Young Sherlock Holmes: Black Ice
 MacMillan Books 2011 paperback edition. | |
| Author | Andy Lane |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | Young Sherlock Holmes |
| Genre | Detective novel |
| Published | 2011 (Macmillan Books) |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 304 pages |
| Preceded by | Red Leech |
| Followed by | Fire Storm |
Young Sherlock Holmes: Black Ice is the third novel in the Young Sherlock Holmes series that depicts Arthur Conan Doyle's detective Sherlock Holmes as a teenager in the 1860s. It was written by Andrew Lane and released in the United Kingdom on 3 June 2011[1] by Macmillan Books. It follows on from Young Sherlock Holmes: Death Cloud and Young Sherlock Holmes: Red Leech.
Plot summary
Mycroft Holmes invites Sherlock and his tutor, Amyus Crowe, to London for a visit. When they arrive at the Diogenes Club they find Mycroft holding a dagger over a dead body. The police arrive soon and arrest Mycroft, leaving Sherlock and Amyus to prove his innocence. They find some clues at the murder scene; a business card, a small bottle with a clear liquid in it, and a small wooden case. They determine that the business card is freshly printed and look for printers around London who might have created it.
The pair split up and Sherlock locates the right printer which leads him to a bouncer in a local tavern. Sherlock tails the bouncer, but the bouncer manages to turn the tables on him, and chases Sherlock into the sewers inhabited by London's abandoned and feral children. Sherlock has to run for his life to escape them, and ends up at the London Necropolis Railway.
Sherlock and Amyus meet up again and have dangerous encounter with a falcon in an animal museum. From there it becomes evident that events occurring in Russia may be linked to Mycroft's frame-up. Due to the mysterious disappearance of Mycroft's agent Robert Wormersley who was located in Moscow, Sherlock and Mycroft accompanied by Rufus Stone will have to go to Moscow. Sherlock, as a part of their disguise, joins a travelling theatre troupe to Russia to uncover the truth.
In Russia they find Wormesley's house in a state of chaos, it is then apparent that someone was searching for several objects. On their way back to the hotel, Sherlock is framed up for pick-pocketing. Sherlock then runs as the police is on his trail, he soon finds himself in a dead end, and the only way to escape was via a manhole.
While he descends, he can hear the people who set him state that the manhole led to a tributary of the Moscow river, the Neglinnaya, Sherlock then goes downstream in order to make it to the river. He is chased by the people who set him up. While navigating through the river he meets a pack of dogs that have adapted to survive in dark tunnels. Sherlock sees that they have ears larger than ordinary and speculates that their sense of hearing is greater than those of the normal dogs, Knowing this Sherlock does not make a noise, but due to the twitching of his finger the dogs get ready to pounce on him, at this moment Sherlock's pursuer has his hand over Sherlock's neck, his hand is bitten by a dog and he loosens his grip allowing Sherlock to escape.
Sherlock soon finds his way in the Moscow river and climbs on its banks, only to see Mycroft being arrested by Russia's secret police-the Third Section. He is then met by Robert Wormesley who was watching Mycroft's arrest and tells him that they both will have to plan the next move in order to save Mycroft's life.
Both of them chat in a cafe, where Sherlock deduced that Mycroft was being taken to be framed for the murder of Count Shuvalov's murder and that Wormesley is against him. Rufus Stone sets fire to the cafe to help Sherlock escape from Wormesley. Sherlock and Stone reach the building where Mycroft and Count Shuvalov are located. Once there, they lure away the falcon trained to kill Shuvalov.
Characters
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes has grown since the events of his previous two adventures, and he is not afraid to do things on his own initiative. When he realizes that Amyus will not be accompanying him to Russia he is initially disappointed and worried how he will perform without his mentor, but soon grows in confidence. His relationship with Rufus Stone becomes more complex when Mycroft reveals a secret about Stone. His admiration for his older brother Mycroft continues to increase.
Mycroft Holmes
Sherlock's older brother, who works in espionage, invites Sherlock and Amyus to visit him in London, and is quickly framed for murder. In an unprecedented move Mycroft breaks his fixed orbit, and takes a trip to Russia to investigate whether or not events in that country are related to his murder accusation. He is also very obese.
Amyus Crowe
Amyus, a very tall man, who helps Sherlock investigate Mycroft's murder accusation. Being his tutor he is attempting to hone Sherlock's observational and deductive skills along the way.
Rufus Stone
Rufus Stone is a violinist who becomes involved in the adventure when Mycroft reveals the truth behind his chance encounter with Sherlock. This secret changes Sherlock's relationship with Rufus forever
References
External links
- Official Young Sherlock Holmes site (UK)
- Official Young Sherlock Holmes series site (U.S.)
- Chapter 1 of Black Ice