Beastly Bones

The first comparison of any detective story set at the end of the 19th century is Sherlock Holmes, and R.F. Jackaby, the cryptic, socially indifferent sleuth in Ritter's first novel, Jackaby, and this follow-up, certainly is in the Sherlock school. But there's so much more in the mix: comedy, romance, ghosts, heavy doses of magic, and, not least of all, Abigal Rook, Jackaby's wise and charming teenage assistant and the true heart of these entertaining tales, which should please any fan of Doctor Who, Sherlock, and Supernatural. (12 and up)