The Ruby in the Smoke
About.com Rating
Sally Lockhart, a sixteen-year-old teen sleuth, first appeared in print in 1985 as the spirited and competent heroine in Phillip Pullman’s Victorian thriller The Ruby in the Smoke. The orphaned girl with a mysterious past sets out to learn more about her father’s suspicious death and finds herself entangled in a melodrama involving opium dens, a priceless ruby, and a cast of villainous characters.
Story Line: The Ruby in the Smoke
After her father drowns in the South China Sea, Sally Lockhart, sixteen and orphaned, is determined to uncover the mystery off her father’s death by piecing together various clues. Her investigation begins by trying to decipher the meaning of the fatal phrase “the seven blessings”. When Sally visits a former associate of her father’s and asks about the blessings, the man keels over dead from a heart attack. Immediately, Sally is thrust into a dangerous position as other players in the story begin to surface and seek her out. Unbeknownst to Sally, she has stirred up secrets involving a shipping company, Chinese gangs, and opium dealers. When it’s discovered that she’s also inherited a priceless ruby, she must protect herself from deadly assassins.Fortunately, Sally is aided in her adventure by her clever and resourceful friends Frederick Garland, a photographer, and Jim, a young assistant who works on the shipping dock. Together they hunt down and inadvertently encounter pieces of the puzzle, while battling the dark, seamy underworld of London.
The Sally Lockhart Quartet
Sally’s sleuthing adventures don’t end with The Ruby in the Smoke. The young heroine’s story continues in a series of three more books. Each of these books finds teen sleuth Sally Lockhart and her friends embarking on a historical mystery thriller that is pure melodrama and charm.- The Ruby in the Smoke (Alfred A. Knopf, Random House, 2008. ISBN: 9780375845161) First published 1985 (.)
- The Shadow in the North (Ember, Random House, 2008. ISBN: 9780375845154) First published 1999 (.)
- >The Tiger in the Well (Alfred A. Knopf, Random House, 2008. ISBN: 9780375845178) First published 1999 (.)
- The Tin Princess (Alfred A. Knopf, Random House, 2008. ISBN: 9780375845147) First published 2000 (.)
Movies
The British Broadcasting Company produced a made for TV adaptation of The Ruby in the Smoke in 2006 and The Shadow in the North in 2007.Author Philip Pullman
A dedicated storyteller and advocate of education, renowned author and educator Philip Pullman was born in 1946 in England. He is best known for the controversial His Dark Materials trilogy. Pullman is the recipient of many literary awards, including the prestigious Carnegie Medal, but some of his books have also be challenged and censored. (Source: Official Web site of Philip Pullman)For more about Philip Pullman, including his background, his books and the books and views that have been challenged, see my Author Spotlight: Philip Pullman
My Recommendation
If you are looking for an old fashioned melodrama with British flair that involves a feisty heroine capable of outwitting all sorts of shady characters, then a Sally Lockhart mystery is what you need to read. Cut throats, villains, a hag, and assassins make up part of the cast of this British caper through dark Victorian England.In addition, if you’re looking for scholarly literature, Phillip Pullman is the man to read. Pullman writes on his website that he did a great amount of research for this book, which is manifested in the historic details of the opium trade, Frederic’s work in revolutionary photography, and the British shipping industry.
Whether they are exchanging witty barbs, hatching plots of attack, issuing death threats, or describing opium induced dreams, the dialogue between the characters is crisp and smart. Although the storyline is melodramatic, the narration is sophisticated and threaded with classical British composure. Teens who enjoy a smart, intelligent mystery with historic details will like following Sally Lockhart on her many London adventures. I recommend this book for teens 14 and up. (Alfred A. Knopf, Random House, 2008. ISBN: 9780375845161)
