has some interests in chemistry but is in no way adept. Essentially this book starts us off with a near “clean slate” version of Sherlock Holmes. He is very capable of connecting the dots and seeing things that others do not see, but he does not yet have the overarching knowledge yet to determine the things that are important or the dots that are to be connected.So how does a curious but observant Sherlock gain the required knowledge and skills to solve the case? Sherlock’s aunt and uncle along with Mycroft decide that it would be wise for Sherlock to have a tutor. Mycroft hires a man named Amyus Crowe. Amyus is from America and has a “particular set of skills” which serve him well as a man of wisdom in navigating the world. Amyus presents Sherlock with a number of real-world observation tests to try and get Sherlock “thinking outside the box” and searching for answers beyond the obvious. He also acts as a sounding board to help supplement the lacking scientific knowledge of our young Sherlock. At first Amyus discourages Sherlock’s involvement in the mystery but then takes him under his wing and they work together, along with Matty and Amyus’ daughter, to unravel the strange happenings around Farnham.The writing is simple and yet vibrant. The characters are interesting, distinct and fun. The adventure is intriguing and engaging. Overall this is a fun adventure mystery. Due to his youth and inexperience, this truly could have been presented as a standard adventure-mystery with no connection at all to Sherlock Holmes. By setting it as a Holmes prequel of sorts, the author puts forth some pretty big expectations to be filled. Generally speaking I felt like this story did a good job of living up to those expectations. Holmes purists may find elements to quibble with but I really enjoyed the story and felt like it captured the essence and tone of a Holmes adventure. I also feel like this particular novel will be a more accessible entry point to younger/newer readers as they look to read Holmes stories. While it is definitely not an official Sherlock Holmes story it will be more approachable to younger readers who may be bored or put off by the 19th century style of Conan Doyle’s originals. My hope would be that new readers would gobble up this novel then be hungry for the original Holmes stories.***3 out of 5 stars

[hoosgracie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

How did Sherlock Holmes become the great detective? Lane explores this question with a teen Sherlock. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, especially the supporting characters and the first mystery - involving bees - was intriguing.

[monsterofbooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When I was first ask to review this I was really hesistant. I love Sherlock Holmes (though I haven't read the original books)--especially the latest film, but mystery and murder isn't my usual cup of tea. So when I said yes I was taking a big risk, but I wanted to see how Sherlock Holmes would act as a young teenager. And in the end it was worth the risk, I loved it.At the age of fourteen, Sherlock must spend the summer with his estrange aunt and uncle. What he thinks will be a boring holiday turns into a adventure of a life time. Along side him is Matty (a friend he met coincidentally), Amyus Crowe (tutor) and Virgina (tutor's daughter, Sherlock's crush).Andrew Lane has made the book so their is never a dull moment at hand. As a reader you'll be able to quickly jump into it and even spend most of the book trying to solve the mystery.The characters in the book are all lovable, though I enjoyed Virgina the most. She represented a strong female lead, and was not at all a damsel-in-distress. I was saddened that she didn't have a lot of spotlight in the book, and hope that in the next she will.My thoughts on Sherlock's young self compared to his older self are purely based on how Robert Downey Jr portrayed him. I haven't read the original Sherlock Holmes novels so I can't really get a complete grasp on his older self. In this book Sherlock is at the beginning of his journeys. He's smart but not mega smart. I kind of like that because it shows that Sherlock gained his knowledge through education and experience, not having it naturally. I think Sherlock Holmes (whether young or old) is a great role model because he shows that with hard work and dedication you can achieve a level of knowledge that can help make the world a better place. Most young adults think school is a waste, maybe even me a bit, and Sherlock shows that he needed education and experience to become the great hero he became when he was older.The only down side to this book was some of the description was foggy and hard to understand. As well as by the end of the book it kind of dragged. The antagonist of the book was simple to figure out, it was the mystery and actions of the villain that were hard to solve.Overall I enjoyed Death Cloud and will definitely be keeping an eye out for it's sequel.

[arkhamreviews · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

My views on this novel are incredibly mixed. As a mystery novel, I did not think it was too bad. Although the conclusion was a little out-there, it was well written, made coherent sense and didn't take any huge leaps in logic. If it had just been a Victorian murder mystery, I would have had no real problems with it at all.However, the novel is intended to be a Sherlock Holmes story and because if this it has a few problems. The character of Sherlock was a little too flat and uninteresting for my taste. As his abilities were mostly taught by his summer tutor, it felt as though it removed some of his brilliance. The Holmes of this story was not a genius, he was merely an ordinary boy with a good memory.The novel was entertaining enough and I can certainly see why people enjoy it, but I just felt that with a bit more work it could have been so much better.

[lilibrarian · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In this first book in a series about Sherlock Holmes as a teenager, he is sent to stay with relatives during a school vacation. Two mysterious deaths occurred, and with the help of a street-wise friend, his tutor and his tutor's daughter, Sherlock solves the mystery, facing great personal peril.

[karenamorg · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This novel about the young Sherlock Holmes demonstrates a considerable respect for its audience through evocative, intelligent writing. The story takes place in the 19th century England, and opens when 14-year-old Sherlock is picked up at his boarding school, where he is lonely and without friends, and is informed he will be spending the summer months in Farnham with an uncle that he didn’t know he had. Wishing he could travel instead to London and stay with his brother, Mycroft, he reluctantly settles in with his distant uncle, odd aunt and eerily unsettling housekeeper. He soon finds intrigue and danger as he witnesses perplexing activity in the small town. With the aid of a delightful American tutor, Amyus Crowe, his daughter Virginia and an orphan named Matty, he sets about solving a mystery involving an evil French baron named Maupertuis and his plot to destroy the English army with killer bees. The mystery wraps up nicely, and my only criticism is that there is no mention of Sherlock’s uncle when the journey ends and the baron’s evil intentions are thwarted due to Sherlock’s detective skills—for the time being. The witty dialogue is amusing and the story has inspired me to finally read the original Sherlock Holmes stories. I am buying this and its new sequel, Rebel Fire, for my school library and will be recommending them to sixth graders who would be willing to try a well-paced and exciting historical mystery. Target audience ages 12-16.

[adpaton · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this action adventure tale enormously: Sherlock Holmes is always a favourite and Andrew Lane handles the character very well indeed. The villain adds an element of steampunk but one can overlook that and although American characters are becoming irritatingly ubiquitous in English books [and films - apparently most Americans don't enjoy things unless they contain at least one Yank] the tutor Amyus Crowe was likable enough.

[thomas2taylor · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Sherlock Holmes at fourteen... great stuff. I enjoyed this book and sharing the very first case of Sherlock Holmes, even before Dr. Watson came onto the scene.

[aadyer · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I wanted to like this, as a massive Sherlockian, I was hoping for a repeat performance of Charlie Higson's "young Bond" series, but I was sorely disappointed. This is a heroic character, but not Sherlock. What is going to come is alluded to but never seems quite as either tongue in cheek, or as cool as Charlie Higson does this with Young Bond. THis is not a recognisable Young Sherlock character, and whilst I appreciate that liberties have to be made with his character, being as Conan Doyle left little in the way of biographical details, I was a little shocked at the supporting characters and also the character of SHerlock himself. This seems to have been missed. Sherlock is not a nice boy who was lucky and plucky, he is a misunderstood genius, with autisitic traits, obsessional personality issues and an addictive perchant to boot. This is not young Sherlock, but merely Alex Rider in the 1870's with some trappings of the literary Holmes thrown in to keep the fans happy. Avoid

[turrean_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Yes, yes, I ought to like it because I'm a Sherlock Holmes fan. I used to drift up to the second level of my high school library, and read Holmes stories while sneaking forbidden snacks out of my backpack. But it's hard to take this book seriously. Not because of the silliness of the schemes of the master villain, because there are some pretty outré plots in the Conan Doyle canon. Not because of the preteen romance intrusion, because I realize I am old and jaded and therefore must be forgiving of innocent blushing kisses. I simply found the young hero an improbable youthful version of Holmes--so callow, so obtuse. I also saw plot holes you could steer a barge through. How did Matty get the bicycles? Why does Mycroft spend hours in a carriage with Sherlock, but only think to warn him about the evil housekeeper in a letter? Who carefully padlocks a barn you're going to burn down, and what teenager can push a cart with such force that it goes through a wall? How did Sherlock magically learn to ride a horse by listening to a 15-second description? Why doesn't anybody steal Matty's horse? What is the reason no one ever summons any legal authorities? Would Sherlock's uncle not have summoned police assistance even after an attempt on his nephew's life? Bah. I will admit that some of this effect could be the effect of listening to, rather than reading, the text. I didn't care for the narrator's version of a young girl's voice.

[vivienner_3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A good YA adventure story, having plenty of frightful and repellent sections, although it was on the far-fetched side. The young Sherlock Holmes develops a friendship with an orphaned street-wise boy who lives on a barge. His American tutor, arranged by Mycroft, has a daughter who provides a mild romantic element. Holmes was captured and knocked out with laudanum, a glaring foreshadowing of future problems. The relationship between this young man and the well-known adult Sherlock Holmes is a tenuous one: I just can't see this boy growing into Conan Doyle's character. Only 3 stars from me but a young reader might enjoy it more.

[dairyqueen84 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Fourteen year old Sherlock Holmes learns that he is not going home from school for holiday like he always does; he is spending the summer at his Uncle Sherrinford and Aunt Anna Holmes’s estate. Upon arrival he meets the mysterious Mrs. Eglantine, the housekeeper, whom his brother Mycroft warns him about in a letter with the ominous words, “She is no friend of the Holmes family.” Mycroft also secures a tutor, Amyus Crowe, for Sherlock who is American and happens to have a lovely daughter about his age. What he believes will be a boring summer with relatives he hardly knows turns out to be anything but when a dead body appears on the estate and Sherlock stumbles upon it. He learns from his new friend Matty that another body was found in the village and before the death was discovered he saw a “death cloud” or shadowy mass fly from the window. The boys begin to investigate and the danger and suspense build quickly. Glimmers of the deductive skills seen in the grownup Holmes appear in the teenager encouraged by Crowe. His amazing abilities to get out of any danger are also foreshadowed here. Some readers might find the murder plot and subsequent captures and escapes hard to believe but it is great fun, nonetheless. Readers will look forward to the sequels where some remaining questions will be answered like whey Mrs. Eglantine is no friend of the Holmes family.

[kurkov · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

fun! and true to form, very believable for Homes prequel.

[npjacobsen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I so much enjoyed the Sherlock Holmes novels written by Arthur Conan Doyle that I thought I would give Andrew Lane's younger version a try. As a teenager, this version of Sherlock was not as I expected. Perhaps I was leaning too much on the adult character, but I thought young Sherlock would be a boy genius. Instead, he is portrayed as a lad with an above average intelligence and a seemingly boundless curiosity. We therefore see the progression in Sherlock from his formative years to the astute detective made famous by A.C. Doyle.

The novel begins with 14 year old Sherlock waiting for his father to collect him from boarding school for the summer holiday. Instead he finds his brother, Mycroft, waiting in the headmaster's office. Mycroft informs Sherlock that their father has been sent to India and arrangements have been made with Uncle Sherrinford and Aunt Anna in Farnham to care for him during the summer.

Resigned to his fate, Sherlock tries to make the most of his situation. He meets a young orphan, Matty Arnatt, and the two boys become quick friends. Matty tells Sherlock of the Death Cloud he saw coming from a house in town. It came out of the window and went up the drain pipe. The man in the house had large boils on his face and hands reminiscent of the plague. This peaks Sherlock's curiosity and the two boys begin investigating.

About this time, Sherlock discovers that Mycroft has hired a tutor to help further his education. The tutor in question, Amyus Crowe, has come from America with his daughter Virginia, who Sherlock immediately becomes infatuated with. Later, while Amyus and Sherlock are hiking through the forest to learn about edible plants, another body is discovered bearing the same characteristics as the previous one. This time, it is Sherlock that witnesses the Death Cloud. He also finds some yellow powder near the body, which he collects in an envelope.

With the discovery of the second body, the community becomes worried about another outbreak of the bubonic plague, But Sherlock is not convinced. He had seen the second man earlier the same day the body was discovered, with no signs of any disease present. He and Matty's investigations lead to a secluded warehouse and a mysterious foreign Baron. With the help of Amyus and Virginia Crowe, the two boys are able to make sense of the clues and solve the case.

It is not surprising that Amyus Crowe reminded me of the grown Sherlock. With his vast amount of knowledge and deductive reasoning, he is the man Sherlock will become. At one point during the story, Sherlock notes that Amyus is trying to "teach me how to think," and indeed this is the case. Amyus would ask questions in such a way as to lead the young man in the direction of the solution without actually giving it to him.

The mystery set forth in the story is very clever, and while the villain is not typical of Doyle's Holmes character, I found the novel to be quite entertaining. If you are willing to believe that Holmes was not always the man he was portrayed as by Doyle, then I think you will enjoy this novel as much as I did.

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