Review of The Future Door

The Future Door by Jason Lethcoe is the second book in the Sherlock Holmes-esque No Place Like Holmes series. (Find my review for the first book here.) Griffin Sharpe and his detective and inventor uncle Snodgrass are back for a new adventure even more incredible than the last. The Moriartys are still as devious as ever with some new lethal allies, and they're determined to make off with one of Snodgrass's most astounding inventions. Things get more complicated when Holmes leaves his residence next to Snodgrass and a strange woman moves in, who seems too friendly. When she manages to steal the invention, Griffin and his uncle must get it back to save the future... literally! The stolen gadget is a time machine! A flurry of misadventures and shocking revelations come to pass and time seems to be running out. Will Griffin and Snodgrass be able to get the time machine back?

The author is a master at writing. His style is perfect for middle school age. The characters are well-written and the story continues nicely from the last book. The new characters add much to the story, and I especially found the Black Widows most interesting. The story flows smoothly and the prose is very polished. The books do occur chronologically, but a reader won't get confused if he or she reads the second book first. The most intriguing element in this book was the concept of time travel. The author addresses an interesting theory and the way that plays out is pretty neat.

No complaints here! Something to be aware about is that a character is killed by another character, and that might be something parents would want to discuss with their children or address if the topic comes up.


All in all, I rate this book five out of five stars.  Highly recommended for middle school aged guys and even gals!

Specifics (from amazon.com):
~ Paperback: 224 pages
~ Publisher: Thomas Nelson (December 6, 2011)

Note: Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free e-copy of this book for reviewing purposes.

Blessings,