Hey Sherlock! by Simon Mason
Book of the Week: 30 March 2025
Description of Garvie Smith from the beginning of the book:
- Lazy, rude, golden-hearted, aggravating, economical with the truth, kind (to those who deserve it).
- Highest IQ ever recorded at Marsh Academy.
- Lowest grades.
- Best mates with Felix (cat burglar), Smudge (stupidest boy at school and proud of it), Alex (who’s been selling something he shouldn’t).
- Wouldn’t dream of telling his mother he loves her. Besides, she wants to move back to Barbados, and what’s the point of that?
- Smokes, mainly tobacco.
- Liked by girls.
- Hated by the police, teachers, other boring adults.
- Exceptionally good at maths.
- Scared of dogs.
Garvie is certainly less than perfect, but has the ability to spot details that others miss. Rather like Sherlock Holmes, he has a well-meaning but less clever sidekick in the figure of Smudge, a contact in the police force whom he distains and a laconic and abrupt manner (he admits he is not good with people). However, Garvie and his investigations are more like the hard-boiled adult detective stories of authors like Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett.
The story starts with the mysterious disappearence of Amy Roecastle, a teeenage rebel who comes home late one night to face her angry mother who has stayed up to remind her that she promised to be home by ten o’clock and it is now past midnight. Her mother leaves the room and when she returns, Amy has vanished. A storm is raging outside and Amy has disappeared into the woods where a van has been parked. Garvie happens to be working on the Roecastle premises, as he is now 16 and has left school to work for Smudge’s brother’s garden fencing company. When Inspector Singh comes to investigate, Garvie finds himself drawn into the case.
I’m late to reading this series (this was published in 2019) and I’m reading them in the wrong order (this is book three in the series), but would recommend this as a good who-done-it with a fascinating central character and a plot that doesn’t go where you expect it to.
Suitable for older readers.