Phantom of Blood Alley (Barnaby Grimes Series #4) Book

Barnaby Grimes is a tick-tock lad, high-stacking his way across the rooftops of his city in search of adventure and mystery. In each tale, he encounters a supernatural force and must battle the horrors that await him.

In this new adventure, Barnaby finds himself in the fiercely competitive world of early photography, where the rewards are immense but so are the risks. After an experiment goes disastrously wrong, Barnaby is on the trail of a mad chemist with a talent for disappearing into thin air. . . .

Children's Literature

Barnaby Grimes, the nimble tick-tock lad (a messenger who expertly travels the rooftops above London to deliver messages) is back in another hair-raising adventure. This time he comes to the assistance of Clarissa Oliphant, who asks him to look into the comings and goings of her brother, Laurence. His sleuthing leads him to Blood Alley where Laurence is perfecting the art of photogravure or "painting with light." When Laurence is murdered and Clarissa arrested for the deed, Barnaby sets out to prove her innocence. Grimes identifies four suspects, each of whom has a motive, but all relate a story of mysterious happenings seemingly done by a phantom. When each of the four is violently murdered, Grimes knows he must apprehend and identify the phantom before he becomes its next victim. Stewart and Riddell have another winning series on their hands. The plot is sufficiently creepy and mysterious to keep readers turning the pages. Barnaby's quick wit and clever deductions keep the reader engaged with just enough clues dropped to allow the reader to feel he is in on the action. The ink drawings scattered throughout are chilling and add to the suspense and drama of this spine-tingling tale. The essence of Victorian London is captured in both the narrative and illustrations. Fans of the series will welcome this latest installment, and it is a perfect vehicle for engaging the reluctant reader. The cover alone with its snarling, ghostly phantom staring with malevolence will have youngsters eagerly picking it up. They will not be disappointed. Reviewer: Beverley Fahey