The monster within by Darrell Pitt

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A Jack Mason adventure Book 4. Text Publishing, 2015. ISBN 9781922182876
(Age: 9-12) Recommended. Victorian London. Steampunk Fiction. Detectives. Mysteries. Kaboom! The streets of London are filled with people shopping, walking and enjoying the first day of summer when an explosion rocks the streets. Panic ensues and Jack desperately searches for his friend Scarlet in the rubble of the haberdashery shop. News of other fatal bombings draws the detective team of Mr. Doyle and the teenagers Jack and Scarlet into another fast-paced adventure. Against the backdrop of Victorian London where women are fighting for their right to vote by marching through the city and starving for their beliefs, a monster is seen rising out of the sewers, terrorising the people of Whitechapel. Are these two mysteries linked? The skills, creative thinking and derring-do of the team is needed.
Mr. Doyle's quirky habits has him eating mouldy cheese from the depths of his pockets, and reminiscing about past adventures where three unusual objects helped him solve the mysteries. His apartment at 221 Bee Street is filled with a quirky assortment of objects and a home for Jack and Scarlet. Inspector Greystoke, Mrs. Dudley, leader of a peaceful suffragette group The Primrose Society, and her husband industrial chemist William Dudley plan the best way to stop The Valkyrie Circle, a terrorist organisation.
Before travelling to Spain, Jack and Scarlet set out to discover if the monster exists, and trouble awaits, with fights, confrontations, and Scarlet's consistent comparison to her favourite story heroine Brinkie Buckeridge ever present. They board 'The Lion's Mane' and travel across the skies to the Gaudi inspired city of Barcelona. Their hunt for the terrorists involves much danger, great risks and unfortunately Jack and Scarlet are captured.
Back in London, all the threads link together and conclude in a spectacular fashion.
This Jack Mason Adventure by Darrell Pitt is all that the fans expect and this time there's more detecting than technology and the teenagers are seen developing their skills, education and taking more risks.
Recommended for readers from 9-12.
Rhyllis Bignell

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