Double Life

by Justin Richards

After finding a mysterious stone and an old casebook, fourteen-year-old Arthur Drake finds himself remembering the 1936 adventures of a boy named Art who, under the identity of the Invisible Detective, works with three friends in London to solve the mystery of sinister puppets who are replacing real people. Reprint.

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Childrens, Science Fiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Justin Richards is a British writer. He has written many spin off novels based on the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, and he is Creative Director for the BBC Books range. He has also written for television, contributing to Five's soap opera Family Affairs. He is also the author of a series of crime novels for children about the Invisible Detective, and novels for older children. His Doctor Who novel The Burning was placed sixth in the Top 10 of SFX magazine's "Best SF/Fantasy novelisation or TV tie-in novel" category of 2000.

Reviews

[Andrew Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm scared of toasters

[PurpleCrayons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Art under the identity of the Invisible Detective works with three friends in London to solve the mystery of sinister puppets who are replacing real people. I would recommend this book to people that like mysterious things. I think the main conflict in this book was how Art had to be the detective with his friends without being caught and pretending to be him. I Think this book was a good book because it was about solving a mystery and i like those types of books.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would recommend this to fans of John Bellairs ("The House with a Clock in Its Walls"). Just enough scares to give you chills, but not enough to keep you up at night.

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Invisible Detective was a pretty engaging book that I found to be quite interesting. The story is written around a teenager named Arthur Drake who stumbles upon a book in an antique shop which happens to be about his past, jut that he doesn,t know it yet. As he reads the book, he finds out that it is written in his handwriting and the protagonist is also named Arthur Drake. What he reads about is even more mysterious as it talks about a case being solved by the one called The Invisible Detective. He is a person that no one has ever seen but apparently still exists. Even though this sounds pretty interesting, which it is, but I felt that the story was a bit too rushed. The author could've expanded more on some scenes and really tell us everything there is to, know. I also thought that it was really boring at some parts of the book, but overall it's had a pretty good idea to it.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

A group of four London teens who call themselves the Cannoniers, after Cannon Street where they have their meeting place in and abandonded warehouse, take on small detective jobs in the guise of the Invisible Detective. When their hideout is taken over by Professor Bessemer's Paranormal Puppets, they stumble upon a mystery involving a missing pub patron, automatons, and the Duke of Windsor. A modern-day storyline confuses things a bit as the narrative switches back and forth in time. Overall, a fun, quick read for kids.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I reread the Invisible Detective book recently after having rediscovered it, almost a decade after I originally read it. It's still as engaging and interesting as I remember it. The characters seem more alive and the mystery is well woven into the book's plot. The book is written so that you visit two separate people with the same name as they begin to unravel certain mysteries.

I would highly recommend this read to a Teenage audience as it can be 'violent' with the murder/crime/homeless children thing.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't believe this book is children's fiction! It is violent, includes alcohol and is pretty scary! The story is kind of boring and over all I want not a fan of this book. I certainly won't be recommending it to anyone anytime soon. It is a good example of a mystery book, but the characters are not very distinct, and the story is not as entrancing as most mysteries I've stumbled upon as an adult.

[Mrs.]

The Detective
The title of the book is the invisible detective,It is about a detective that is a crime solver that are the strongest case. He mostly comes out in the night because there is nobody-outside and that when criminals come out and kill people ,one of-the case that he savored was a murder which is when some one is fold the body in a house

[Cameron Fore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I accidentally put my review on the wrong Invisible Detective Book. I am on page 163 of 204. From what I have read it is a very good book. I would recommend this book for 5th grade and up. It certainly is a mystery in two ways. One: How someone could write this good of a book, and 2: how someone could do what the detectives in the book are doing.

[Corey]

I am on page 32 of this book. I have never read any of these books so this is a new thing for me. I have always been into mystery stories. So far this a really good book. But once in awhile i get a little confused in some parts of this book.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took a few tries to get into, but worth it in the end.

[Sarah Joy]

A brilliant work by J. Richards! :D