The Baker Street Irregulars return with The Mystery of the Conjured Man where they help famous detective Sherlock Holmes solve a crime that is ingenious, devious and curious. With their second casebook, the husband and wife duo of Tracy Mack and Michael Citrin continue to make Sherlock Holmes known to the younger generation for whom it is too early to read Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classics. The book opens with ‘the Master’ calling up the band of 12 Baker Street Irregulars for a very strange case. The client is a very beautiful heiress Elsa Hoffman who has lost her aunt suddenly during a séance where she witnessed the return of her dead husband! Spellbinding it may seem, there is more than meets the eye — as always!

The mystery includes a mysterious couple who have a kid with supernatural powers, ghosts that seem anything but fake and suspicious characters who threaten the well-being of Holmes’s client as well as the Irregulars. With mortal danger at every step of the way, Holmes and gang come out victorious in this frightening tale that is guaranteed to send goose bumps as well as entertain you at the same time.

Written in the spirit of classic children books — The Three Investigators, Famous Five, etc., this series has another story developing which takes a step closer to conclusion as one advances. From the literally street-smart urchin Wiggins to the supremely gifted Ozzie, the Baker Street Irregulars prove their worth as the eyes and ears of the greatest detective in the world.

The Mystery of the Conjured Man is fresh and riveting from start to finish. Start, because suspense is created in the very beginning, and finish, since the epilogue features additional information about Victorian England and the slang used in those days. The book also has appendices about disguises and famous con artists, for all those potential detectives out there! — Seema Farooqi

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