Synopsis: London, 1936: A bank is robbed in a heist that is as audacious in its concept as it is amateurish in execution. The Invisible Detective, Brandon Lake - aka Art, Meg, Jonny and Flinch - is on the case, but there is also the question of the dead cats and the monster in the sewers. Arthur Drake is concerned to find that there are cats turning up dead in modern-day London as well; could the monster have survived and still be stalking the city? If there is, could the answer to defeating it lie with the Invisible Detective's casebook and Arthur's psychic link to his own grandfather.

Review: The Invisible Detective – a sort of 'Five Investigate the X-Files' – is one of a number of recent series published in nifty, small-format hardback and, by the standards of the type you get a lot of bang for your buck with this one. Not only is there more meat here than in the likes of the Lady Grace Mysteries, it is very bangy indeed, chock-full of cliffhangers and derring-do. The characters are involving, the mysteries are compelling; the psychic link between the two Arthurs give a contemporary resonance to historical mystery; and there are even a few touches of romance for those who want them.

This second adventure is less satisfying than the first - The Paranormal Puppet Show - however. While the several unresolved issues are doubtless fodder for forthcoming adventures, there are a few places where character motivations slip and blur here, not helped by some blatant editorial oversights, such as a character remembering something that explicitly did not happen. These flaws are unfortunate, as a little more care would have better done justice to an intriguing tale.

All-in-all, this is a gripping read for young thrill-seekers who don't mind a little claustrophobia. Less dark than Alex Rider and better written than most of the competition, the Invisible Detective is, perhaps ironically, one to watch out for.

2006-10-29