The monster within by Darrell Pitt
A Jack Mason adventure Book 4. Text Publishing, 2015. ISBN
9781922182876
(Age: 9-12) Recommended. Victorian London. Steampunk
Fiction. Detectives. Mysteries. Kaboom! The streets of London are
filled with people shopping, walking and enjoying the first day of
summer when an explosion rocks the streets. Panic ensues and Jack
desperately searches for his friend Scarlet in the rubble of the
haberdashery shop. News of other fatal bombings draws the detective
team of Mr. Doyle and the teenagers Jack and Scarlet into another
fast-paced adventure. Against the backdrop of Victorian London where
women are fighting for their right to vote by marching through the
city and starving for their beliefs, a monster is seen rising out of
the sewers, terrorising the people of Whitechapel. Are these two
mysteries linked? The skills, creative thinking and derring-do of
the team is needed.
Mr. Doyle's quirky habits has him eating mouldy cheese from the
depths of his pockets, and reminiscing about past adventures where
three unusual objects helped him solve the mysteries. His apartment
at 221 Bee Street is filled with a quirky assortment of objects and
a home for Jack and Scarlet. Inspector Greystoke, Mrs. Dudley, leader
of a peaceful suffragette group The Primrose Society, and her husband
industrial chemist William Dudley plan the best way to stop The
Valkyrie Circle, a terrorist organisation.
Before travelling to Spain, Jack and Scarlet set out to discover if
the monster exists, and trouble awaits, with fights, confrontations, and
Scarlet's consistent comparison to her favourite story heroine
Brinkie Buckeridge ever present. They board 'The Lion's Mane'
and travel across the skies to the Gaudi inspired city of Barcelona.
Their hunt for the terrorists involves much danger, great risks and
unfortunately Jack and Scarlet are captured.
Back in London, all the threads link together and conclude in a
spectacular fashion.
This Jack Mason Adventure by Darrell Pitt is all that the
fans expect and this time there's more detecting than technology and
the teenagers are seen developing their skills, education and taking
more risks.
Recommended for readers from 9-12.
Rhyllis Bignell