Lewis is immediately cast as a sympathetic character due to
being a streeter, not an orphan, in 1935 Pittsburgh. It’s not his fault that
his father disappears, leaving Lewis to fend for himself, and Lewis has done
quite well so far. The whole city is unaware that he alone is the notorious
Flash Gang and he finds humor when others exaggerate his escapades. He uses the
Recipe to distract store owners while stealing food to feed himself and to
donate to St. Patrick’s soup kitchen. He lives in an abandoned factory and is
constantly on the lookout for coppers who might dump him in an orphanage. Dangerous
people are hunting for him so readers will root for this underdog character living
on the streets.
The plot reads like a mystery as Lewis slowly discovers
clues about his missing father and the Recipe. The Recipe mixes two ingredients
to cause a bright flash of disorienting light but some bad people plan to add a
third ingredient to make it more powerful. A large man kidnaps Lewis after
demanding the boy hand over the piece of paper in his pocket. Lewis has no idea
how the man knows his name, knows he’s the Flash Gang, and knows that he holds
the Recipe. A girl named Pearl shares information about her aunt’s involvement
with the bulldog (the hired kidnapper) and it just creates more questions for
Lewis. He doesn’t believe his father is dead so maybe he’s been kidnapped too.
His father can’t be part of the Nefarious Deed that Pearl keeps talking about,
can he?
The show-stopper in the book is Pearl, although it’s
difficult to get a true understanding of her character early on. She helps
Lewis escape after he’s captured but he can’t find a way to get rid of her and
her aggravating personality. She exaggerates (maybe lies) quite a bit so
readers will have trouble figuring out her background. Lewis certainly does.
She claims to be a kidnapped heiress whose father is off on an adventure
somewhere in the world although she can’t remember where. Her bright pink tutu
makes it hard to stay inconspicuous and her enthusiastically loud voice is a
problem when trying to sneak around. Pearl is a rabid fan of a weekly radio
show and fancies herself as an astute detective. Lewis tells her his name but
she calls him Sir Nigel throughout, referring to a character in the program. Her
quirky enthusiasm and tendency for hyperbole and drama add refreshing humor and
color to the engaging plot.
What didn’t work as well:
Pearl’s mistaken assumptions and a tendency for hyperbole
make the underlying events more challenging to decipher. Some of her statements
are based on facts so readers will need to use their deductive reasoning to
blend her thoughts with Lewis’s observations. Successful readers will slowly piece
together the puzzle and solve the mystery of the Nefarious Deed.
The Final Verdict:
Lewis and Pearl form an unlikely pair but their colorful
relationship is extremely entertaining. The mystery surrounding the Recipe will
intrigue readers and the chases and skirmishes with dangerous criminals add to
the excitement. I highly recommend you give this book a shot.
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