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A Jack Mason Adventure #4
The Monster Within
Book four of the Jack Mason Adventure series. After a series of fatal bombings across London, Jack, Scarlet, and Mr. Doyle are drawn into another baffling case: the reported sighting of a monster roaming the city's underground sewers. Before they can investigate, the team must travel to Spain to hunt down a group of terrorists. But just as they close in, Jack and Scarlet are kidnapped. With their lives in perilous danger, will Mr. Doyle find his young assistants in time? Back in London, will the monster's true origins be uncovered before it too wreaks deadly destruction across the city?
- GenresYoung Adult
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2015
2 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
About the author
Darrell Pitt
52 books163 followersDarrell Pitt is a long-time fan of comics, science-fiction, and anything that would make the 'cool kids' cringe. Seriously, he remembers literally sprinting home from school one day to watch the next episode of Doctor Who because the previous episode ended on a cliffhanger (although, didn't they all?).
He has a lifelong interest in superheroes, monsters, science fiction and anything involving spaceships or zebras. (If your eyes furrowed at the mention of the word, zebras, yes, it’s true. He really likes zebras. He hasn’t written a book yet that features an all zebra crew on a spaceship where they encounter superheroes or monsters – but there’s still time!)
He has a lifelong interest in superheroes, monsters, science fiction and anything involving spaceships or zebras. (If your eyes furrowed at the mention of the word, zebras, yes, it’s true. He really likes zebras. He hasn’t written a book yet that features an all zebra crew on a spaceship where they encounter superheroes or monsters – but there’s still time!)
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 3, 2017
Reviewed in conjunction with The Broken Sun
http://www.divabooknerd.com/2015/05/a...
Jack is back, and a little older and wiser and still working under the careful eye of Mr Doyle. He and Scarlet have their first official case, the mysterious monster that appears at night, scaring the locals and feasting on cats. Mr Doyle has a bigger case to solve, the terrorist attacks suspected of being caused by The Valkyrie Circle, a nationwide suffragette society that supports women's rights and recently taken over by a woman known as Lady Death. A cause close to Scarlet's heart, recent events have lead to authorities ban all women's rights movement, including the protest in favour for their right to vote.
The latest bombing brings the total to eight attacks, the injured now numbering in the hundreds and the loss of life cannot be measured. To find out if The Valkyrie Circle is responsible, they must find who created the device. The clues lead them to the Spanish coast... Where not only are Jack and Scarlet kidnapped, but by someone they had least suspected. Mr Doyle has been arrested and back home, the monster still roams the sewers beneath the city. But what do the two cases have in common. With tensions high and Lady Death threatening new attacks, will Jack, Scarlet and Mr Doyle make it through this investigation unscathed?
The Jack Mason series has incredibly entertaining, a mixture steampunk, adventure, mystery and a healthy dose of girl power. Vividly described, Mr Doyle along with his two assistants in Jack and Scarlet are a formidable team. The series started as middle grade, but akin to the Percy Jackson series, the characters mature and grow with each new installment. I love the eccentric Mr Doyle. He's a cross between a Johnny Deep character and Maxwell Smart, entertaining, lovable and with a seemingly endless supply of lint covered cheese stored in his pockets. As the series progresses, we find out more about the man behind the detective. A man who rescued an orphan in Jack, took in Scarlet while her father is away on business and spends his life solving mysteries, traveling around the world via his steamship.
Told mainly in the narrative, the reader also sees glimpses of Jack's thoughts as he begins to see what a beautiful young woman Scarlet is. She's strong willed and an advocate for women's rights. The banter between the two is adorable, as Jack feel the need to protect her and Scarlet of course will have none of that. The world building is incredible and although based in London, each book ensures the trio need to travel to solve the latest case. With each book, the series matures and I love the inclusion of political references, such as women's rights woven throughout. It look until book three for me to fall in love with this series, now I eagerly await the next installment.
The Jack Mason Adventure is an eccentric and wonderfully written series for the young and young at heart. Vivid world building and incredible characters, that leave the reader with a sense of wonderment. It's absolutely lovely and I can't wait to see where Darrell Pitt not only takes this series, but the budding romance that seems to be brewing between our two young trainee detectives.
http://www.divabooknerd.com/2015/05/a...
Jack is back, and a little older and wiser and still working under the careful eye of Mr Doyle. He and Scarlet have their first official case, the mysterious monster that appears at night, scaring the locals and feasting on cats. Mr Doyle has a bigger case to solve, the terrorist attacks suspected of being caused by The Valkyrie Circle, a nationwide suffragette society that supports women's rights and recently taken over by a woman known as Lady Death. A cause close to Scarlet's heart, recent events have lead to authorities ban all women's rights movement, including the protest in favour for their right to vote.
The latest bombing brings the total to eight attacks, the injured now numbering in the hundreds and the loss of life cannot be measured. To find out if The Valkyrie Circle is responsible, they must find who created the device. The clues lead them to the Spanish coast... Where not only are Jack and Scarlet kidnapped, but by someone they had least suspected. Mr Doyle has been arrested and back home, the monster still roams the sewers beneath the city. But what do the two cases have in common. With tensions high and Lady Death threatening new attacks, will Jack, Scarlet and Mr Doyle make it through this investigation unscathed?
The Jack Mason series has incredibly entertaining, a mixture steampunk, adventure, mystery and a healthy dose of girl power. Vividly described, Mr Doyle along with his two assistants in Jack and Scarlet are a formidable team. The series started as middle grade, but akin to the Percy Jackson series, the characters mature and grow with each new installment. I love the eccentric Mr Doyle. He's a cross between a Johnny Deep character and Maxwell Smart, entertaining, lovable and with a seemingly endless supply of lint covered cheese stored in his pockets. As the series progresses, we find out more about the man behind the detective. A man who rescued an orphan in Jack, took in Scarlet while her father is away on business and spends his life solving mysteries, traveling around the world via his steamship.
Told mainly in the narrative, the reader also sees glimpses of Jack's thoughts as he begins to see what a beautiful young woman Scarlet is. She's strong willed and an advocate for women's rights. The banter between the two is adorable, as Jack feel the need to protect her and Scarlet of course will have none of that. The world building is incredible and although based in London, each book ensures the trio need to travel to solve the latest case. With each book, the series matures and I love the inclusion of political references, such as women's rights woven throughout. It look until book three for me to fall in love with this series, now I eagerly await the next installment.
The Jack Mason Adventure is an eccentric and wonderfully written series for the young and young at heart. Vivid world building and incredible characters, that leave the reader with a sense of wonderment. It's absolutely lovely and I can't wait to see where Darrell Pitt not only takes this series, but the budding romance that seems to be brewing between our two young trainee detectives.
July 26, 2015
A copy of this novel was provided by Text Publishing for review.
I feel like there’s a bit of a pattern with the Jack Mason Adventure series – for me. It’s like: I like one, but then not the other. And then I like the next one. Which meant, unfortunately, The Monster Within fell into the “did not like” side of the pattern. This is disappointing, because I thought I got my Jack Mason mojo back with The Broken Sun , but apparently not.
I didn’t really ~feel~ anything for The Monster Within, otherwise than an emotion akin to the word “meh”. I felt like the character growth that we’d seen in Jack in the last book went no further in this one, and I also felt like the storyline was a little bit all over the place. The title namesake was barely in the novel, and it was actually more about a society (not so society, actually) planning bombings all around London, and Jack, Scarlet, and Doyle trying to find them before they detonated. So I thought that a bit odd, to be honest. I would most likely have preferred the two storylines to be split, because as it was in The Monster Within neither plot received enough attention, in my opinion.
I also feel like there’s a little bit of a formula to these books that involves Jack and Scarlet being kidnapped and/or running off into some awful situation. I realise this is probably so that there’s no parental figure (i.e. Doyle) to interrupt their shenanigans, but I’d be more likely to believe Doyle giving them more freedom than the two being kidnapped once again.
I did quite like the show of heroism in the desert where Jack literally carried Scarlet for miles. I thought that was adorable. And even though these are middle grade books, I ship those two. Their little moments together are quite sweet, and I hope by the end of this series they realise how much they mean to each other.
I also like how much the pair care for Doyle. It’s a lovely show of tender-hearted kid-love for a father-like figure, and it gives me the warm fuzzies.
Once again, I am still interested in reading the next book because I want to see what the trio are up to next – and if my Jack Mason pattern continues.
© 2015, Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity . All rights reserved.
I feel like there’s a bit of a pattern with the Jack Mason Adventure series – for me. It’s like: I like one, but then not the other. And then I like the next one. Which meant, unfortunately, The Monster Within fell into the “did not like” side of the pattern. This is disappointing, because I thought I got my Jack Mason mojo back with The Broken Sun , but apparently not.
I didn’t really ~feel~ anything for The Monster Within, otherwise than an emotion akin to the word “meh”. I felt like the character growth that we’d seen in Jack in the last book went no further in this one, and I also felt like the storyline was a little bit all over the place. The title namesake was barely in the novel, and it was actually more about a society (not so society, actually) planning bombings all around London, and Jack, Scarlet, and Doyle trying to find them before they detonated. So I thought that a bit odd, to be honest. I would most likely have preferred the two storylines to be split, because as it was in The Monster Within neither plot received enough attention, in my opinion.
I also feel like there’s a little bit of a formula to these books that involves Jack and Scarlet being kidnapped and/or running off into some awful situation. I realise this is probably so that there’s no parental figure (i.e. Doyle) to interrupt their shenanigans, but I’d be more likely to believe Doyle giving them more freedom than the two being kidnapped once again.
I did quite like the show of heroism in the desert where Jack literally carried Scarlet for miles. I thought that was adorable. And even though these are middle grade books, I ship those two. Their little moments together are quite sweet, and I hope by the end of this series they realise how much they mean to each other.
I also like how much the pair care for Doyle. It’s a lovely show of tender-hearted kid-love for a father-like figure, and it gives me the warm fuzzies.
Once again, I am still interested in reading the next book because I want to see what the trio are up to next – and if my Jack Mason pattern continues.
© 2015, Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity . All rights reserved.
August 26, 2015
I was given a copy of The Monster Within for review.
Literally starts with a bang. A Ka-boom! to be precise and it never stops. We are thrust once again into the thick of the action in this fourth instalment of A Jack Mason Adventure. Bombs are exploding across London sending our daring trio Jack, Scarlet and Mr. Doyle from Spain to Scotland and back again in their attempts to discover and thwart the baddies and restore order. As in The Broken Sun, Jack and Scarlet are becoming more capable of their own investigating, which Doyle recognises by giving the duo their own case to crack. They just didn't expect it to be sightings of seven foot tall cat-eating monster. Amidst many historical nods to London, and particularly in this novel the suffragette movement, and Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Pitt drops in pieces of reflected wisdom such as;
"Everyone can do their bit." Mr Doyle said. "Donate money to charities or books to libraries. Even busting an elderly neighbour can make a world of difference."
"Sometimes we have to live with our scars...Maybe that's where the real courage lies."
"Some of the worst prisons are of our own making."
"Old women have trouble sleeping. The ghosts of the pasta won't let them be."
We spend a few chapters becoming more familiar with Miss Bloxley, Jack and Scarlet's teacher. Witticisms continue as Jack and Scarlet spar over the relativity of Brinkie Buckeridge novels to their latest predicament and the viability of a Zombie apocalypse, a lovely pop culture reference. There is quite a lot of death-threats and dire straits so I would definitely make this a 10 year old + novel.
Whilst certainly a page turner for adventure, thrills and clues, I was a bit bombarded by the comings and goings. Was it too much? Yes, my mind was whirling when reading and I would've liked to have seen it pared down a little. I have to say I still enjoyed the 2nd addition to this series The Secret Abyss most in this aspect of plot. Am I looking forward to the next instalment The Lost Sword? Bazookas yes!
Literally starts with a bang. A Ka-boom! to be precise and it never stops. We are thrust once again into the thick of the action in this fourth instalment of A Jack Mason Adventure. Bombs are exploding across London sending our daring trio Jack, Scarlet and Mr. Doyle from Spain to Scotland and back again in their attempts to discover and thwart the baddies and restore order. As in The Broken Sun, Jack and Scarlet are becoming more capable of their own investigating, which Doyle recognises by giving the duo their own case to crack. They just didn't expect it to be sightings of seven foot tall cat-eating monster. Amidst many historical nods to London, and particularly in this novel the suffragette movement, and Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Pitt drops in pieces of reflected wisdom such as;
"Everyone can do their bit." Mr Doyle said. "Donate money to charities or books to libraries. Even busting an elderly neighbour can make a world of difference."
"Sometimes we have to live with our scars...Maybe that's where the real courage lies."
"Some of the worst prisons are of our own making."
"Old women have trouble sleeping. The ghosts of the pasta won't let them be."
We spend a few chapters becoming more familiar with Miss Bloxley, Jack and Scarlet's teacher. Witticisms continue as Jack and Scarlet spar over the relativity of Brinkie Buckeridge novels to their latest predicament and the viability of a Zombie apocalypse, a lovely pop culture reference. There is quite a lot of death-threats and dire straits so I would definitely make this a 10 year old + novel.
Whilst certainly a page turner for adventure, thrills and clues, I was a bit bombarded by the comings and goings. Was it too much? Yes, my mind was whirling when reading and I would've liked to have seen it pared down a little. I have to say I still enjoyed the 2nd addition to this series The Secret Abyss most in this aspect of plot. Am I looking forward to the next instalment The Lost Sword? Bazookas yes!
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March 24, 2016Book Four of the the Jack Mason Adventure series After a series of fatal bombings across London, Jack, Scarlet and Mr Doyle are drawn into another baffling case: the reported sighting of a monster loose in the city's underground sewers. Before they can invstigate, the team must travel to the Alhambra, an ancient fortress in Spain, to hunt down a group of terrorists. But just as they close in, Jack and Scarlet are kidnapped. With their lives in perilous danger, will Mr Doyle find his young assistants in time? While back in London, will the monster's true origins be uncovered before it too wreaks deadly destruction across the city?
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews