The Initiation

The Initiation by Ridley Pearson, 371 pages

“Before James grew up to be a ruthless, remorseless villain, he was a curious boy from Boston, with a penchant for trouble and an acid tongue. Thrown into a boarding school against his wishes, James winds up rooming with a most unlikely companion: a lanky British know-it-all named Sherlock Holmes ("Lock" to his friends). An heirloom Bible, donated by the Moriarty family more than a hundred years ago, has gone missing, and it doesn't take long for the two to find themselves embroiled in the school-wide scandal. The school is on lockdown until it's found, strange clues keep finding their way to James, and a secret society lurks behind it all.” This was an interesting take on the early years of Sherlock Holmes’s arch enemy, James Moriarty.  I enjoyed it very much.  Being told from the perspective of James’s sister, Moira, made it more accessible to me, anyway.  I would highly recommend this book to teen mystery lovers.