MIND GAMES

The adventures of a modern Holmes and a girl Moriarty, begun in Lock & Mori (2015), continue.

When Jamie Moriarty—Mori—proved her abusive father was the serial killer responsible for murdering Mori's con-artist mother and best friend, it just complicated her life. Sure, as a 16-year-old she's allowed to live alone, but her beloved kid brothers are saved from the foster system only by the fortuitous appearance of their dead mother's BFF. Mori's ex-cop dad has too many allies in the police force; are they responsible for framing Mori by leaving a dismembered hand in her rubbish bin? Mori's relationship with her brilliant classmate Lock—Sherlock Holmes himself—develops romantically (was the gender-swap really necessary to add sexual tension to this century-old pairing of beloved enemies?), but Mori keeps a distance, protecting her heart. Sherlock repeatedly imposes on Mori far too often (while mouthing platitudes about respect), with unpleasant boundary pushing that leads Mori to doubt herself. Luckily, she's a splendidly resourceful heroine: despite her gaslighting father, her pushy boyfriend, and the multiple murderers who trash her house and leave a corpse in her doorway, Mori keeps her own wise counsel and solves the many puzzles around her. Copious Americanisms weaken the London setting of these white teens.

A surprise twist sets up the cracker of a cliffhanger