The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman
Laurel-Leaf, 1985
230 pages
YA; Mystery; Historical
First in Series
3.5/5 stars

Source: Library

Why Read: Forever Young Adult and I saw that JJ Feild (aka Mr Tilney) was in an adaptation.

I really expected to love this book. Sally is not a typical nineteenth century lady, knowing not how to sew, read, or entertain visitors but quite proficient in shooting and bookkeeping. She is used to having her own independence, which is useful as her father dies at the beginning of the book leaving her an orphan.

Unfortunately her father's death as part of a sunk ship in his trading business also opens a long secret mystery involving opium, Asia, and a ruby. Sally sets out to unravel the mystery, acquiring an enemy and allies. The enemy is a woman named Mrs. Holland who has set her plan in motion and is a most determined and frightening foe.

The allies are delightful fun. First is Frederick Garland, a brilliant photographer but hopeless businessman who thus appreciates Sally's talents in that area (as well as admiring her person). His actress sister Rosa and assistant Trembler complete their bohemian household. Another ally is Jim, a delivery boy at her father's firm, with a big heart and even bigger ambitions. The group joins together to help Sally find the ruby and to protect her against the evil machinations of Mrs. Holland.

While I appreciated the brevity of Pullman (I believe some authors would have stuffed this with never-ending subplots to make the story much longer), something was missing. Perhaps I would have preferred a more historically correct heroine-it is acknowledged that Sally is vastly different from the typical lady. Perhaps I just don't like his writing style (I read The Golden Compass but didn't like it much). Perhaps my expectations were too high.

Regardless, I am still considering reading the second book and I will definitely watch the adaptation to see Mr. Feild.

Cover: This isn't my cover but I thought that it was prettier. I love the font and the sparkling ruby.

So sad, I really loved the His Dark Materials series and I really wanted to like this one. The writing was fairly solid but the plot just wasn't there...so much build up and then extremely anti-climactic. Things were resolved without explaining well enough how. It was an okay read but disappointing in the end.

Loved the characters, didn't get that into the plot.

Allison recommended this one to me years ago and I finally made good. What a delight! Sally is a sort of Victorian precursor to Veronica Mars—business-minded, scrappy, eager to be taken seriously, brave, etc. I look forward to watching the BBC adaptation,and to reading the next three books in the series.

The end felt more than a little "aaaaand here you go, with a nice big bow" for me, but I remind myself that it's still YA, even if the protagonist smokes opium.

Sally is sixteen and uncommonly pretty. Her knowledge of English literature, French, history, art and music is non-existent, but she has a thorough grounding in military tactics, can run a business, ride like a Cossack and shoot straight with a pistol.

When her dear father is drowned in suspicious circumstances in the South China Sea, Sally is left to fend for herself, an orphan and alone in the smoky fog of Victorian London. Though she doesn't know it, Sally is already in terrible danger. Soon the mystery and the danger will deepen - and at the rotten heart of it all lies the deadly secret of the ruby in the smoke...

An easy, enjoyable read although more of a children's book than YA.

The Ruby in the Smoke is a young adult mystery set in Victorian London that will keep anyone and everyone reading to the very end. With two somehow intertwined mysteries, each steadily growing more and more dangerous the young Sally Lockhart is caught in the middle of it all when she receives a mysterious message after the death of her father.

Everything about this book screams excellence with a well developed cast of characters that you can feel like you can invest in and a mystery that keeps you guessing with every turn.
And boy, are there a lot of turns!

I really feel like there is nothing more I can say other then that.
Anyone interested in reading mysteries specifically for young adults, or otherwise should stop looking through reviews and go and read this for themselves.