The Adventures of Mary Darling is a mash up of Peter Pan and Sherlock Holmes. If you don't remember Mary Darling, it's because she's never mentioned after the kids are stolen by Peter Pan. She's Wendy's mother, and in this version of the story, she too had been stolen by Peter Pan and escaped, but somehow neglected to prepare her kids for Peter's visit.
The version of Sherlock Holmes portrayed by the novel is very modern, viewing the text as Watson's prettying up of Holmes's behavior, playing on the modern readers' viewing of his portrayal by Benedict Cumberland. To be honest, Holmes adds very little to this story, which I thought was a pity.
Mary Darling, of course, goes after her kids like you'd imagine a mother would, and displays an impressive background story that also comes into play. What doesn't work is that if you knew that Peter Pan was going to come after your kids wouldn't you have told them about it?
I've read other Pat Murphy's books like The City, Not Long After, and that book had the benefit of not having such obvious plot holes. Once you get over those plot holes, however, the book's transparent, moves quickly, and a fun read. It's also relatively short so it doesn't overstay its welcome.
I'm pretty sure this book will come under attack if it becomes too successful. As I mentioned, working in Sherlock Holmes to make him look bad just seems a little artificial to me. But I liked the way she broke everything else down about Peter Pan. Worth your time.
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