Jackaby by William Ritter

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Publication date: 2014
Publisher: Algonquin
Pages: 299
My rating: 4 stars
Ages: 13+

When Abigail Rook steps off the boat in New Fiddleham looking for an adventure, the last thing she expected to do was find one. Jackaby changes Abigail's ideas of reality and adventure right on their heads as she joins him in investigating the mysterious deaths that starting plaguing New Fiddleham.

I think I was drawn in by the cover at first--though it's a little misleading. Jackaby isn't a teenager, nor is he the narrator of the book. But that didn't matter, once I started reading. Ritter was able to create a supernatural Sherlock Holmes without making it feel like all he did was create a supernatural Sherlock Holmes.

Jackaby is strange and intelligent, yet lacks certain social graces or nuances. Abigail is his trusty assistant and historian--writing down the case much like John Watson did. But this time there are ghosts and trolls and other creatures that contribute to the story. This book is a standalone, but could very much become an enjoyable series if Ritter writes all of them as standalones--I wouldn't mind seeing a bit more of Jackaby and Abigail and their companions.

There is no language and no sexual situations, though the murders could be a bit grisly for more sensitive readers.

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