Modern London can be a strange and dangerous place. For Miss James “Mori” Moriarty it can also be decidedly dull. Between school, where she knows all of the answers, and home, where life with her father can feel like stepping into a mine field, Mori’s only refuge is solitude.
After one especially bad day, Mori meets Sherlock “Lock” Holmes.
That night they meet again in Regent’s Park at the scene of a murder.
When Lock challenges Mori to solve the murder before him, she has no intention of participating in his game–particularly with the only rule being that they share all information. She has no intention of having anything to do with Lock at all.
Mori’s intentions quickly change when she is drawn into the investigation and realizes the truth might be closer than she could possibly imagine. Mori begins keeping secrets even as she finds herself drawn closer to Lock and to a revelation about the case that could change her life forever in Lock & Mori (2015) by Heather W. Petty.
Lock & Mori is Petty’s first novel and the start to a Lock and Mori trilogy.
Almost everyone knows what happens to these characters in the original Sherlock Holmes stories–it’s impossible not to when the struggle between Sherlock and Moriarty has become part of the public consciousness over the years.
Lock & Mori is an admirable homage to one of literature’s best villains and arguably the greatest of fictional detectives. It is also, thanks to a solid plot and some unique reinterpretations on Petty’s part, an excellent mystery in its own right. By imagining Moriarty as a girl, Petty complicates and adds new dimensions to Moriarty’s relationship with Holmes.
Lock and Mori are, of course, smart characters. Readers familiar with their inspirations would expect nothing less. Although both Mori and Lock are analytical in the extreme, they are never cold. Mori struggles with affection (both receiving and giving) while Lock is often mystified by basic human interaction. Even with those limitations, both characters have obvious moments of empathy and sincerity without any of the aloofness so often associated with a sharply deductive mind.
It is also fascinating to see these two characters when they are younger and less sure. Sherlock, so often beyond reproach, is still learning here. Mori, although the hero of this story, remains a mystery as readers wonder what path will unfold for her in future installments.
Lock & Mori is a fantastic series starter. A great read for mystery fans in general and Sherlock fans in particular. Highly recommended.
Possible Pairings: Loop by Karen Akins, Dial Em for Murder by Marni Bates, A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro, Charlie, Presumed Dead by Anne Heltzel, The Body in the Woods by April Henry, Every Breath by Ellie Marney, It Wasn’t Always Like This by Joy Preble, I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest, Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan, Hold Me Like a Breath by Tiffany Schmidt, Never Never by Brianna Shrum, Into the Dim by Janet B. Taylor, The Space Between Trees by Katie Williams
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