The Dragon Turn

Summer 1869, and Sherlock Holmes and his friend Irene celebrate her sixteenth birthday by attending the theater to watch a celebrated magician make a real dragon appear on stage. It is the London sensation. Sherlock and Irene meet the magician, Alistair Hemsworth – just as he is arrested for the murder of his rival, The Wizard of Nottingham.

It seems that traces of the missing Wizard’s blood and his spectacles were found in Hemsworth’s secret studio. Hemsworth has a motive: not only is the Wizard his rival, but he also caused a scandal when he lured Hemsworth’s wife away. But is Hemsworth guilty? Sherlock has his doubts, and soon, so does the reader.

With humor and plot turns as dizzying as a narrow London lane, Shane Peacock invites his readers into a fascinating world, and a fresh adventure with one of literature’s favorite characters. The Boy Sherlock Holmes series is an international success with readers and reviewers alike.

Praise for Eye of the Crow: The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His 1st Case:

“…the first intriguing volume in an ambitious new series…a shadowy, vividly described London…. Creative references to Doyle’s characters abound…and Sherlock himself is cleverly interpreted…[made] both fascinating and complex…plenty of readers will like the smart, young detective they find here, and find themselves irresistibly drawn into his thrilling adventures.” – Starred review and named one of the Top Ten Crime Fiction for Youth from Booklist

“The details of the plot are plausible, the pacing well timed, and the historical setting vividly depicted…. The titular crow comes fascinatingly into play…. On balance, the characters enrich the book and help give Holmes’s storied abilities credence.” – Starred review, School Library Journal

“In Eye of the Crow, Shane Peacock has created a cleverly inventive background story for Sherlock Holmes that explains the adult character’s reluctance to talk about his family life. He’s also managed to create a thrilling, impeccably paced murder mystery. Peacock reveals the budding detective’s very real fears and insecurities, providing just enough detail about the young Sherlock’s methods to make him an entirely believable teenage precursor to the master detective. Peacock also neatly creates a sense of the bustle of Victorian London, making the squalid grunginess of the East End almost waft off the pages.” – Starred review and chosen as one of the Books of the Year 2007 from Quill & Quire