25th March 2014, Fierce Ink Press, 258 pages, Paperback/ebook, ARC ebook copy
Themes: detective work, losing a loved one,
inquisitiveness, studying pays off, freedom to pursue your passion, following
clues, being duped, having fun,deception,
Content: some danger and really tense moments, a
tragedy, lots of humour, murder, theft, tissue needed
Summary from Amazon (I don't get anything by mentioning them)
There's a new detective at 221 Baker Street Set against the background
of 1930s England, Jewel of the Thames introduces Portia Adams, a budding
detective with an interesting - and somewhat mysterious - heritage.
Nineteen-year-old Portia Adams has always been inquisitive. There's
nothing she likes better than working her way through a mystery. When
her mother dies, Portia puzzles over why she was left in the care of the
extravagant Mrs. Jones but doesn't have long to dwell on it before she
is promptly whisked from Toronto to London by her new guardian.
Once
there Portia discovers that she has inherited 221 Baker Street - the
former offices of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Portia settles into
her new home and gets to know her downstairs tenants, including the
handsome and charming Brian Dawes. She also finds herself entangled in
three cases: the first involving stolen jewelry, the second a sick judge
and the final case revolving around a kidnapped child. But the greatest
mystery of all is her own. How did she come to inherit this townhouse?
And why did her mother keep her heritage from her? Portia has a feeling
Mrs. Jones knows more than she is letting on. In fact, she thinks her
new guardian may be the biggest clue of all.
Summary from Nayuleska
Squee! I love this book! I was puzzled by
what age range it was for because I'd forgotten what I'd read in the press info
I received. After all, Portia is 19, so a late teenager but other than the odd
disguised swear word and 1 phrase there is next to nothing of romance, be it
obvious or discreet, which is why I didn't think it was young adult. Well, it
makes such a change to not have teen hormones the centre of the plot!
*happy sigh* This is so my kind of book.
Portia's voice is easy and fun to read. I usually don't figure plots out but I
was proud to figure out part of the 3rd case-I did read the book almost in one
sitting so maybe her powerful skill of reasoning things through rubbed off a
little on me. The cases were tricky, but not so much that I couldn't understand
where Portia got her inklings from. I loved watching her skills as a detective
grow, from her not the best put together disguise, to that eventful long night
where she had her first stake out, to having her own brush with death.
Her guardian....I really can't say much
other than she is rather ace and very understanding with major plot twists that
made me teary -eyed. I don't have an interest in Sherlock Holmes at all, and
even after reading Portia's first adventure don't plan on reading any works
about the famous detective-simply because I prefer female protagonists, which
Portia is, obviously. The balance of thrills vs not an overwhelming sense of
doom and gloom is what makes this book shine. It's a fun, fairly light read,
one that I shall reread for sure!
Find out more on Angela's website.
Suggested read
For more a slightly darker mystery requiring detective skills (of sorts) check out The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson (Young Adult, 10E/10E)
Author Questions & Answers + Competition
It's with great pleasure that I was able to have a Q&A session with Angela - her answers are as awesome as her book - thanks Angela! After the Q&A you'll be able to enter a competition to win an ebook copy of Jewel of the Thames too. ^o^
Nayu 1) Portia is a wonderfully independent young lady,
and I love how much freedom she has despite unexpectedly having a
guardian. Is Portia's final situation one you expected from the first
draft, or has it evolved throughout the edits?
Angela: It evolved for sure. I actually did a lot of research into just how much
freedom a 19-year old woman in Canada could expect to have in 1930, and
then did more research when applied to 1930s London. I needed to know
if she needed a guardian at all, if she could
own property, if she could inherit from her mother etc etc. But I also
knew that for Portia to be an effective detective (ooh that sounds
clever!) she had to have as much freedom to operate as a man. So yes,
through Mrs. Jones and her wealth, I have given Portia
that freedom to explore London, her family and her chosen profession in a
way that (I hope) is believable and sustainable.
Nayu: It's most definitely agreeable Angela, no worries about that!
Nayu: 2) Portia's heritage proves slightly problematic at school and elsewhere - do the problems she encounters balance out the relative freedom she has with Mrs Jones? Did you ever imagine Mrs Jones as being a stricter character?
Angela: Portia constructs more boundaries than anyone else in her life, and as
you surmised, it is a balance. Mrs. Jones is a free spirit, someone who
has always followed her own instincts (sometimes to her detriment) and
other than worrying for Portia’s safety, will
never push rules onto her. Portia’s naturally introverted nature
constructs walls around her, some of which will need to come down if she
is to fully blossom into the detective we all want her to be.
Nayu: 3) I confess that Sherlock Holmes has never interested me, but, because you've created such a lovable female relative I now at least tolerate learning about the famous detective. Where did you get the inspiration for Portia? What was your aim when you first started writing about her adventures, and how did this evolve over the course of the story?
Angela: I have always read detective fiction - starting with Nancy Drew when I
was a little kid, progressing through the Agatha Christie mysteries and
onto Sherlock Holmes in my early teens. I love following clues and
figuring stuff out, it’s just something I have
always done, so when Portia started to form in my mind (my late teens
when I was in University) she was a detective right from the start. When
I read Stephen King’s homage to Conan Doyle (called ‘The Doctor’s Case’
) I realized I could place my female detective
in a space I already loved - 221 Baker Street. Once I did that, I just
followed where Portia led me, and continues to lead me.
Nayu: I read Nancy Drew too! Currently listening to her adventures on audio book.
Nayu: 4) If you could spend a day with Portia, what would you do? Where would you go?
Angela: Probably a crime scene to be honest. She’s a bit like Richard Castle
(TV) in that she loves being at the scenes, walking around, thinking
about the possibilities… so that’s probably what she’d want to do.
Nayu: I've started watching Castle (TV) & it's awesome - I can see why Portia's like him.
Nayu: 5) What's your favourite food & drink for while you write?
Angela: I love green or jasmine tea while I write, but I don’t generally eat. I
like to get up and eat because otherwise I might succumb to the dangers
of a very flat butt from writing all day!
The winner has been announced here.
For more details of other stops on the tour check out the schedule on Fierce Ink's website.
Looks fabulous thank you.
ReplyDeleteI was interested in Sherlock after seeing the BBC show, but Jewel of the Thames has made me interested in all things Sherlockian, especially since it's not as dark as the BBC series. Glad to see you had a similar experience.
ReplyDeleteIs Castle dark? I might check it out.
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