Blog Tour: Lock & Morti by Heather W. Petty {Review + Interview + Giveaway}

256 pages

Expected publication: September 15th 2015 

Published by: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Source: Edelweiss

Rating: 4/5

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.

Review:

A YA Sherlock Holmes story told through Moriarti's perspective. This is what dreams are made of. 

I find anything Sherlock Holmes fascinating; this book included. This story takes us way back and we get to see Sherlock and Moriarty as teenagers. I love Moriarty so I particularly enjoyed reading this character's story from the very beginning. I loved being inside her head and I'm looking forward to reading more of her development as the series moves forward. 

Sherlock's relationship with Moriarty is so complex and I really loved the way Heather Petty incorporated her own twist as to how and when they met. The case was very well done and I loved the way the ending is the perfect setup for the next novel.  

Lock & Mori is dark, mysterious, and absolutely delicious (in a non-creepy way). This first book is like a promise -- a promise of the amazing sequel to come. I can't wait. 

Interview: 

Q: I'm pretty sure everyone wants to know if you have a favorite Sherlock Holmes adaptation. So, do you? 

A: I love them all the same! But I think Jeremy Brett from the 1980s ITV series will always be *my* Sherlock. I used to watch reruns of that series with quasi-religious fervor.

Q: What kind of research did you do to come up with the case featured in your book? 

A: It was more like I came up with this idea for the case, and then did the research to make sure I got the details right. Thankfully, due to my love of all things English and mystery/crime drama, I knew more than I realized I did about English law and police procedure, which meant I didn’t have to make too many changes to my original idea because of the research. But it was fascinating to learn more about London and serial killers and then to apply all of that to the book. The best feeling of all is when you find out something through your research that reinforces what you’ve already written or fits perfectly into where you wanted to go with your narrative.

Q: Why do you think Sherlock fans should gravitate towards Lock & Mori? 

A: I hope people who love the characters in the canon enjoy my take on how they might have met and who they might have been in their early lives!

Q: Do you have a favorite scene? 

A: There’s a scene where they are out on a rental boat on the Regent’s Park lake and they get into a discussion about Mori’s feminist beliefs, and that was really, really fun to write, from beginning to end.

Q: There are a few Sherlock Holmes retellings out there. What sets yours apart? 

A: LOCK & MORI isn’t actually a retelling. It’s an origin story, which means I got to reverse engineer both Sherlock and Moriarty to their teen years and try to figure out what might have turned them into nemeses in future. But also where most derivative works focus in on Sherlock (to the point where I kind of felt like he has and will be thoroughly explored), we know a lot less about Moriarty. I really liked the idea of exploring who she is and how she came to be that person and what role Sherlock played in her early life.

Q: I'm not sure if you can talk about this yet but will the other books in the series be told through Moriarty's point of view? Or are you planning on alternating perspectives? 

A: They are all told from Moriarty’s perspective. 

Giveaway: 

Enter to win a copy of Lock & Morti, courtesy of Simon & Schuster! This giveaway is US Only.

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