The Ruby in the Smoke

If you can't take your eyes of a good book and you're dying to get your hands on good mystery then Ruby in the Smoke written by Philip Pullman is the book for you.

Sally Lockhart a seventeen year old girl living in Norwood England is dying to find out about her fathers death. An employee of the Lockhart shop hears about her fathers death and dyes of fear. The shop that used to be Lockhart's and Selby's is now only Selby's. Sally goes on a journey of a lifetime to find out more about her fathers death because all she knows is something about the south china sea.

Sally travels to London and meets some great and not so great people. their she starts a photography shop, but she says that living in the late eighteen hundred their will be better pictures in the future. Ever since her father death she has been having the scariest Nightmares. Sally says that a man stands in the dark with big eyes and says her name with a dagger in his hands and comes closer and closer to her.

Sally gets a little information about her fathers death but it still doesn't clear anything up. Sally gets in a cab which is a horse drawn carriage in her days. The cab driver is the man who is trying to kill Sally. Jim puts a dagger in his hand a tries to kill Sally, but he doesn't know that Sally carries a gun in her bag she takes out the gun and shots him in the face for trying to kill her. Later when Sally returns home she finds out that to get the information that she want she didn't even need to leave her home.

some reviews say,

A rip-roaring good adventure story,

A gripping page-turner, and

A spendid mystery novel

Winner of the International Reading Association's Children's book Award


Other books by Philip Pullman in the Sally Lockhart Series are, The Shadow In The North, The Tiger In the Well, and The Tin Princess. Books not in the sally Lockhart series are, His Dark Material, The Golden compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass, Lyra's Oxford, The Broken Bridge, The White Mercedes, Count Karlstein, I was a Rat, Puss In Boots, and Spring-Heeled Jack.