Review: Lock & Mori (Lock & Mori #1) by Heather W. Petty

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Lock & Mori
Series: Lock & Mori #1
Author: Heather W. Petty
Published September 15th 2015 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Goodreads Synopsis
In modern-day London, two brilliant high school students—one Sherlock Holmes and a Miss James “Mori” Moriarty—meet. A murder will bring them together. The truth very well might drive them apart.

Before they were mortal enemies, they were much more…

FACT: Someone has been murdered in London’s Regent’s Park. The police have no leads.

FACT: Miss James “Mori” Moriarty and Sherlock “Lock” Holmes should be hitting the books on a school night. Instead, they are out crashing a crime scene.

FACT: Lock has challenged Mori to solve the case before he does. Challenge accepted.

FACT: Despite agreeing to Lock’s one rule—they must share every clue with each other—Mori is keeping secrets.

OBSERVATION: Sometimes you can’t trust the people closest to you with matters of the heart. And after this case, Mori may never trust Lock again.
Goodreads

Review
I've read a few different Sherlock retellings recently, and even though I've had this book since January, I've kept putting it off for some reason. Now, I don't know whether to be happy or sad I waited so long to read this amazing book. It's quite a small book, but packed full of plot, and I read it in just a few hours, and now think that the wait for Mind Games might kill me.

The other Sherlock retellings I've read, A Study in Charlotte and the Every series, have had Holmes and Watson, in whatever form, as the main characters. Lock & Mori, as you can probably guess, used the Holmes and Moriarty characters, instead, though they weren't enemies. James 'Mori' Moriarty is the only daughter of police DS James Moriarty, and is taking care of her three younger brothers since the death of their mother. Since losing his wife, DS Moriarty has been a vicious wreak, and Mori knows how to read the signs on when best to avoid her father. After a few chance encounters with the reclusive Sherlock Holmes, Mori becomes involved in a sort of 'game', investigating a recent string of murders in Regent Park. As they delve further into the deaths, they find that the truth may be closer than they think.

Firstly, I loved that this book was still set in London, with both Lock & Mori living 6 doors apart on Baker Street, Sherlock at 221, obviously. The geography of London, and the transport system, were used really well in the book, and though I've only been to London 4 times, I could picture the main sites in my head.

Secondly, the characterisations of Lock & Mori seemed perfect. Both characters were a thrill to read, and even though we only got Mori's PoV, you could kind of see Lock's feelings and thoughts throughout the book. I think that if there had been dual PoVs, it wouldn't have been such a good read. Because Mori is more tied to everything, the reading experience of seeing her discover everything for herself makes the reader feel as though we are Mori, and we care for her more. I couldn't have asked for a better protagonist, and can't wait to see her growth throughout the series.

The romance that there is, is angsty and shippy at the same time. Neither of them have much experience with other people, especially Lock, who's more of a loner, and seeing them trying to read each other's social cues, body language, etc., was amazing. Because of how hard hitting the book is at times, especially towards the end, the romance does go through a distinct rocky patch, that I can see continuing into Mind Games.

Since finishing the book, I've read the synopsis for Mind Games, and am even more desperate to get my hands on that book, though I know that it'll likely take all my emotions, and mess them up. This may be my favourite Sherlock adaptation I've read!

Dates Read:
August 21, 2016

Rating
5 Stars