In the first book of The Legend Begins series we meet 14-year-old Sherlock Holmes and see his life as a teenager. Sherlock is looking forward to spending his summer vacation at home with his family after a difficult term at school. His dad is unexpectedly called to India, his mother is sick and his brother Mycroft has too much work to take care of him so he is shipped off to distant relatives he has never met for the summer. Not looking forward to his summer he tries to adapt to life at his Uncle and Aunts house. He becomes friends with a village ruffian, and his brother Mycroft sets him up with an American tutor in hopes of keeping him out of trouble. But then two local people die from what resembles the plague but Sherlock suspects they were murdered. A strange black cloud was seen rising in the air after each death. Amyus Crowe his American tutor teaches Sherlock how to watch, listen and learn everything you can about what is going on around you. He taught Sherlock how to use his powers of deduction. But when the murderer figures out that Sherlock knows who he is, Sherlock finds himself kidnapped twice and trying to save not just his life but the life of his friend Matty and his tutor Amyus Crowe and his daughter Virginia. A little slow to start but the action picks up and then it ends with a thrill packed conclusion. A great introduction to Sherlock and his life as a detective.  330 pages  Ages  11-14

Recommended by: Joleen Waltman, Librarian, Idaho, USA