56. The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman

If you are going to do a trade
paperback, do it like this!

I read this book already and at the time enjoyed it enough that I wanted to read all of them.  I happened to find all but the first one at Rennaisance thrift shop here in these nicely designed trade paperbacks (see I am not totally close-minded) and then totally lucked out and found the first one that same day at another thrift store that was more clothes but had a few books. I felt that if I was going to do the series, I probably should just re-read the first one, which is what I did.  I also had my daughter in mind who is finally adding actual books to her voracious and rapid graphic-novel consumption pace, but the covers didn't grab her and now that I am reading them I suspect they may be a bit old for her still.  I do remember when I was a teacher, Pullman's Golden Compass series went through the sixth and seventh graders like wildfire but maybe those being more fantastic also makes them more appealing.  I will spring those on to her soon for sure.

The Sally Lockhart series was written before the Golden Compass and though his prose is as strong as ever, some of the structure lacks the craft and polish to make this a masterpiece. Nevertheless, this is a real page-turner and the plot and setting of Victorian England are super fun.  It feels like Pullman just wanted to make a Sherlock Holmes/penny dreadful type adventure but do so with a female protagonist to make it really interesting.  Sally Lockhart is a great character.  Raised unconventionally by her sailor and soldier father who disappeared in a ship wreck in the far east, she is not well-versed in the important skills of manners and social etiquette, but is an expert markswoman and accountant.  The Ruby in the Smoke is basically her origin story as she races against unknown malevolent forces that are conspring against her for reasons she doesn't know.

It gets even more enjoyable when by chance she falls in with an eccentric photographer and his actress sister.  They take her into their sprawling house out of pity but soon realize that her organizational and business skills can rescue their floundering photography business.  They also become allies with her and enlist young and scrappy Jim Taylor, another great character!

There is lots of great action and a truly moving denouement as she learns the truth about what happened to her father.  Very enjoyable and I am now going to read the next one.