An entertaining sequel that unfortunately doesn’t hold up to the series opener.
Irene Adler investigates another spate of murders.
After more than a year away from London, Irene returns at the request of her formidable grandmother, Augusta Moriarty, and Queen Victoria. Grisly murders targeting members of the monarch’s court have unsettled the city, and the queen wants Irene to discover who’s responsible. Irene stays with her best friend, Geraldine, and is soon pulled back into the dangerous world she thought she’d left behind. Irene, who’s pale-skinned with dark red hair, hasn’t spoken to Sherlock Holmes since she left England, and she finds him deeply shaken after losing the coveted All Souls College seat they once competed for at Oxford. Though she asks for his help, Sherlock, who’s drowning his sorrows in drink, is far from being at his best. Complicating matters further, Queen Victoria also enlists James Moriarty, Irene’s villainous half brother, to assist in the investigation. Sherlock, who has tan skin and curly black hair, eventually agrees to join the case, and Irene once again assumes her old disguise of Isaac Holland. As she draws closer to the truth, she confronts revelations that threaten everything she holds dear. Irene and Sherlock’s relationship remains a strong point, and readers hoping for romantic developments won’t be disappointed. Although the action and mystery are less compelling, fans of the first book will likely find this story an enjoyable return to their world.
An entertaining sequel that unfortunately doesn’t hold up to the series opener. (map) (Historical mystery. 13-18)Pub Date: Aug. 11, 2026
ISBN: 9780316575386
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter.
After a Nigerian British girl goes off to an exclusive boarding school that seems to prey on less-privileged students, she discovers there might be some truth behind an urban legend.
Ife Adebola joins the Urban Achievers scholarship program at pricey, high-pressure Nithercott School, arriving shortly after a student called Leon mysteriously disappeared. Gossip says he’s a victim of the glowing-eyed Changing Man who targets the lonely, leaving them changed. Ife doesn’t believe in the myth, but amid the stresses of Nithercott’s competitive, privileged, majority-white environment, where she is constantly reminded of her state school background, she does miss her friends and family. When Malika, a fellow Black scholarship student, disappears and then returns, acting strangely devoid of personality, Ife worries the Changing Man is real—and that she’s next. Ife joins forces with classmate Bijal and Benny, Leon’s younger brother, to uncover the truth about who the Changing Man is and what he wants. Culminating in a detailed, gory, and extended climactic battle, this verbose thriller tempts readers with a nefarious mystery involving racial and class-based violence but never quite lives up to its potential and peters out thematically by its explosive finale. However, this debut offers highly visually evocative and eerie descriptions of characters and events and will appeal to fans of creature horror, social commentary, and dark academia.
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9781250868138
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
A powerful story of family, belonging, and identity interlaced with thriller elements.
A wary teen wonders if she should run when people come looking for her.
Lucy Smith was raised by her white father, who said little about her mother. Following his death and her stepmother’s abandonment, Lucy entered the foster care system at 14. Her stepmother revealed that Lucy’s birth mom was Native American, but her social worker urged her to keep that quiet. Battered by her time in the foster care system, it’s no wonder that 18-year-old Lucy is cautious when she’s approached by a man who says he’s an attorney who helps Native American foster kids connect with their families and communities. He introduces her to a friend who reveals to Lucy that she knows her Ojibwe maternal relatives—but a wary Lucy refuses her offer to learn more. Someone is stalking her, after all, and the FBI is investigating the bomb that went off in the diner where she worked—an event she’s sure targeted her. This stand-alone from bestseller Boulley, who’s an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, includes characters her fans will recognize from previous works. The action scenes are mediated by ruminations on the failings of the foster care system and strong portrayals of Lucy’s relationship with her father and her complicated identity. Ardent book lover Lucy is a sympathetic narrator whose strong sense of justice is coupled with a deep acceptance of others.
A powerful story of family, belonging, and identity interlaced with thriller elements. (content warning, author’s note) (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2025
ISBN: 9781250328533
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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