by Patrice Lawrence
 
Robert and Marisee are back! Some of you will have met them in the first in the series, The Elemental Detectives (available here) but for those of you new to this sparkling, Georgian-London, detective pas de deux, fear not. This second outing has been expertly crafted to work as a standalone mystery too. A monster-propelled plot with multiple layers, loops and spirals. Dodge bitter automator Mr Dross' ticking, fanged, mini beasts; look out for the 3-legged, leather-booted, Shard Beasts covered in 1000s of glass needles; swerve the variegate capture-creature; most of all, beware the Domedary, the monster of devilish and total chaos! Know that Robert and Marisee will, always, always, save the day and that London's four elementals- the Fumis, Dragons, Chads and Magogs (helpfully backnoted in detail)- will variously assist or hinder. Star Elemental in this 2nd outing is an errant Fumi (air spirit) from Salzburg who, hampered by poor judgement, is the unwitting catalyst for The Domedary's awakening.

A magnificently portrayed Georgian London pulses away with its own rhythms and bursts with life- literally, as ancient artefacts wriggle back to life from the speaking Panyer Boy (a wall mounted bas-relief near St Paul's) to the dragon perched atop St Mary-le-Bow Church. Add in villains and heroes drawn from real historical characters. There are the abandoned people of St Giles' slum, the elaborately gowned party seekers of Vauxhall Pleasure gardens, the men who clear London of its stink at night, Nannerl Mozart (so much more talented than her brother!), Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, proslavery lobbysit George Hibbert.

Trust us, there is simply far too much plot for any review to do the book full credit. Think mystery-fantasy-history-adventure, closely observed by four yellow eyeballs on stalks... Compulsive historical fiction. Age 9-14, Paperback 422pp
 
Themes: Black History