Knightley & Son by Rohan GavinBloomsbury, 2014Mystery313 pages (ARC)Recommended for grades 5-813-year-old Darkus spends his Saturdays visiting a hospital to sit by his father's bedside. For the past four years Darkus has made the visit, talking things over with his father, even though the conversation is completely one sided. Mr. Knightley has been in a coma, with the possible cause and the recovery outcome both unknowns.Before slipping into his coma, Mr. Knightley ran a detective agency out of London. While unconscious, Darkus has spent years reading through all of Knightley's case notes. So, when Knightley suddenly and strangely wakes up, Darkus proves to be an unexpected resource in Knightley's next big case. And the case is a strange one indeed. Some mysterious new text, The Code, seems to be having a strange effect on some readers. When a string of crimes breaks out the one common thread is the book.The characters are not deeply developed, but enough so that you feel their individual personalities throughout. The mystery is the main focus, and I'm sure there are many readers who won't mind more action than character development. A fun, exciting, action-filled romp of a detective story! I really enjoyed the characters: Darkus, the young aspiring detective--very intelligent, trying very hard to emulate his detective father in every way. And Tilly, Darkus's step-sister, who turns out to be much more savvy than her changing hair color leads Darkus to at first believe. And Uncle Bill....he's simply awesome! Mr. Knightley, Darkus's father, who seems aloof, but has a good heart, and discovers just how smart his son really is. This was a great middle-grade/early teen mystery, and the start of a series starring Darkus and his father. And, I'm hoping that Tilly and Uncle Bill will be regulars as well!
What do You think about Knightley And Son (2014)?
This would be a great read for middle schoolers who like mystery/detective fiction.
—meenuk
Darius was a little quirky, but I enjoyed the story very much!
—Mich
