Book #134: The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman

[wildflowerz]

The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman

• Hardback
• Pages:  230
• Original Published Date:  1985
• Awards:  International Reading Association's Children's Book Award for Older Readers, ALA Best Books for Young Adults, Best Book of the Year - School Library Journal, Editor's Choice - Booklist, 1988 Fanfare Title - Horn Book
• Series: Sally Lockhart
• Wikipedia
• My Rating:  C

Product Description:  "Her name was Sally Lockhart; and within fifteen minutes, she was going to kill a man." Philip Pullman begins his Sally Lockhart trilogy with a bang in The Ruby in the Smoke--a fast-paced, finely crafted thriller set in a rogue- and scalawag-ridden Victorian London. His 16-year-old heroine has no time for the usual trials of adolescence: her father has been murdered, and she needs to find out how and why. But everywhere she turns, she encounters new scoundrels and secrets. Why do the mere words "seven blessings" cause one man to keel over and die at their utterance? Who has possession of the rare, stolen ruby? And what does the opium trade have to do with it?  As our determined and intelligent sleuth sets her mind to unraveling these dark mysteries, she learns how embroiled she is in the whole affair. As riveting and witty as the sensational "penny dreadfuls" of Victorian England (but thousands of times better written), Pullman's quartet will have readers on the edges of their seats.

My Review:  I wanted to like this book.  In the end, it was just okay.  I found it amusing that I'd just listened to a podcast about the opium war mentioned in the book a few weeks ago, so at least I had a little background knowledge to go with that.  I'm not exactly sure what it was I didn't care for about this book, but by about halfway through, I found myself hoping it would be over soon and skimming more and more.  /shrug

Next Up:  Catch-22 by Joseph Heller


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