Lock & Mori by Heather Petty: A Book Review

Title: Lock & Mori (Lock & Mori #1)
Author: Heather W. Petty
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Retelling
Release Date: November 1st 2015
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

In modern-day London, two brilliant high school students—one Sherlock Holmes and a Miss James “Mori” Moriarty—meet. A murder will bring them together. The truth very well might drive them apart.

Before they were mortal enemies, they were much more…

FACT: Someone has been murdered in London’s Regent’s Park. The police have no leads.

FACT: Miss James “Mori” Moriarty and Sherlock “Lock” Holmes should be hitting the books on a school night. Instead, they are out crashing a crime scene.

FACT: Lock has challenged Mori to solve the case before he does. Challenge accepted.

FACT: Despite agreeing to Lock’s one rule—they must share every clue with each other—Mori is keeping secrets.

OBSERVATION: Sometimes you can’t trust the people closest to you with matters of the heart. And after this case, Mori may never trust Lock again.

I'm a huge Sherlock fan. So it went without saying that I needed to read this book. Although, now that I have read it, I have mixed feelings about it. 

I thought it was a clever take on the classic Sherlock Holmes and James Moriarty relationship. Having them play the opposite sex, with a love/hate type feeling coming from Mori towards Sherlock. Does she like him? Does she not like him? I can tell you that Mori had a lot of personal demons in this book that she was unwilling to let go of from the start. A lot of hatred building up inside her as well.

The story was alright. The reader gets a lot of back story and flashbacks that seems to blend too much with the current story or drone on and on. One point we were in the present and then a memory comes up and 2 pages later we are back to the present. Another point the past blended with the present and you didn't know where you were. This, I was not a fan of whatsoever. The story also was pretty predictable from the first murder on. I pretty much saw where all this was going right away, which I like to be guessing for a while instead of being hit with it right away.

All in all I have to give this 3 stars simply for creativity. However, I will not be revisiting the rest of the series.

YA author of the LOCK & MORI series (available from S&S BFYR). Awkward Witch of the Forest. High Cat Lady of Reno. Kdrama addiction specialist.

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