The Improbable Tales of Baskerville Hall Book 1 by Ali Standish

What worked:

I’m sure I missed many but this story makes many references to the Sherlock Holmes books and their author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Arthur Doyle is the main character from a poor family and he’s invited to attend a unique private school, all expenses paid, that encourages risk-taking and innovation. He resides in Baskerville Hall with his roommate Jimmy Moriarty. James Moriarty is Sherlock Holmes’s nemesis in that series so readers might anticipate some type of rivalry will evolve. Dr. Watson is a teacher at the school and Sherlock makes an appearance late in the book. Arthur has the same keen observation and deductive skills wielded by Holmes so his interest is immediately aroused when he suspects something’s been mysteriously stolen from the school. Is it connected to the Green Knight he saw lurking in the forest?

 The plot contains some elements of science fiction that become more important in the second half of the book. Arthur is initially transported to Baskerville Hall by an airship that travels much faster than should be possible. Different wings of the school house experiments conducted by the professors. A monkey has learned to play cards with its handler and another room is crammed full of clocks, one that does more than tell time. There are rumors that secret mines contain a crystal with almost magical properties. The use of electricity is still in its infancy so characters have reverent views of its applications. One character, in particular, has a life-changing invention that becomes a prominent part of the plot.

Arthur’s supporting cast is a curious blend of unique personalities. Moriarty’s father is very demanding with high expectations of his son so James is feeling pressure to excel at school. He thinks it’s crucial that he be accepted into a secret fraternity called the Clover or else his father will view him as a failure. Another classmate is called Pockets and her name is self-explanatory. She’s sewn pockets into all of her outfits and the contents frequently come in handy. Another boy is obsessed with death and the afterlife so his comments and contributions are usually focused on those topics. A large part of his attention is on writing the perfect obituary for one of the professors.

What didn’t work as well:

With Arthur having similar characteristics to Sherlock Holmes, readers may inadvertently think they are almost the same character. However, Arthur is not infallible and might make mistakes or misjudgments so remember he is a distinctive character by himself.

The Final Verdict:

This book is an entertaining first edition into a new mystery series. Readers will enjoy Arthur’s deductive reasoning as he informs them of how he considers the clues he finds. This plot centers on shadowy characters and unexplained events and clues are dropped near the end about where the sequel may go. Overall, I recommend you give this book a shot.