SELECTED REVIEWS
FICTION:
"Vanishing Girl: The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His Third Case"
(Canadian Materials Magazine)
“As with his first two cases, Peacock has skillfully recreated the sinister world of Victorian London in which Sherlock Holmes was originally written. … Peacock has done his research. … one cannot help but appreciate his close reading of the original stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. (He) understands Holmes. … Peacock and Doyle’s Holmes traverse the city and countryside to find clues, make extensive use of the powers of observation, and utilize the most infuriating skill of all: keeping the facts to himself until the end! …Vanishing Girl is a story in which Holmes is powerfully developed. What a pleasurable, authentic read. This book (and series) would make an excellent unit for mysteries studies, story writing unit, or young adult readings of Victorian England.” Highly Recommended. 4 stars out of 4
"Death in the Air: The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His Second Case"
(CM Magazine, April 4, 2008)
"Shane Peacock's second novel of the young Sherlock is no less exciting or authentic than the first, Eye of the Crow. Chapter one sets the pace, introducing the reader again to the young detective and the familiar scene of a potential murder. This time, however, Peacock delves into the exhilarating world of the aerialists. … Peacock has honored the essence of the original Holmes stories while contributing his own intuitive, exhilarating touches. Highly Recommended."
read full review
The Boy Sherlock Holmes series
(reviewed in the Ottawa Citizen, Feb 10, 2008)
“More than just right, dazzlingly right for teen readers, is a new series by Ontario writer Shane Peacock featuring Sherlock Holmes as a teenager. The first book in the series, Eye of the Crow, was published last fall, and the next instalment, Death in the Air, will be out in April.
“The vitality of Peacock's creation of Sherlock is so inspired it feels like the writer is possessed, channelling Sherlock's spirit. …
“The thrills build to a breathtaking pitch as Peacock keeps upping the ante. He adroitly develops Sherlock's detective skills (his facility for disguises, his deductive reasoning), bringing them plausibly into play in the boy's wily efforts to elude the police long enough to solve the crime. …
“Peacock continues his literary derring-do in the second Sherlock Holmes novel, Death in the Air, as suspenseful and riveting as the first book.”(Quill & Quire, July/August 2007)
“Eye of the Crow: The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His First Case”
(Quill & Quire, July/August 2007)
“In Eye of the Crow, Shane Peacock has created a cleverly inventive background story for Sherlock Holmes that explains the adult character’s reluctance to talk about his family life. He’s also managed to create a thrilling, impeccably paced murder mystery. Peacock reveals the budding detective’s very real fears and insecurities, providing just enough detail about the young Sherlock’s methods to make him an entirely believable teenage precursor to the master detective. Peacock also neatly creates a sense of the bustle of Victorian London, making the squalid grunginess of the East End almost waft off the pages.
“Will Malefactor turn out to be Holmes’s arch-enemy Professor Moriarty? Will Irene Doyle become the irresistible Irene Adler? Hopefully Peacock will provide more clues in the next installment of this stunning new mystery series.”“Eye of the Crow: The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His First Case”
(School Library Journal starred review)
“The details of the plot are plausible, the pacing well timed, and the historical setting vividly depicted…The titular crow comes fascinatingly into play…On balance, the characters enrich the book and help give Holmes’s storied abilities credence.”“Eye of the Crow: The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His First Case”
(CM Magazine, Sept 14, 2007)
“Eye of the Crow not only honors the intentions of Doyle’s storyworld, but it also extends the life of the intrepid detective by exploring the early years of Holmes. Doyle’s mysteries left many pieces untold, as Dr. Watson so freely tells us, and Shane Peacock has skillfully, deductively, produced a book that rings true with our understanding of the man, Mr. Sherlock Holmes. … Mystery lovers will likely find this book hard to put down. For a first in a series, Mr. Peacock has his work cut out for him, that of making each successive story as clever, interpretive, and skillfully done as Eye of the Crow."
read full review“Eye of the Crow: The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His First Case”
(Booklist, Nov 2007)
“In the first intriguing volume in an ambitious new series, Peacock imagines Sherlock Holmes' youth and his entré into crime solving. ... Peacock casts [Sherlock] as a half-Jewish victim of prejudice, whose struggles between head and heart and justice and vengeance make him both fascinating and complex, at the same time providing a credible rationale for the skill, ego, stoicism, and penchant for disguises so familiar in Doyle's iconic adult detective."
read full review“Eye of the Crow: The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His First Case”
(Deakin Newsletter, Oct 2007)
“… Shane Peacock has proven that the young Sherlock can be a living, breathing, sympathetic precursor of the Holmes we know….Shane Peacock has drawn a moving Sherlock, and a very effective picture of Victorian London that evokes fog, squalor, and the smells of the street. He has also woven a thoroughly gripping tale.”
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The Mystery of Ireland’s Eye
(St. John’s Telegram)
“(An) utterly captivating adventure story … a spine-chilling, must-read book for boys and girls of all ages.”
Bone Beds of the Badlands
(CM Magazine)
“Badlands and killers and snakes – oh my! What an exciting tale this is, as Dylan Maples and his best friends win a trip from Toronto to Alberta to explore the eerie, fossil-rich badlands. … This is author Shane Peacock’s third book in the “Dylan Maples Adventure” series. It is clearly thoroughly researched, offering interesting layers of paleontology, local Alberta history and geological and geographical detail sandwiched in a gripping and fast-moving plot narrated by Dylan Maples himself. The intended audience will find the characters strongly appealing … In Bone Beds of the Badlands, young readers will find themselves by turns frightened, amused and fascinated, and always keen to explore the next page.”
NON-FICTION:
The Great Farini: The High-Wire Life of William Hunt
(The Globe and Mail)
“Peacock’s biographical feat rivals the funambulistic derring-do of his subject.”
Unusual Heroes: Canada’s Prime Ministers and Fathers of Confederation
(CM Magazine)
“Unusual Heroes provides a very useful and welcome resource in our quest to make the teaching and understanding of Canadian history and Canadian politics relevant and engaging. Recommended.”
PLAYS:
The Great Farini: The Play
(Toronto Star)
“One of the most mesmerizing theatrical experiences of the summer.”
The Devil and Joseph Scriven
(Toronto Star)
“A solid piece of theatre, this bizarre story tells of a saint-like figure who (met) a mysterious death … playwright Peacock’s sometimes eerie tale avoids simplistic, black-and-white, good-versus-evil characterizations … It’s all admirable stuff.”
DOCUMENTARIES:
Team Spirit: The Jordin and Terence Tootoo Story
(Globe Television magazine)
“The story of the hockey dreams of the Tootoo brothers is a heartbreaker and a history maker.”
