Sally Lockhart: Ruby in the smoke

Title: Sally Lockhart: The Ruby in the Smoke

Author: Philip Pullman

Publisher: Ember

Publication Date: 1985

Genre: Mystery, Historical fiction, YA

Length: 230 pages

where I bought mine: I received mine as a wonderful gift, however you can get yours from Bookdepository or Amazon.

Back cover:

“Beware The Seven Blessings...”

When she first utters these words, sixteen-year-old Sally Lockhart doesn't know their meaning. But when an employee of her late father hears them, he dies of fear. Thus begins Sallys terrifying journey into the seamy underworld of Victorian London, in search of clues that will solve the puzzle of her fathers death. Pursued by villains and cutthroats at every turn, she at last uncovers two dark mysteries. One involves the opium trade; the other, a stolen ruby of enormous value.  Sally soon learns that she is the key to both- and that its worth her very life to find out why.

Wow… This book had some serious impact, and a tremendous plot. From the very beginning, (the first sentence) the book is descriptive and very clear. What I love in a historical book, is dedication to the setting in the plot. This means that the book sounds as if it has been written back then, and features only things that people would have, and feelings they would express about certain ideas due to the time. (For example, the book would not include computers or phones as a prop if they have not been invented yet.) This book was very dedicated to the Victorian times, and even the main character Sally was a very strong heroine talking about how people believed that women should not be detectives, since it was “obviously” a man’s job, which was really believed back then. She was very independant, clever and yet not proud or selfish. She stood up for herself, however she was also kind to good people. The truth is, she was also (rarely) a bit frustrated, and sounded a bit mean (unintentionally). Sally was also a strong feminist (like me) that believed in equal gender roles. I don’t think I would like the story half as much if she wasn't the main character. There are 4 books in the series, and I hope to review them as soon as possible. Overall a very enjoyable read, and I recommend it to readers who like historical fiction as me.