Book Review: Knightley and Son by Rohan Gavin


Knightley and Son by Rohan Gavin is a young adult novel about family, mystery, and connections. Alan Knightley is an expert in crimes too strange for Scotland Yard to handle, but four years ago he fell into a mysterious coma. His thirteen year old son Darkus is determined to follow in his father’s footsteps and find out what really happened. But when Alan suddenly wakes up, his memory is out of wack and he needs some help. There is a mystery that gets weirder by the minute, a bestselling book that makes its readers commit terrible crimes, and a sinister organization known as the Combination, and unusual family members who are all more than they seem.

Knightley and Son is a novel with a little bit of everything. There is mystery and humor with quirky characters and connections that will keep you wondering what will happen next. I always love a book with odd characters that are written sop realistically or surreally that I half expect to bump into them out in public. Alan Knightly, Darkus, and the variety of characters are each well fleshed out, and each have a vital role in the story. the larger mystery has enough twists and turns to keep every reader on thier toes while giving us just enough to feel like we already saw coming that we feel smart and engaged as we read. Darkus is dedicated to his father, and solving mysteries. While I felt like there were a couple aspects of him that I just did not get, like I had missed a prequel or something, I still found him to be a character I would watch on television.

Young adult and preteen readers that enjoy Sherlock Holmes, mystery, and humor will enjoy Knightley and Son. Adults that monitor their children's reading and those that are willing to pick up books labeled children's or teen books will get some enjoyment from the book as well. I will admit that there were some slow moments, but there were some break neck speed moments as well, so I feel it all balanced in the end and left me as a satisfied reader. 

No comments: