Book Review: Knightley & Son: K-9
Knightley & Son: K-9
By Rohan Gavin
Having enjoyed Rohan’s first offering, Knightley & Son, a great deal, I had been looking forward to the second book. It is based on The Hound of the Baskervilles in so far as there are monstrous dogs roaming the city and Darkus and his father Alan have to get to the bottom of why the creatures exist and who is behind them.
All the cast of characters from the first book shows up again – I especially enjoy Montague Billoch, or Uncle Bill, whose appearances bring much-needed humour; and Darkus’ stepsister Tilly, who leaves me wanting more of her whenever she disappears for a couple of pages. There is also a new, canine, addition to Team Knightley; a lovable ex-Army German shepherd with PTSD called Wilbur. (I KNOW!) To which I can only say I love all the Watsons, even the ones with fangs.
As expected, Knightley & Son: K-9 is full of high-adrenaline action; more so than the first book. As a Londoner I appreciate the way it uses London iconography like black cabs, the South Bank, and of course the Underground. Watch out for the bit where Darkus and Tilly run around in a Tube tunnel.
While I would have recommended the first book to a diverse audience, this one seems to have written with teenage boys in mind. Not to say this is a bad thing, just that there are some gags that work for you when you are thirteen but may make you cringe a little as an adult. There are also some instances of quite explicit animal cruelty which certain readers may want to skip over. While the solution of the mystery is a bit Get Smart in itself, it references HOUN in a fairly unique and humourous way which made me smile. I also liked the further exploration of the non-crime side of the Knightleys’ life and the insight into Darkus’ difficulties with his mother and stepdad.
Overall, a quick and enjoyable read for crime fans and Sherlockians of all ages.
Knightley & Son: K-9 is available at all good bookshops and on Kindle and Kobo.
Ardy is thirtysomething. Librarian. Transplanted German. Anglophile. Lover of tea and scones (and, yes, jam. I also own ridiculous jumpers).