Young Sherlock Holmes: Fire Storm

Young Sherlock Holmes: Fire Storm is the fourth novel in the Young Sherlock Holmes series. It was written by Andy Lane and released in 2011.^[1]

Plot

The story begins with Sherlock Holmes discovering that Mrs. Eglantine, the housekeeper of Holmes Manor, is blackmailing his Uncle Sherrinford and Aunt Anna into keeping her employed. Sherlock also discovers that Mrs. Eglantine is working for Josh Harkness, the town's sinister blackmailer. Sherlock, along with his best friend Matthew Arnatt, pursue Harkness into a tannery, which is Harkness' base of operations. There, Sherlock and Matty discover a large number of boxes which contain secrets that Harkness uses for blackmail, including the secret of the Holmes family, and destroys them by sliding them into a tannery vat. Sherlock then incapacitates Harkness and turns him in to the police. Sherlock returns home and reveals the news to Aunt Anna and Uncle Sherrinford, prompting them to fire Mrs. Eglantine since she does not have evidence for blackmail.

After that, Sherlock and Matty visit his American tutor, Amyus Crowe and his daughter Virginia. When they arrive at Crowe's cottage, they find it empty and that they are not there. However, Sherlock and Matty discover a clue that points to Edinburgh. Sherlock, Matty, and Rufus Stone (Sherlock's violin tutor) set off to Edinburgh. However, Rufus gets abducted in Newcastle, leaving Sherlock and Matty alone. In Edinburgh, Sherlock decodes a coded newspaper advertisement that leads them to Cramond. But Sherlock and Matty get abducted by a man named Bryce Scobell, who is holding Rufus Stone captive. Scobell tortures Sherlock for information about Crowe's whereabouts. However, Sherlock, Matty, and Rufus escape after Sherlock incapacitates Scobell's men. The trio set off to Cramond, where they find Crowe and Virginia. Crowe reveals that four years ago, Bryce Scobell, who was serving as a lieutenant in the Confederate Army, had led a large massacre against the American Indians. Crowe, who was a bounty hunter at that time, was assigned to hunt down and kill Scobell for causing the massacre. During an ambush against Scobell, Crowe accidentally kills the wife and son of Scobell, who swears revenge against Crowe, who then quits his job and moves to England. With Scobell back to seek revenge, Crowe and Virginia flee from Farnham.

Soon after, Scobell and his men arrive and set fire to Crowe's hideout, causing the five of them to move out into the open. They escape, but get separated (with Sherlock and Virginia together and Crowe, Rufus, and Matty together in the other group). Sherlock and Virginia find a shelter, where they spend the night. The next morning, Sherlock and Virginia get kidnapped by a local criminal gang called the Black Reavers. They are taken to a warehouse, where they find Crowe, Rufus, and Matty. The leader, Gahan Macfarlane, reveals that he was hired by Scobell to capture the group and return them to Scobell. Sherlock offers a deal: He will prove the innocence of Macfarlane's sister, who is accused of murder, in exchange for their release. After Sherlock succeeds, he returns to Macfarlane's base, where Scobell arrives.

As Scobell is about to kill Crowe and Virginia, Sherlock incapacitates Scobell, initiating chaos. Sherlock sets loose a bear, which kills Scobell. After that, Sherlock, Matty, Crowe, Virginia, and Rufus return to Farnham.

Reception

Reception has been mostly positive. The book ranked 4.27 stars out of 5 on average on