Peregrine Harker and the Black Death by Luke Hollands

My name is Peregrine Harker, and I hope my current news story doesn't get me fired... or killed. I was assigned to investigate the rise in tea prices, but my focus has shifted to the seedy world of smuggling. I've noticed a pattern where every lead I uncover leads to a dead body, bullets or bombs. I can't understand how somebody always knows where I'm headed even before I know myself. I'm thankful to have met Louisa, the daughter of Sir Magnus, but I'm afraid the danger surrounding me may befall her. I'm thankful to have my dear friend Archie Dearlove back in my life, although he's usually away doing his job with the Royal Navy. Something doesn't smell right about this tea smuggling business, but I'm not really sure what to do next.

Peregrine was fifteen years old, and the plot's subject matter was more adultish. Not necessarily mature, but smuggling and murder are more adult subjects. Peregrine was an orphaned reporter, and he followed leads to get the scoop on a big story. He came across like a detective solving a mystery, although he didn't seem very good at it. As mentioned earlier, he often found himself scrambling to stay alive after being told, often by Sir Magnus, which leads to follow. The story moved along very quickly and contained a good amount of tension as Peregrine faced the many perils in his investigation. He was slow to notice obvious clues, so the resolution to the mystery was only a surprise to him, not to me. It shouldn't be a shock to most observant readers. The setting is in early 20th-century England and includes British vocabulary and spellings. Overall, the mystery, the action, and the subtle humor should keep readers entertained. Give it a shot.