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Rebel Fire (Young Sherlock Holmes #2)

3.93 of 5 stars 3.93 · rating details · 618 ratings · 97 reviews

Fourteen-year-old Sherlock Holmes knows that Amyus Crowe, his mysterious American tutor, has some dark secrets. But he didn’t expect to find John Wilkes Booth, the notorious assassin, apparently alive and well in England—and Crowe somehow mixed up in it. When no one will tell you the truth, sometimes you have to risk all to discover it for yourself. And so begins an advent...more

Hardcover, 352 pages

Published April 24th 2012 by Square Fish (first published January 1st 2010)

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Jan 07, 2013 Rebecca rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure, children, family-story, historical, mystery, young-adult

Fourteen-year-old Sherlock Holmes is just winding down from his last near-lethal adventure, when a new one crops up. It seems that perhaps John Wilkes Booth was not killed in America, and is now in England, recruiting for some nefarious purpose stateside. Of course Holmes investigates, and of course lands smack in the middle of the deadly plot. Soon he and his mentor, American spy Amyus Crow, and Amyus' daughter Virginia, are heading for America to rescue a kidnapped friend. Along the way Holmes...more

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Dec 05, 2012 Awesomegirl12(ara1) rated it 5 of 5 stars

The book that I read was Rebel Fire. The genre of the book is nonfiction and sometimes you just got to like that and sometimes you don't. I liked this book because it has execlent detail. At first when you read the beginning of the story it like this is so boring but when you get close to the middle thats the good part. This auther really make you feel like you are actually there and it was just like constant whats going to happen here or there. This book took plce in Great brittan and all over...more

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Sep 20, 2012 Marie-Claire rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ein totgeglaubter Auftragskiller und ein Verbrechen, das ein ganzes Land erschüttert, halten den jungen Sherlock Holmes in Atem. Und dann ist da noch sein Bruder, der irgendwie in dieser Geschichte mit drinzuhängen scheint. In seinem zweiten Fall führt die Spur den jungen Sherlock Holmes an einen Ort, an dem Leben und Tod keinen Wert besitzen, die Wahrheit jedoch unbezahlbar ist.

"Das Leben ist tödlich" ist der zweite Band der "Young Sherlock Holmes"-Reihe von Andrew Lane.
Dieses zweite Abenteuer...more Ein totgeglaubter Auftragskiller und ein Verbrechen, das ein ganzes Land erschüttert, halten den jungen Sherlock Holmes in Atem. Und dann ist da noch sein Bruder, der irgendwie in dieser Geschichte mit drinzuhängen scheint. In seinem zweiten Fall führt die Spur den jungen Sherlock Holmes an einen Ort, an dem Leben und Tod keinen Wert besitzen, die Wahrheit jedoch unbezahlbar ist.

"Das Leben ist tödlich" ist der zweite Band der "Young Sherlock Holmes"-Reihe von Andrew Lane.
Dieses zweite Abenteuer des jungen Sherlock Holmes zeichnet sich noch stärker durch Spannung und Action aus als der erste Band. Der Leser stürzt von einer gefährlichen Situation in die nächste, sodass die Spannungskurve diesmal sehr hoch angelegt ist und dem Leser mit viel Kurzweil das Lesen versüßt.
Andrew Lane hat das Setting wahren historischen Begebenheiten angepasst, wodurch man zusätzlich noch einiges an Informationen mit eingeflossen bekommt; z.B. der Mord an Abraham Lincoln. Im Nachwort des Autors werden viele dieser geschichtlichen Ereignisse noch zusätzlich näher erläutert.
Zusätzlich zu dem englischen Landleben, spielt "Das Leben ist tödlich" auch hauptsächlich in Amerika, dabei wurden die Gegensätze dieser beiden Länder kontrastiert herausgearbeitet und zeigen diese sehr anschaulich.
Auch dieses Abenteuer mit dem jungen Sherlock Holmes hat mir wieder sehr viel Spaß gemacht, daher freue ich mich schon auf die nächsten Bände, die hoffentlich noch einiges an Abenteuern bereithalten.

Die unterschiedlichen Charaktere wurden sehr ausdrucksstark dargestellt. Sherlock Holmes zeigt so langsam die ersten Züge des Denkers, der er in Arthur Conan Doyles Büchern ist.
Auch die Nebencharaktere sind sehr lebendig und unterschiedlich skizziert und fügen sich sehr gut in die Handlung ein.
Ich hoffe, dass man in den nächsten Bänden noch mehr über die Charaktere erfährt, die in jedem dieser Bücher auftauchen, da sich ihre Geschichten nur nach und nach offenbaren, sie aber interessante Protagonisten sind.

Der Schreibstil ist jugendgerecht, aber dennoch dem 19. Jahrhundert nachempfunden. Man fliegt flüssig durch die Seiten und wird gefesselt von den Ereignissen dieses Buches. Der Leser erhält nebenbei noch viele Informationen, die an den richtigen Stellen in die Handlung mit einfließen.(less)

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Aug 20, 2012 Gena rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Read under the title Rebel Fire here in the US. This is another good teenage Sherlock Holmes book. Sherlock has a way of getting himself and his friends in trouble and he does so in Rebel Fire. There is a plot afoot to return the "not-quite-as-dead-as-he-is-reported-to-be" John Wilkes Booth back to America and use him as a figurehead in a Confederate scheme. Of course Sherlock ends up in the middle of all this, and along the way Matty is taken hostage, Virginia is melancholy and Amyus Crowe is s...more

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Aug 17, 2012 Amy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, young-adult

This was just as entertaining and quick-paced as the first in the series, Death Cloud and, again, I had a hard time putting it down.

However, I had a hard time with believability. The first book, even though it was farfetched, it *worked*. This one, not so much. I had a hard time understanding just why Booth was needed. Why *him*? Why not someone else?

Why did Sherlock decide to take a bow and arrows with him? He's never used them before, yet he seemed to have no problem using them right when the...more

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Aug 13, 2012 BAYA Librarian rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Sherlock Holmes is having a very uneventful summer at Holmes Manor in Hampshire. A visit from his brother Mycroft brings the possibility of mystery and intrigue. Mycroft has not come for a visit with Sherlock but with his mysterious teacher Amyus Crowe. It seems that the famous assassin John Wilks Booth may be alive and living in England. Against both Mycroft and Crowe’s wishes Sherlock goes in search of Booth. His discovery of Booth’s whereabouts starts a series of events that lead to Sherlocks...more

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Jul 09, 2012 Wilson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I quite liked this book. It's a fast read - I finished it in under 4 hours.

It continues the (or at least a) 'secret origin' of Sherlock Holmes, as imagined by Andy Lane.

The action was fun; there was a good deal of tension, resolved satisfactorily. However, when Sherlock faces danger in these books, it's always in the back of my mind that he, as well as his brother Mycroft, must always survive relatively unscathed, in order to exist in the books that this is the prequel to.

I think this is a bit o...more I quite liked this book. It's a fast read - I finished it in under 4 hours.

It continues the (or at least a) 'secret origin' of Sherlock Holmes, as imagined by Andy Lane.

The action was fun; there was a good deal of tension, resolved satisfactorily. However, when Sherlock faces danger in these books, it's always in the back of my mind that he, as well as his brother Mycroft, must always survive relatively unscathed, in order to exist in the books that this is the prequel to.

I think this is a bit of a problem that Lane has created for himself by limiting the book's point-of-view to Sherlock's only, though related in third person. When Sherlock himself gets into a tight spot, it's hard to feel much in the way of suspense, because you know he has to live to meet Watson in A Study in Scarlet.

At this point in his life, Sherlock is still a youth and hasn't yet learned to control his emotions, rather than letting his emotions control him. So he is more quick to make friends and become attached to people, and even to be attracted to women. Since none of the people in these books (other than his brother) are characters who appear in Arthur Conan Doyle's canonical stories, we know that something is going to happen, to either the people themselves or to his relationship with them.

I think Lane could be using that fact a bit more to create more, and more believable, tension in the stories. We know that Sherlock's body is going to survive until he becomes the consulting detective of his later years, but what about his heart?

The other thing that Lane does that is fun (or could be) is make reference to aspects of Holmes's life in later years (in the canon), such as beekeeping and violin playing and even keeping letters by sticking them to the mantel with a knife.

However, I think Lane goes a bit overboard in presenting these 'early influences'. Assuming that he's planning on writing several of these prequels (which I assume, since the first two have only taken up a couple of months in Holmes's early life), I don't see that there's any need for so many of them to have appeared in just these first two books - life is rarely so pat.

Darnit, I liked this book - I really did! I'm giving it four stars, fercryinoutloud! The characters are well-developed, I cared whether they lived or not, and I liked the historical setting (though, again, I think Lane is trying a bit too hard, there; I'd like to see him do some smaller-scale stories, as most of the original Canon are, rather than the world-shaking high-politics things that have happened so far ... dang it, there I go again!).

I would definitely recommend this book. I just would like to see Lane get better as the series goes along (and I hope it goes along for a long time!).(less)

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Jun 26, 2012 Night Fury rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Gripping,
Entertaining,
A two-hours worth of solid riding, grilling facts to memory and o yea, that ever present, interminable sense of the foreboding doom for a soul.

Considering that I've recently added the very first of Sherlock Holmes' best cases to the ever-expanding literary archives in my mind, I found this book pretty exhilarating. Ok strike that. Perhaps I found the book as exhilarating as Sherlock Holmes' YOUTH could get. And sure, I would side with some of the critics who, I'm positively...more Gripping,
Entertaining,
A two-hours worth of solid riding, grilling facts to memory and o yea, that ever present, interminable sense of the foreboding doom for a soul.

Considering that I've recently added the very first of Sherlock Holmes' best cases to the ever-expanding literary archives in my mind, I found this book pretty exhilarating. Ok strike that. Perhaps I found the book as exhilarating as Sherlock Holmes' YOUTH could get. And sure, I would side with some of the critics who, I'm positively confident, would claim that parts of the novel stretched over tedious ground, what with the BORING internationally based conversations, nonetheless, most of it was, surprisingly, quite enjoyable.

The white porcelain masked dude... ooooh! (for those of you who may seem to think I was rocking back and forth in the sofa, with pinpricks of horror, molten terror dancing down my spine as I soared over the aforementioned character... please think again. It was more like... eyebrow raised (ie IF I could achieve the awesome accomplishment of doing so WITHOUT raising both eyebrows) and thinking - (view spoiler))

Overall, a great write, hilarious in those kiddy parts where young Sherlock strives for the affection of his sibling, and those wisely put (Sherlock styled) random blurt outs and spontaneously arising bouts of bravado (or the senseless, recklessness - whatever you name it, it's still the same ;) seriously made me smile.

(less)

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Apr 30, 2012 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I didn't read the first in this series, Death Cloud, but except for a few minor references to it, I don't think it hampered my understanding of this novel in any way. Sherlock is just learning to questions and observe, learning from his American teacher, Amyus Crowe, a sometimes agent for the Pinkerton Detective Agency. Amyus can make a lesson out of anything, even getting beat up and shot! He's kind of a loud brash American. He and his daughter Virginia are comfortable with Sherlock, but what A...more I didn't read the first in this series, Death Cloud, but except for a few minor references to it, I don't think it hampered my understanding of this novel in any way. Sherlock is just learning to questions and observe, learning from his American teacher, Amyus Crowe, a sometimes agent for the Pinkerton Detective Agency. Amyus can make a lesson out of anything, even getting beat up and shot! He's kind of a loud brash American. He and his daughter Virginia are comfortable with Sherlock, but what Amyus' true purpose is, I don't know. It may have been addressed in Death Cloud. But he is definitely an agent working for the government.

Through some accidental circumstances, Sherlock finds himself in the hands of some nefarious characters and just barely escapes with his life at the quick thinking of his friend Matty. Now, I know the character of the adult Sherlock, and I'm guessing Andrew Lane is planting the seeds of that character in this novel, but Sherlock has men with guns after him, and he stops on the stairs to look at Matty's handiwork and how he tripped the man chasing him with the gun. I would think as smart as Sherlock is, he'd get out of there. But then the adult version of Sherlock is known to be cryptic and somewhat exasperating. This Sherlock proves to be at times. The pages upon pages of observation about the workings of the steam engine of the ship was something I completely skipped. I couldn't picture it in my mind and to me it added nothing to the story. But again, this is the kind of information Sherlock would store away for future use. The story carries Sherlock, Amyus and Virginia Crowe to America aboard a ship. They are after Matty who has been kidnapped. Sherlock is often reckless in trying to help and I'm guessing is learning his lessons at this young age so that he is a more rational man in his older age.

I liked Amyus Crowe and Virginia, they were both very open and friendly. The English characters were stiff (as I believe the author meant them to seem) but Sherlock was more open than them. He's brilliant, even at this age. And brave. He doesn't have the best of living situations and he's desperate to hang on to his friends, Virginia and Matty. The story moved slowly in the Sherlock observation stages and then picked right back up because he was usually in mortal peril while he was making these observations. That was annoying. But again, that's Sherlock Holmes. In all, I really enjoyed the story and think this is definitely a great novel for young adult readers. If you enjoy mysteries, on a grand scale, history- this one dealt with the Civil War, and/or Sherlock Holmes, you'll really enjoy this one. I don't think I'd call this a boy book. I'd call it a Sherlock Holmes book and you can't really classify those for one gender or another. They are classics and this one is too. I can't wait to read the next one!

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher, Farrar, Straus and Giroux through NetGalley. This in no way influenced my review of the novel.
Heather

Also, there is a very detailed list of sources the author used for his information in the book at the end which some of you may find interesting. It's clear that Andrew Lane takes building young Sherlock's character into the one Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote, seriously.(less)

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Jan 07, 2012 Jennifer Rayment rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Good Stuff

* This is my favorite so far of the series
* Fast paced and exciting with plenty of action and suspense
* Interesting storyline with a truly unique and unusual villain
* Good amount of humour to lighten up the darker moments
* Some snippets of interesting historical information immersed within the story - as ususal with Lane done in a subtle and fascinating manor that the little buggers won't even realize they are learning something (ok, who's kidding who, I learned some stuff too...more

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May 27, 2012 Libby rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-my-boys, mystery, young-adult-fiction

In this second book in the Young Sherlock Holmes series, we get more insight into how Sherlock becomes the archetypical sleuth we know. He is continuing his studies with American tutor Amyus Crow, but becomes intrigued when his brother Mycroft comes to visit Crow on urgent business. When he overhears their discussion about President Lincoln’s assassin, John Wilkes Booth, possibly being in England and nearby, Sherlock is determined to investigate. However, his investigation doesn’t go as planned...more

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Jul 23, 2012 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sherlock-holmes, ya-fiction

I am really enjoying this series. It is fun to see a different spin on Sherlock Holmes. Seeing him as a teen learning his craft and having feelings is bizarre and fun at the same time. His Tutor Aymus Crowe teaches him how to use deduction and reason to work through a troubling situation. In this book we also get to see the beginning of his love of the violin. These are the types of things that keep me interested. It is the complete opposite of how Doyle wrote him, however, in this context it ju...more

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May 21, 2011 Xolindsayxx18 rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Second book in the Young Sherlock Holmes takes young Sherlock to America on the trail of a mentally unstable assain, his keepers, who have also kidnapped Matty. Set sail with Sherlock, Amyus Crowe, and Viginina on their way to America.

**Review may contain spoilers**
I enjoyed the second installment of this series, and am looking forward to the next. Lets start with the bad points first. My biggest problem is that Sherlock just seems to have SO much luck. People are always coming in at just th...more

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Jun 23, 2012 Hazel West rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Well, I did end up liking this better than the first one. I think Sherlock's character is better developed and he seems to be acting more like the Sherlock we all know and love. I've come to quite like this series and I think it will be one I will enjoy reading to the end. I really have a great respect for the author's writing style and the way he can craft a story. It's been a very long time since I have read about villains like the ones he writes into his books. They are equal parts cunning an...more

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Jan 06, 2013 Janis rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, young-adult

The Young Sherlock Holmes series, the first teen series endorsed by the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle estate, is being reissued. It took me a very long time to even begin to enjoy this book. I listened to it on audiobook (the reader did a mostly very good job--even saying Duke as "dook" when Americans speak, as as "dyuke" when the British characters say it), but I frequently turned it off because I didn't really care about the story.

I found this to really be more of a juvenile adventure book than a tee...more

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May 19, 2012 Elisa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-with-reviews

“Young Sherlock Holmes, Red Leech” by Andrew Lane is once again, being the second book in the series, an action packed mystery which leads Sherlock Holmes to America.
Andrew Lane has recreated the famous detective series of Sherlock Holmes but brings him back to 1864, when he is 14 years old. He is living in the countryside of Britain with his Uncle Sherrinford and Aunt Anna, because his mother is very ill in hospital and his father is working in India. The story begins on a usual afternoon while...more “Young Sherlock Holmes, Red Leech” by Andrew Lane is once again, being the second book in the series, an action packed mystery which leads Sherlock Holmes to America.
Andrew Lane has recreated the famous detective series of Sherlock Holmes but brings him back to 1864, when he is 14 years old. He is living in the countryside of Britain with his Uncle Sherrinford and Aunt Anna, because his mother is very ill in hospital and his father is working in India. The story begins on a usual afternoon while Sherlock is being taught by Amyus Crowe, his american tutor. Sherlock’s older brother Mycroft, a civil servant working for the government in London, surprises him with a visit. Mycroft immediately requests for a private conversation with Crowe as he was once an agent for the U.S. union. Crowe catches Sherlock eavesdropping and knowing his curiosity, they tell him everything.The world’s most famous assassin who killed president Lincoln, Booth, was meant to be dead, but somehow was still alive. He was reported to have fled to England and is very close by to the Holmes Manor. Sherlock leaves and sets off with his good friend Matty for the house which Booth was supposedly living in. They find the house after an hour’s horse ride and Sherlock tries to get a better look at it but is brutally pulled inside by a madman. He encounters three other criminals: Gilfillan, Ives and Berle. Matty saves him from receiving a bullet in the head and Sherlock soon gets home to tell Crowe everything. The criminals kidnap Matty the next day while he was on route to Crowe’s house. Crowe and Sherlock chase the carriage which was driving him away but could not rescue him. Sherlock, Amyus Crowe and his daughter, Virginia set off by ship to America to get Matty back. The young Holmes instantly finds himself on a train with Virginia following the capturers who have Matty. Sherlock soon is on top of the train fighting for his life against Ives with only a slingshot. Once caught, they are all thrown into a reptile pit. Throughout it all, Sherlock does whatever it takes him to stop Balthassar’s, the master mind behind it all, and his master plot.

I was intrigued by the scene when Sherlock arrives in America. After an eight day boat trip, Sherlock reaches the United States of America for his first time. As he steps off the boat, Sherlock is immediately fascinated by New York. Sherlock always asks questions to himself whenever he sees something new or interesting and so he looked around himself, trying to find the differences between England and America. To him, something was indefinably different, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Sherlock was amazed by the wide dirt streets, the buildings made of either wood or brown stone, many shops and offices, large tenement buildings where hundreds of people lived together in their own separate sets of rooms. Everything was amazing. These were the things that Sherlock saw in America. I liked the way Sherlock is trying to find the differences between the two countries. I, myself, have been to both of these countries but not in the 19th century. New York is today famous for it’s massive skyscrapers and it was surprising reading how the city was back then compared to today. I can imagine the difference from the past to today and the descriptions of Andrew Lane make me feel as though I was walking down those old streets of New York next to Sherlock.

The scene when Sherlock, Virginia and Matty are taken hostage by the bad guys as they were forced to get off of the train, captured me the most. Duke Balthassar, the mastermind behind everything finally is introduced. The face behind his white porcelain mask uncovers a gruesome face and a terrible mind. Balthassar tells them that they will die and so their knowledge would go with them. Sherlock says that he will not reveal anything he knows as they will be killed either way. Balthassar then threatens to order his tamed animals to bite Virginia’s hand off if he does not. And so the conversation goes on with the two brains testing each other. The tension’s still rising while you’re left wondering what Sherlock will do to save him and his friends this time. Sherlock knows that Balthassar will kill them anyway and so he asks him about his “master plan”. Everyone in the room remains silent during their discussion. This was the scene which I waited for throughout the book. The scene which reveals the title “Red leech” but also the “master plan” which was so important. Important enough to kidnap an innocent boy(Matty) just so his knowledge wouldn’t escape. It was revealed by Balthassar just simply telling Sherlock everything, it was not a mystery he had to solve for himself. The plan was simple but surprising. Andrew Lane cleverly thought up the most important conversation of the book which was great and gripping.

“Young Sherlock Holmes, Red Leech” is a great adventure with countless moments where you don’t know what will happen or what Sherlock will do next. It is a good adaptation of young Sherlock still very inquisitive. The unpredictable twist had a lot of thought put in to it and overall made this book very exciting.(less)

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Oct 08, 2012 Marcus Vinicius Medeiros rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My first contact with Sherlock Holmes was in my childhood with the Young Sherlock Holmes 80´s movie (O Enigma da Pirâmide, here in Brazil) so I really like stories about that period of his life. These new books by author Andrew Lane which chronicles the early adventures of the detective, his formative years, are full of action and adventures with good characters, very different from the work of Arthur Conan Doyle. But still a joy to the fans like myself, who apreciate different takes on beloved...more

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Aug 07, 2012 Jessica Day rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Red Leech blew away Death Cloud. Maybe I related to the characters and story more than in Death Cloud because the plot revolved around the post-civil war United States. The plot revolved around things I knew, so the story was more enjoyable. I liked that Virginia played a larger role, even though I usually hate Sherlock love interests. Virginia is wild, American and she breaks the boundaries of Sherlock’s time. I can’t help but admire her character. On a final note, Red Leech has more action and...more

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May 06, 2013 Brittany rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, part-of-a-series, mystery

Sherlock solved one puzzle only to be thrust into a new one. Now, Sherlock hears that John Wilkes Booth is alive and in England. He hears there's a conspiracy afoot, since Sherlock's brother has asked Amyus Crowe to attend to the matter. Sherlock can't resist going to the house he supposedly inhabits and trying to gain a peak at this infamous assassin. Unfortunately, that's where things start to go wrong. Sherlock gets into a heap of trouble and my have to travel across the Atlantic to get himse...more Sherlock solved one puzzle only to be thrust into a new one. Now, Sherlock hears that John Wilkes Booth is alive and in England. He hears there's a conspiracy afoot, since Sherlock's brother has asked Amyus Crowe to attend to the matter. Sherlock can't resist going to the house he supposedly inhabits and trying to gain a peak at this infamous assassin. Unfortunately, that's where things start to go wrong. Sherlock gets into a heap of trouble and my have to travel across the Atlantic to get himself back out of it.

Can I just start by mentioning how disgusting leeches are. You may be thinking to yourself "Britt, what do leeches have to do with this book review?". In which I would reply..."Everything". The UK title of this book is Red Leech and that is what this story opens with. A huge, fat, disgusting, blood-sucking leech. If you're still with me though let me say that regardless of that quite gross beginning (and middle-ish ends bits) this book was just as amazing as the first.

Sherlock is a magnet for trouble and is inquisitive by nature and those things just don't mix well for a person. He is constantly inserting himself where he doesn't belong. Even though he often makes the mess in the first place, he is always eager to help clean up. Which makes him a good character that you don't have to hate for being so troublesome.

This series is just a lot of fun and this novel caused my heart pound a bit because I just wasn't sure how they were going to get out of some of the situations. I mean, obviously Sherlock will survive, because there are more books and he becomes an adult, but Matty and Virginia's fates aren't so secure. Read this series. Now. Seriously, you won't regret it.

First Line:
"James Hillager thought he was hallucinating when he first saw the giant leech."

Favorite Line:
"'That isn't a logical course of action. Just Give in; it'll be easier and less painful.'
'You promised me that before,' Sherlock panted, 'and you lied.'"

Read more: http://www.areadingnook.com/#ixzz2SXD...(less)

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Nov 22, 2012 Meichan added it · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure, detective, mystery

i was uncertain by the prospect of the story, especially since it's trying to show a side to sherlock we might not be aware of, but apparently it was quite... entertaining despite the fact it has some plot holes and a bit dragging on here and there..
but all in all, it was quite a pleasant new perspective on my beloved sleuth.

note to self:
- so what was it abt the parasol? is it only to serve how sherlock longs for an organized mind where people can delete things s/he doesn't want/need?
- how come...more

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Aug 05, 2012 Kalilah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I thought it started off very good, what with all the lessons on logic and instincts and philosophy, but about half way through I found myself a little let down by the lack of real action, mystery and suspense. It was all rather predictable. I don't know if it was meant to be or not. Nevertheless, I still intend to read the other books because I really liked the somewhat educational aspects of the book, the fact that it revolves around real historical facts and events, and the mildly amusing aut...more

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Feb 08, 2013 Debora rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fisicamente_posseduto, read_2013, da_autori_e_caseeditrici

È finalmente arrivato in libreria, il secondo romanzo della serie Young Sherlock Holmes di Andrew Lane, la prima serie per ragazzi, dedicata all’eterno personaggio di Sherlock Holmes, approvata dal dal Conan Doyle Literary Estate.

Come nel primo romanzo, Andrew Lane continua a interpretare i vari “indizi” lasciati da Conan Doyle nelle sue opere originarie per riunirli in queste intriganti rappresentazioni di un giovane detective in erba che, altrimenti, non avremmo mai avuto il piacere di conosce...more

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Jan 14, 2013 Adrienne rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

More like 3.5.

When a supposedly dead American assassin turns up in England, Sherlock, despite being warned by both his brother and his tutor to steer clear, can't help but get involved. Except by doing so, he just makes matters worse and his friend Matty is kidnapped by the assassin and his co-conspirators. They depart for America, and Sherlock, undeterred by their attempts to keep him away, follows to try to rescue his friend and finds himself in more trouble than he could have imagined.

This b...more

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Apr 27, 2013 Erica rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

(This is the same book as Red Leech.) It was consistent with the first in the series - the plot & action rely too much on coincidence and chance, but there's lots of exciting chase and fight scenes. Also similar to the first book; when we finally meet the villain, he's disgusting! This time it is leeches, covering and disfiguring the villain's face & body. It was particularly annoying how Virginia was seasick for almost the entire book, and Sherlock solves all the problems himself withou...more

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Oct 23, 2012 Marathon County Public Library rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: teen, mcpl-review, teen-fiction-mystery, teen-fiction

Young Sherlock Holmes is back in the sequel to Death Cloud with all of his friends: Virginia, Matty and Mr. Crowe. A kidnapping and an unexpected trip across the Atlantic to the United States brings them into a fight for their lives. If you like the recent movie and TV renditions of Sherlock Holmes, give this one a try. (U.S. edition is titled "Rebel Fire.")

Katie Z. / Marathon County Public Library
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Sep 28, 2012 Kerstin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: re-2012

Kurzbeschreibung:
Ein totgeglaubter Auftragskiller und ein Verbrechen, das ein ganzes Land erschüttert, halten den jungen Sherlock Holmes in Atem. Und dann ist da noch sein Bruder, der irgendwie in dieser Geschichte mit drinzuhängen scheint. In seinem neuen Fall führt die Spur den jungen Meisterdetektiv an einen Ort, an dem Leben und Tod keinen Wert besitzen, die Wahrheit jedoch unbezahlbar ist.

Zum Autor:
Andrew Lane ist der Autor von mehr als 20 Büchern, unter anderem Romanen zu bekannten TV-Seri...more

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Nov 22, 2010 Catherine rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Another fun adventure with Sherlock at 14. I lost count of the amount of times he nearly died in this book, but never ever a dull moment, lol. Really great plot and use of historical events entwined with fiction. Could barely put it down. 2 cliffhangers in the first 3 chapters alone, lol.

My only criticism is to whoever categorised this book as 11+ because seriously? Gruesome deaths galore and some really heavily detailed material that anyone as young as eleven would not get at all.

But yeah, ove...more

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Apr 07, 2013 Mara rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: tbr-2013-challenge, 2013-reads, books-to-buy, historical-fiction, mystery, sherlockian-fiction

Cover Blurb: Yes or No? Compared to the last cover of Death Cloud, it's a definite yes. Don't really know why the compass is on the front, since there's no compass featured in the story, but oh well.

Characters: Young Sherlock Holmes continues to be nothing like the Sherlock Holmes we all know and love. Young Sherlock is too apologetic, too openly emotional, and always seeking others' approval. There's also nothing uncannily brilliant about him; he's just average, and there's still no sign of his...more

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Apr 04, 2013 Diana Gagliardi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

4.5- it's not at the point of Russell...

Ok, almost a year ago we got this book in the library. I had read the first one- Death Cloud- and enjoyed it. I liked where they were taking it and the characterizations, etc. The cover is the new style, a teenager in Victorian clothing and a Bieber haircut with a cool background. I liked it.

Second one comes in- Rebel Fire. The cover style is changed (full red with the title half the book, a quarter of it with a picture- a compass with a gun holding figure...more

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Apr 08, 2012 Kathy Martin rated it 5 of 5 stars

What an action-packed adventure! I loved this new Sherlock Holmes story. Sherlock is fourteen, living with an aunt and uncle, being tutored by Amyus Crowe, and honing the skills he will have as an adult detective. The time is just after the American Civil War. Mycroft comes to Amyus to have him investigate the rumor that John Wilkes Booth didn't die shortly after Lincoln's assassination but rather escaped and is currently in England. Sherlock and his friend Matty go to investigate the house wher...more

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About Andy Lane

Andy Lane, who also writes under the name Andrew Lane, lives in Dorset with his wife, his son and a vast collection of Sherlock Holmes books, the purchase of which over the past twenty years is now a justifiably tax-deductible expense.

Andrew is the author of some twenty previous books. Some are original novels set in the same universes as the BBC TV programmes Doctor Who, Torchwood and Randall an...more

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“I am a . . . solitary . . . man, he said. 'I do not suffer fools gladly, and I prefer to spend my time alone with a book and a decanter of brandy.” — 1 person liked it

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title link	preview: Rebel Fire
avg rating	preview: Rebel Fire Goodreads rating: 3.93 (618 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13538917-rebel-fire?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1333079423l/13538917.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13538917-rebel-fire?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Rebel Fire by Andy Lane[/url]

Rebel Fire (Young Sherlock Holmes #2)

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