No Place Like Holmes

Griffin Sharpe's visit to his uncle takes an unexpected and exciting turn when the two find themselves investigating a mysterious disappearance. His skills of observation honed and ready, Griffin is reminiscent of a young Sherlock Holmes, who happens to live in the apartment above Griffin's uncle.

This book is adorable. And I mean that in an entirely non-condescending way. Griffin is a perfect young detective, displaying a keen mind and a kind heart. While his powers of observation and deduction are well beyond the pale for one his age, Griffin is still portrayed as a sweet, amiable kid - a feat I believe deserving of some applause for Lethcoe's writing ability. Creating that combination of intelligence and innocence takes great skill show more in my opinion. Griffin reads as a precocious but delightful thirteen year old.

The plot is fast-paced and exciting without relying too heavily on spectacle or melodrama. The clues Griffin finds and his conclusions deducted from them are explained, but briefly and simply in a way perfect for a middle grade fiction novel (or for an adult brain that's looking for light and easy).

I really only have two complaints. One involves a plot spoiler, so skip the rest of this paragraph if that bothers you. The novel maintains a middle grade level of violence until the end when suddenly death is a very real option. I wasn't a fan of this sudden turn to knives and stabbings and would have preferred the work stay consistently in the non-violent realm.

My second complaint regards religion. The son of a Methodist minister, Griffin's religious nature permeates the text, not necessarily dominating the tale, but still maintaining a consistent presence. Griffin calls upon God in his hour of need and despairs of his Uncle's lack of belief. There were a few moments that felt trite, unnecessary and cliched. Then again, I have to admit a bit of a prejudice when it comes to religion in novels; if it's not central to the story, I find the inclusion annoying.

I first requested the book because of its connection to Sherlock Holmes. I had just read Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Holmes and taught the modern film Sherlock Holmes, so I was on a Holmesian (Sherlockian?) bender. While Sherlock doesn't have a large role in the book, he is still a constant character. Snodgrass suffers from severe bouts of jealousy against his competitor, in part fueled by a callousness on Holmes' part when Snodgrass was a child. And of course, Holmes flits around in the background throughout the story. And yet again, a Sherlockian (Holmesian?) book has me slapping my forehead over my neglect of the original canon. I really must rectify the situation soon and read some Holmes. show less

My Thoughts:
This is a great mystery for YA readers! This is a wonderful story for the "new to mystery" readers to 'cut their teeth' on. It is well written, planned out from beginning to end, entertaining, and much more emotional than I had expected.
The characters are fantastic! I fell in love with Griffin - what a sweet, sad little boy. I found myself close to tears many times. I was thrilled to see that his demeanor influences that of his Uncle Snodgrass in a positive way.
The villains are sooooo evil, Nigel - - - what a HORRID man - a larger version of the contemptible young man he had been as a child.
All the characters stand out in some way.
The plot is not so complicated that the adult reader doesn't see the next move coming, but show more all the while it is complex enough to keep you turning the pages and wondering about the end.
I have to admit that I wasn't ready for the end!
I love that there is an element of steampunk thrown in! The inventions are wonderful. I would love to have read this aloud to middle schoolers, just so I could have seen their faces when Griffin gets to use Snodgrass's information finding machine. Watts is amazing!

Overall a very worthwhile read! Intriguing and entertaining from start to finish.
I plan to impatiently await the next book in the series! show less

What a great concept for a book! It really delivered too! I loved it so much. I felt bad for Griffin when he found out that the great Sherlock Holmes was not his uncle. But he still found out that his uncle was a detective and decided to make due with what he had.

Some of the situations that the two get into made me chuckle. This was a nice light read with an interesting mystery.

This is perfect for those middle grade readers who have a penchant to try to figure things out.

In conjunction with the Wakela's World Disclosure Statement, I received a product in order to enable my review. No other compensation has been received. My statements are an honest account of my experience with the brand. The opinions stated here are mine alone.

Jason Lethcoe’s No Place Like Holmes begins with a clever premise: the story is set in the London of Sherlock Holmes and the events run parallel to the adventures of the great detective. The heroes of the story, young Griffin Sharpe and his uncle Rupert Snodgrass, live in the flat below Holmes at 221 Baker Street They test their wits against Nigel, the cousin of James Moriarty; and occasionally even cross paths with Sherlock himself. Unfortunately, the book is marred by lazy writing and obnoxious attempts at forcing Christianity upon the reader that might not sit well with even the 9- to 12-year-old intended audience.

Lethcoe seems to approach writing by scribbling down the first words that come to his mind, which seems to be filled show more with scraps from Saturday morning cartoons and bad detective movies. His characters are cartoonish and stereotypical, and in developing them he relies too much on telling and not enough on showing. The polite, mild-mannered Griffin Sharpe is intended to be a role model for young children, but his lack of flaws makes him a terribly uninteresting character. Uncle Rupert, on the other hand, is riddled with flaws, but the author uses the character’s logical mind to make several mean-spirited smears against science.

To its credit, the plot is easy to follow and sometimes amusing. The story’s central mystery unfolds slowly and gives children time to solve the case along with Griffin and his uncle. But the plotting suffers from the same laziness that affects the writing. Too often, the plot only progresses due to one of Rupert’s anachronistic inventions, the most egregious of which is a makeshift computer complete with internet access. And when the author really writes himself into a hole, he simply uses God to propel the story forward. These shoddy plot devices just have no place in a novel that attempts to mirror the style and atmosphere of a Sherlock Holmes story. In his attempt to pay homage to Holmes the author has only done them both a great disservice. show less

Just a plain old good book. I think it speaks directly to its target kid audience--a neat little mystery, exploration of morality, ethics, and some emotional angst, mechanical gadgets, and overall fun. I believe it's from a Christian publisher and religion and faith do come up, but I didn't feel like I was hit over the head with it. The faith is simply part of the kid's life, rather than a separate element to be made much of.

Reviewed by Kira M for TeensReadToo.com

When Griffin gets sent by his mother to live with his uncle at 221 Baker Street, he gets excited at the thought that his uncle may be the great Sherlock Holmes. When he gets there, however, he discovers that his uncle lives in 221B and is named Rupert Snodgrass, the neighbor of Sherlock Holmes, resident of 221A.

His uncle, though, is also a detective like Holmes, but he uses instruments and science instead of intuition to solve mysteries. When the wife of Frederick Dent runs into Griffin and starts begging to see Sherlock Holmes, Griffin takes her home. They soon discover that Sherlock isn't there, and Rupert takes on the case himself.

Mr. Dent, the clockmaker, was supposed to meet someone at the show more pier in order to fix one of the greatest clocks ever created. Witnesses who saw him disappear claim he was swallowed up by a great creature that looked like the Loch Ness Monster.

What really happened to Frederick Dent? Can Rupert and Griffin solve the case?

A quick, fun read for anyone who likes mysteries. The characters are lovable and well-developed, even the cranky uncle and the villains. The plot is well-crafted and the mystery is intriguing and does a good job of holding the reader's interest. Those who like mysteries, adventure, mythology, and science will all enjoy reading NO PLACE LIKE HOLMES. show less