Lock & Mori by Heather W. Petty | Book Review

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

In modern-day London, two brilliant high school students—one Sherlock Holmes and a Miss James “Mori” Moriarty—meet. A murder will bring them together. The truth very well might drive them apart.Before they were mortal enemies, they were much more… FACT: Someone has been murdered in London’s Regent’s Park. The police have no leads. FACT: Miss James “Mori” Moriarty and Sherlock “Lock” Holmes should be hitting the books on a school night. Instead, they are out crashing a crime scene. FACT: Lock has challenged Mori to solve the case before he does. Challenge accepted. FACT: Despite agreeing to Lock’s one rule—they must share every clue with each other—Mori is keeping secrets. OBSERVATION: Sometimes you can’t trust the people closest to you with matters of the heart. And after this case, Mori may never trust Lock again.

YOU GUYS! Okay, so, I do not watch the BBC version of Sherlock because I am terrible about watching things – I always feel so guilty when I look at my stacks on stacks of books. However, what I do love is when books put a modern spin on public domain stories. So – I love all those books that retell Jane Austen’s books. It also stands to measure that I would love books that put a modern take on Sherlock Holmes. Lock & Mori by Heather W. Petty places a modern spin on the story of Sherlock Holmes. The official summary describes this trilogy is being intended to show why there’s animosity between Sherlock and Moriarty. This book, Lock & Mori, lays a foundation for what is to come with the trilogy.

Mori is participating as an understudy. She used to want to be on stage, simply to please her mother who was something of a thespian when she was alive. Unfortunately, Mori does not have her mother’s talent. One day, there’s a fire drill, and so, Mori is sent downstairs to collect Lock, Sherlock Holmes, who is downstairs in the basement working on an experiment in his lab which is in the school. The two meet and Lock finds Mori interesting. And so, anyways, the drill happens and meanwhile there’s a murder in the park. There, Lock and Mori make a bet as to who can crack the case the fastest. Mori is a smart girl, and so, she picks up quickly on Lock’s powers of deduction. Heather W. Petty’s Lock & Mori is a London-based book about the two title characters racing against time, each other, and the Police to solve the crime – which may just show a serial killer on the loose.

So you know how in a lot of young adult books, the main female character is bookish? Mori is actually not very bookish. In fact, she has more of a mathematical and scientific mind. I actually liked this about her because it makes her different. Furthermore, Mori is all about protecting her three little brothers, as you’ll see in the book and later in this review. She may go to private school and live on Baker Street, but honestly, her life isn’t this posh worry-free adventure. In fact, Mori has been kind of a loner since her mother died. And so, she’s really taken on the lion’s share of caring for her siblings and keeping the family together, seeing as how her police officer dad just is not stepping up to the plate.

Although Mori is living the unselfish life – with her main concern being her brothers, Lock provides this distraction. She’s equal points annoyed by him but also intrigued by him. He’s so nerdy and different and completely himself that every time she tries to quit their competition she ends up staying. In fact, there’s this romance that happens between Lock and Mori. It is a bit fast paced for my taste. I mean, there’s a kiss because one character wants to distract the other character and well, all things proceed from there. As a romantic lead, I thought Sherlock was an okay choice. I mean, I get it, the book is called Lock & Mori and there are moments where Sherlock is kind and caring. Overall though, it seems like Mori doesn’t really trust him that much and that kind of made me not be all that into the romance.

What really struck me about Heather W. Petty’s Lock & Mori was the child abuse themes. I honest to goodness did not realize it would be such a large portion of the book. I wish I had been able to prepare myself. This is a dark book. I mean, I thought it would be a bit different. And well, my expectations did not play out as expected. That doesn’t mean I disliked the book, not by a long shot. Just, it was very different from what I had been expecting. I will tell you all that Mori’s father is very physically and mentally abusive. He gets away with his abuse of the Mori and her brothers because he is a police officer and so, his partners won’t even arrest him or do anything about what is going on. There are some scenes that I found hard to read. Again, that is not to say it is a bad thing, just be prepared if you do decide to read this book.

Lock & Mori by Heather W. Petty is not at all what I expected. It is quite the opener for a trilogy. You should pick this book up if fast paced romance and cracking the case is your jam. I think that if you are able to handle I Hunt Killers you should be able to handle this book. I definitely recommend it with that caveat in mind.

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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