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Sweet Valley High #106
Beware the Wolfman
A savage werewolf is loose in London, and identical twins Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield could be its next targets. On assignment for the London Journal, the twins are on the trail of the most deadly killer since Jack the Ripper.
229 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
About the author
Francine Pascal
1,149 books1,853 followersFrancine Paula Pascal was an American author best known for her Sweet Valley series of young adult novels. Sweet Valley High, the backbone of the collection, was made into a television series, which led to several spin-offs, including The Unicorn Club and Sweet Valley University. Although most of these books were published in the 1980s and 1990s, they remained so popular that several titles were re-released decades later.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
October 1, 2018
The best thing about this book is feeling smug that my hatred for Elizabeth is justified. I always preferred Jessica over Elizabeth, and I love that in this one her smug, know-it-all-attitude is put in its place. HA!
I read this when I was younger - middle or high school? Not sure - but bought it recently on thrift books because I thought it would be fun to read in the Halloween season. Honestly, the book isn't great at all, and I wouldn't recommend it unless you're already a fan of Sweet Valley High. Fans of the series - or those, like me, who are clouded by nostalgia - understand that the plot is going to be ridiculous and eye-roll worthy, but that's what makes it fun. This one definitely has its ridiculousness and eye-roll worthy moments! And yeah, if you're a Jessica fan, you'll definitely like it.
I read this when I was younger - middle or high school? Not sure - but bought it recently on thrift books because I thought it would be fun to read in the Halloween season. Honestly, the book isn't great at all, and I wouldn't recommend it unless you're already a fan of Sweet Valley High. Fans of the series - or those, like me, who are clouded by nostalgia - understand that the plot is going to be ridiculous and eye-roll worthy, but that's what makes it fun. This one definitely has its ridiculousness and eye-roll worthy moments! And yeah, if you're a Jessica fan, you'll definitely like it.
November 16, 2024
The final book in the ‘Horror in London’ trilogy is an absolute barnstormer. Family intrigue, murder, revenge, romance. It has it all! There’s also a defly handled dual investigation which really ramps up the tension in the second half. Yes, the denouement is obvious, but getting there is a huge amount of fun.
September 14, 2011
Five stars because Elizabeth was wrong for once. Apart from cheating on Todd with a werewolf - LOL!
October 20, 2023
I wish I had the words to properly describe this book beyond bug nuts. I feel like batshit crazy doesn't really convey just how insane this whole thing is.
So. In the first book of this arc, we were told the internship the twins had was for a month. Yeah, there's a reason I didn't remember that as being the case. According to this one, we're about a month in and it's not until the very end, after more days have passed, that there's any mention of them going home. Why even give a timeline at the start? Just say it's a summer internship and then at the end say it's nearly time for them to go home. Why try and pin things down at the start only to blow it all to pieces? Ugh.
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I will never not be somewhat amused by this book deciding an actual werewolf was too much, especially considering we're just off the heels of the Evil Twin arc and I'm not sure I consider mythological creatures any more fantastical than Margo.
I didn't absolutely hate Luke this go round. Not sure if it's knowing what's gonna happen to him or if past!me kicked in a little or if he's just not as weird? There's a scene where Liz and company think he's a little "intense" but at that point I'd say he's no more so than anyone else in the werewolves are real camp.
So. It's been, what, thirty years, and I still cannot figure out how in the actual hell Luke went around killing people with a wolf mask on his head. How did he rip their throats out? HOW? Where'd he get the wolf fur he framed Robert with? There are so many unanswered questions! Where's his father? Not Pembroke Sr, but the pharmacist/chemist he's so dismissive of? Why and how is he living alone in his practically abandoned childhood home?
Speaking of Robert, I always half expected him to make a return in some future arc (hey, if Rene can, why not Robert?) because the dude pretends to be homeless in an effort to keep an eye on Jessica, and he fights a dude in a wolf mask to keep her safe. Again, I don't remember if younger!me caught that the never previously mentioned homeless dude was Robert, but as soon as he appeared on page the first time (in his disguise), it all flooded back to me.
Rene! Liz pissed me the fuck off when she thinks to herself that Rene's a shitty friend the ONE time she goes to see him and he's not there. Ma'am, you've blown him off and run around London with your precious Luke and as far as you know he's WORKING, something you've not done a lot of (the ostriches were a ruse!) for your actual internship as opposed to chasing down phantoms. I'm sure it's meant to be an "oh, I'm such an ass" moment when he's revealed to be the shadow she's had all along but auuuuuuuugh. At least most of Jessica's selfish thoughts are presented as such while Liz tends to get the saint treatment... even when she's been proven time and time to be wrong.
Speaking of things that made me roll my eyes heavenward more than once: I know we're not mentioning Margo by name, or really by act, after that arc, but seriously, Jessica and Elizabeth having such a major fight so very, very soon after that kind of danger is something that has never managed to sit right with me. It's done so the story can happen but it just feels cheap and stupid. You're telling me that with Jessica mentioning more than once that Robert is the first guy (again, suck it, James!) since Sam's death to make her feel that way, she wouldn't also think about the last time she and Liz stopped talking to one another and how that very nearly became the LAST time? Or when one of them is very, very clearly in danger, they wouldn't think back to how they were very nearly murdered not that long ago? Seriously? Fuck that noise.
Lady Pembroke being a stone cold bitch is something I'd sort of forgotten. I remembered she was why Luke wasn't in the picture beyond just being a woman scorned, but forgotten she'd actively used the fact that the fortune was hers as a weapon. Luke. Honey. Babycakes. Of all the Pembrokes to attack, she was the one you should've gone after. Seriously, just stop with all the rest and go straight to her.
Was the werewolf going after Jessica because she'd dismissed Luke and chosen Robert instead?
I'd completely forgotten that Tony and Lucy just skipped the whole dating thing and got married ASAP at the end and how it's completely out of left field but probably the most sane thing in the book.
I'd like to think that after all the nonsense went down at Luke's home, Portia and Rene bonded over the serious WTF of it all. Daddy issues and wannabe werewolf trauma brought on by the Wakefield twins. Relationships have started over less...
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What, I'm old. We do spoilers differently.
So. In the first book of this arc, we were told the internship the twins had was for a month. Yeah, there's a reason I didn't remember that as being the case. According to this one, we're about a month in and it's not until the very end, after more days have passed, that there's any mention of them going home. Why even give a timeline at the start? Just say it's a summer internship and then at the end say it's nearly time for them to go home. Why try and pin things down at the start only to blow it all to pieces? Ugh.
S
p
o
i
l
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r
s
A
h
o
y
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m
a
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y
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I will never not be somewhat amused by this book deciding an actual werewolf was too much, especially considering we're just off the heels of the Evil Twin arc and I'm not sure I consider mythological creatures any more fantastical than Margo.
I didn't absolutely hate Luke this go round. Not sure if it's knowing what's gonna happen to him or if past!me kicked in a little or if he's just not as weird? There's a scene where Liz and company think he's a little "intense" but at that point I'd say he's no more so than anyone else in the werewolves are real camp.
So. It's been, what, thirty years, and I still cannot figure out how in the actual hell Luke went around killing people with a wolf mask on his head. How did he rip their throats out? HOW? Where'd he get the wolf fur he framed Robert with? There are so many unanswered questions! Where's his father? Not Pembroke Sr, but the pharmacist/chemist he's so dismissive of? Why and how is he living alone in his practically abandoned childhood home?
Speaking of Robert, I always half expected him to make a return in some future arc (hey, if Rene can, why not Robert?) because the dude pretends to be homeless in an effort to keep an eye on Jessica, and he fights a dude in a wolf mask to keep her safe. Again, I don't remember if younger!me caught that the never previously mentioned homeless dude was Robert, but as soon as he appeared on page the first time (in his disguise), it all flooded back to me.
Rene! Liz pissed me the fuck off when she thinks to herself that Rene's a shitty friend the ONE time she goes to see him and he's not there. Ma'am, you've blown him off and run around London with your precious Luke and as far as you know he's WORKING, something you've not done a lot of (the ostriches were a ruse!) for your actual internship as opposed to chasing down phantoms. I'm sure it's meant to be an "oh, I'm such an ass" moment when he's revealed to be the shadow she's had all along but auuuuuuuugh. At least most of Jessica's selfish thoughts are presented as such while Liz tends to get the saint treatment... even when she's been proven time and time to be wrong.
Speaking of things that made me roll my eyes heavenward more than once: I know we're not mentioning Margo by name, or really by act, after that arc, but seriously, Jessica and Elizabeth having such a major fight so very, very soon after that kind of danger is something that has never managed to sit right with me. It's done so the story can happen but it just feels cheap and stupid. You're telling me that with Jessica mentioning more than once that Robert is the first guy (again, suck it, James!) since Sam's death to make her feel that way, she wouldn't also think about the last time she and Liz stopped talking to one another and how that very nearly became the LAST time? Or when one of them is very, very clearly in danger, they wouldn't think back to how they were very nearly murdered not that long ago? Seriously? Fuck that noise.
Lady Pembroke being a stone cold bitch is something I'd sort of forgotten. I remembered she was why Luke wasn't in the picture beyond just being a woman scorned, but forgotten she'd actively used the fact that the fortune was hers as a weapon. Luke. Honey. Babycakes. Of all the Pembrokes to attack, she was the one you should've gone after. Seriously, just stop with all the rest and go straight to her.
Was the werewolf going after Jessica because she'd dismissed Luke and chosen Robert instead?
I'd completely forgotten that Tony and Lucy just skipped the whole dating thing and got married ASAP at the end and how it's completely out of left field but probably the most sane thing in the book.
I'd like to think that after all the nonsense went down at Luke's home, Portia and Rene bonded over the serious WTF of it all. Daddy issues and wannabe werewolf trauma brought on by the Wakefield twins. Relationships have started over less...
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What, I'm old. We do spoilers differently.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 26, 2017
What started out as fairly entertaining took a nose-dive in book 2 and dug itself deeper into the muck with this third installment. First of all, there shouldn't be a third installment, most of this book is essentially a recap of the other two books... as if the reader hasn't read those already? It is extremely annoying and shows how thin the story is, when you need THAT much padding AND a surprise wedding at the end (because why not, one date is enough to solidify future bliss right) there just isn't enough here to make the story interesting.
Elizabeth is maybe just a tiny bit less annoying then in the last one... still kind of wish she would have gotten her throat ripped out "as if by a wild beast". She's still the worst girlfriend, poor Todd, you know the boyfriend she's so crazy about is not really remembered until this book, and not truly missed until her new boyfriend is dead.
Jessica... is a surprisingly good person in these books, all in love and what not. No conversation is had between her and Robert however, about how she's about to leave the country forever, which seems a bit weird and like a missed opportunity for some real character stuff.
Honestly everything about this book is ridiculous and not really in the good way. People accept the werewolf theory way too quickly, the characters are cartoonish figures based on stereotypes, everything is way too easy all the time, and not a single piece of it is the least bit credible. Brits are elites or paupers, the twins can suddenly do better detective work than the Scotland Yard, and the amount of research gone into having the twins in London seems to be limited to saying "mustn't", "tube" , drinking tea, and using the word Liverpudlian.
After reading the 10 years later book, I thought it'd be fun to re-visit these stories, now I'm sad I wasted my money and retroactively questioning my youthful sanity and taste, for having ever thought these were worthwhile. YA at its worst.
Elizabeth is maybe just a tiny bit less annoying then in the last one... still kind of wish she would have gotten her throat ripped out "as if by a wild beast". She's still the worst girlfriend, poor Todd, you know the boyfriend she's so crazy about is not really remembered until this book, and not truly missed until her new boyfriend is dead.
Jessica... is a surprisingly good person in these books, all in love and what not. No conversation is had between her and Robert however, about how she's about to leave the country forever, which seems a bit weird and like a missed opportunity for some real character stuff.
Honestly everything about this book is ridiculous and not really in the good way. People accept the werewolf theory way too quickly, the characters are cartoonish figures based on stereotypes, everything is way too easy all the time, and not a single piece of it is the least bit credible. Brits are elites or paupers, the twins can suddenly do better detective work than the Scotland Yard, and the amount of research gone into having the twins in London seems to be limited to saying "mustn't", "tube" , drinking tea, and using the word Liverpudlian.
After reading the 10 years later book, I thought it'd be fun to re-visit these stories, now I'm sad I wasted my money and retroactively questioning my youthful sanity and taste, for having ever thought these were worthwhile. YA at its worst.
March 5, 2022
This book almost made me abandon my now-years-long project of rereading this series after collecting every single book. It was THAT bad, especially since anyone who read the previous 2 books in this "miniseries" (I hate this format of these trilogies all being part of the series- none of these plots warrant 3 books-- I haven't looked through all the rest of the titles closely enough to know if the trend ever ends, but book 107 starts another one-sigh- at least there's no werewolves) already would have figured out who the murderer was. At any rate, I finally sped-read this mess, and am glad to leave Wakefields Do London With Werewolves behind. This whole vacation/internship would have been infinitely better if Elizabeth had just hooked up with Rene and spent weekends going to Shakespeare plays, but whatever. I picked up the next book and read the first chapter today, and thank God they're back in California at the beach. Hopefully I'll finish this series this calendar year. One star- skip this miniseries, even if you're a hardcore fan. It was terrible.
November 21, 2024
A nicely done book to wrap up a three part miniseries. The mystery keeps unfolding - until it doesn’t. 😂 This book was a total escape, with some twists and turns that the reader may see coming. This GenXer enjoyed the distraction from modern day politics.
September 25, 2019
The best of the 3. Probably only necessary to read this one.
June 21, 2020
Kinda happy that Luke died. I wouldn’t like it if he was taken to prison because I liked him 😔😆!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 14, 2018
Well. I think the moral of this story is that werewolves exist in London. Those across the pond can let me know if I’m on track or not. What is not explained is how these werewolves came to exist. Or rather, the werewolf terrorizing London while the twins are in town.
There’s not much here; it just drags out the plot more. Liz and Jess have decided they are not speaking because Jess is still pissed that Liz won’t admit that Robert is not the werewolf. So the twins set off to collect evidence to prove their respective points - separately.
Liz and Jess both independently come across information on Annabelle, the key to discovering the whole mystery. Jess finds out that Luke’s mom’s name was Ann, but she doesn’t put two and two together. Jess gets all the pieces right before Liz. First, Lord Pembroke Senior tells her that Junior has an illegitimate half brother. Then, she gets Lady Pembroke to confess that she knows all about Annabelle. And the kicker? Annabelle’s son was named Lucas. Yep. According to Lady Pembroke, Lucas is an evil name.
Naturally, at this point Jessica drops her stone cold silence against her sister. But she finds out that Liz is at Annabelle’s old house... with Luke. She wrangles up Portia to go attempt to save her sister.
Luke says he will go downstairs to turn the power on, but of course he won’t. Liz wanders upstairs and finds the werewolf’s lair. When Luke comes to the door with a werewolf face, Liz is a total idiot. She tells him to take his “mask” off. I was just delighting in the sweet, sweet justice of high and mighty cheating Liz having a boyfriend die for once. Well, he dies shortly after. It turns out that Robert and Rene were also hunting for the killer. Robert was pretending to be a homeless man in plain sight so he could keep an eye on the twins. They burst in with Sergeant Bumpo, the bumbling fool of Scotland Yard. But he’s not really so bumbling when the gun falls and he picks it up and delivers the fatal shot to Luke’s chest. At that moment Jess and Portia also arrive on the scene. They think Liz has been shot until they rush upstairs and see that it was Luke who was hit with a silver bullet. Liz is devastated, but I have no sympathy. She cheats on Todd every other book.
So how did Luke come to be a werewolf? Well, that isn’t explained. At all. Like werewolves just exist in London, and we are not supposed to ask why. But Liz does read in Luke’s diary that he has no idea he’s the werewolf. He blacks out every time he kills someone. He did genuinely think it was Robert, so it seems he was not intentionally framing him. It was a classic my brother has everything and I have nothing story. Luke ended up killing all the people who denied him the privileged existence that Robert Junior got to experience.
At the end, Lucy Friday and Tony finally get together. In fact, they marry one day after finally admitting their feelings to one another. That might actually be a quicker relationship than any Jess ever experienced. And that’s saying something.
Liz muses that soon she will be back home in the town she loves with the boy she loves. Yeah, Liz, keep telling yourself that.
Quotes:
Jess: You’re the worst kind of reverse snob, Liz.
She’s not wrong.
Jessica on Luke: People who write poetry are too wimpy to be murderers.
There’s not much here; it just drags out the plot more. Liz and Jess have decided they are not speaking because Jess is still pissed that Liz won’t admit that Robert is not the werewolf. So the twins set off to collect evidence to prove their respective points - separately.
Liz and Jess both independently come across information on Annabelle, the key to discovering the whole mystery. Jess finds out that Luke’s mom’s name was Ann, but she doesn’t put two and two together. Jess gets all the pieces right before Liz. First, Lord Pembroke Senior tells her that Junior has an illegitimate half brother. Then, she gets Lady Pembroke to confess that she knows all about Annabelle. And the kicker? Annabelle’s son was named Lucas. Yep. According to Lady Pembroke, Lucas is an evil name.
Naturally, at this point Jessica drops her stone cold silence against her sister. But she finds out that Liz is at Annabelle’s old house... with Luke. She wrangles up Portia to go attempt to save her sister.
Luke says he will go downstairs to turn the power on, but of course he won’t. Liz wanders upstairs and finds the werewolf’s lair. When Luke comes to the door with a werewolf face, Liz is a total idiot. She tells him to take his “mask” off. I was just delighting in the sweet, sweet justice of high and mighty cheating Liz having a boyfriend die for once. Well, he dies shortly after. It turns out that Robert and Rene were also hunting for the killer. Robert was pretending to be a homeless man in plain sight so he could keep an eye on the twins. They burst in with Sergeant Bumpo, the bumbling fool of Scotland Yard. But he’s not really so bumbling when the gun falls and he picks it up and delivers the fatal shot to Luke’s chest. At that moment Jess and Portia also arrive on the scene. They think Liz has been shot until they rush upstairs and see that it was Luke who was hit with a silver bullet. Liz is devastated, but I have no sympathy. She cheats on Todd every other book.
So how did Luke come to be a werewolf? Well, that isn’t explained. At all. Like werewolves just exist in London, and we are not supposed to ask why. But Liz does read in Luke’s diary that he has no idea he’s the werewolf. He blacks out every time he kills someone. He did genuinely think it was Robert, so it seems he was not intentionally framing him. It was a classic my brother has everything and I have nothing story. Luke ended up killing all the people who denied him the privileged existence that Robert Junior got to experience.
At the end, Lucy Friday and Tony finally get together. In fact, they marry one day after finally admitting their feelings to one another. That might actually be a quicker relationship than any Jess ever experienced. And that’s saying something.
Liz muses that soon she will be back home in the town she loves with the boy she loves. Yeah, Liz, keep telling yourself that.
Quotes:
Jess: You’re the worst kind of reverse snob, Liz.
She’s not wrong.
Jessica on Luke: People who write poetry are too wimpy to be murderers.
June 21, 2013
I remember the cover just not the story.
September 16, 2017
I adored this when I was about 12 and still enjoy it now. It used to genuinely scare me... especially the cover!
October 21, 2023
This one gets an extra star for Liz receiving her comeuppance and a little residual trauma, to boot.
As the novel opens, Liz and Jess are still on the outs, as Liz suspects Jessica's London boyfriend, Robert, of being the man behind the werewolf murders. She actually believes Robert to be a werewolf, showing her own incredible ineptitude and naivety, not to mention how deeply she's fallen under the spell of her own London honey, Luke Little Lord Byron Shephard. Both twins are desperate to solve the mystery: Jessica, to vindicate her love; Liz, out of concern for Jessica's safety.
The twins each stumble onto the key to the mystery, a mysterious woman named Annabelle, and both go about trying to figure out who she is. Jessica gets there first and is immediately afraid for Liz's life, especially after learning that she's out alone with Luke.
Liz has indeed discovered Annabelle's address, and the writing is actually fairly good in this section, as she slowly discovers the identity of the werewolf
You don't even have to be a practiced mystery reader to see the backstory here, which was telegraphed in Book #1 of this miniseries. Basically its a deadly combination of jealousy, bitterness, and hatred, wrapped up in the English class system with a nice lil bow.
This book is much better written than the previous, and with its singular plot focus, makes for easier reading. It's still incredibly absurd, and the last couple of chapters try way too hard to redeem the killer (and fail miserably, albeit hilariously). Like I said before, given how much of an asshole Liz has been this entire series, it was satisfying to see her get her comeuppance, even if Jessica did forgive her a little too quickly, IMO. At least the end for Liz is fairly realistic, given she doesn't immediately snap right out it. The scars run deep, and quite so.
There is a mini subplot, in which Lucy Friday and Tony Frank decide that they love each other and want to get married, which could've been excised and nothing of value would've been lost. It feels strange reading about a love affair between adults in a YA series - its just as unrealistic as the teenage romances, and feels even more pathetic for that.
I'm glad this series is over, and I'll likely never revisit it.
As the novel opens, Liz and Jess are still on the outs, as Liz suspects Jessica's London boyfriend, Robert, of being the man behind the werewolf murders. She actually believes Robert to be a werewolf, showing her own incredible ineptitude and naivety, not to mention how deeply she's fallen under the spell of her own London honey, Luke Little Lord Byron Shephard. Both twins are desperate to solve the mystery: Jessica, to vindicate her love; Liz, out of concern for Jessica's safety.
The twins each stumble onto the key to the mystery, a mysterious woman named Annabelle, and both go about trying to figure out who she is. Jessica gets there first and is immediately afraid for Liz's life, especially after learning that she's out alone with Luke.
Liz has indeed discovered Annabelle's address, and the writing is actually fairly good in this section, as she slowly discovers the identity of the werewolf
You don't even have to be a practiced mystery reader to see the backstory here, which was telegraphed in Book #1 of this miniseries. Basically its a deadly combination of jealousy, bitterness, and hatred, wrapped up in the English class system with a nice lil bow.
This book is much better written than the previous, and with its singular plot focus, makes for easier reading. It's still incredibly absurd, and the last couple of chapters try way too hard to redeem the killer (and fail miserably, albeit hilariously). Like I said before, given how much of an asshole Liz has been this entire series, it was satisfying to see her get her comeuppance, even if Jessica did forgive her a little too quickly, IMO. At least the end for Liz is fairly realistic, given she doesn't immediately snap right out it. The scars run deep, and quite so.
There is a mini subplot, in which Lucy Friday and Tony Frank decide that they love each other and want to get married, which could've been excised and nothing of value would've been lost. It feels strange reading about a love affair between adults in a YA series - its just as unrealistic as the teenage romances, and feels even more pathetic for that.
I'm glad this series is over, and I'll likely never revisit it.
March 10, 2025
This was the one book in this little mini-series that I read back when I was in junior high that made me curious to relook it up years later when I noticed that the whole Sweet Valley High series was on Amazon Unlimited. I liked it well enough back and then and now, as an almost 40 year-old, I can't help but find it hilarious. Was I *supposed* to like Elizabeth, the girl that was cheating on her long-time boyfriend? The one who couldn't be convinced she was wrong until her wrongness was *literally* staring her in the face? Who, in the last lines of the book, seemed to have pushed EVERYTHING she might have learned from this aside to just snuggle back into her dreams of home, which she barely thought about (along with said long-term boyfriend) for three books? I'll take Jessica and her bluntness about what she wants every day over that. Elizabeth comes off as rather two-faced.
That said, I was still highly entertained at how insane this book (and all three in the mini-series) were. Makes me wonder how these two girls got an internship in London in the first place. Aren't internships of this magnitude usually given to college students? You know, rather than MINORS? My brain hurts at the logistics of this. Elizabeth's boyfriend, Luke, running around wearing a werewolf mask in the final act was just too hilarious to think about. How was this man ripping throats out again? Just make him an actual werewolf at this point. I believe Sweet Valley High has used actual supernatural elements in the past. Why go realistic with this one, and thus leaving it to be utterly implausible?
Still, I laughed. My 5-star rating is for sheer entertainment at the insanity. If I were rating this under more normal circumstances, I'd probably give it a 2 out of 5. 90's trash reading delight!
That said, I was still highly entertained at how insane this book (and all three in the mini-series) were. Makes me wonder how these two girls got an internship in London in the first place. Aren't internships of this magnitude usually given to college students? You know, rather than MINORS? My brain hurts at the logistics of this. Elizabeth's boyfriend, Luke, running around wearing a werewolf mask in the final act was just too hilarious to think about. How was this man ripping throats out again? Just make him an actual werewolf at this point. I believe Sweet Valley High has used actual supernatural elements in the past. Why go realistic with this one, and thus leaving it to be utterly implausible?
Still, I laughed. My 5-star rating is for sheer entertainment at the insanity. If I were rating this under more normal circumstances, I'd probably give it a 2 out of 5. 90's trash reading delight!
April 10, 2020
Spoiler warning!
The killer is Elizabeth's boy toy Luke but if you read this clap-trap and didn't see it coming you're a real Elizabeth Wakefield. Though, to be fair it also took Jessica way too long to figure out Ann was short for Annabelle and realize it all tied into Luke's mom 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️
Luke is not a real werewolf either, just a disturbed young man in a Halloween mask. Because in the Sweet Valley universe multiple doppelgangers & vampires are realistic but werewolves are too much.
I could have done with a few more pages of Elizabeth eating crow and apologizing to Jessica in the end, especially for that gas chamber remark she made about Jessica's boyfriend aka the original werewolf suspect whose only crime was being born rich. But I guess another near-death experience made Jessica more forgiving. God, this like their 90th near-death experience now and they're not even in college yet.
The killer is Elizabeth's boy toy Luke but if you read this clap-trap and didn't see it coming you're a real Elizabeth Wakefield. Though, to be fair it also took Jessica way too long to figure out Ann was short for Annabelle and realize it all tied into Luke's mom 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️
Luke is not a real werewolf either, just a disturbed young man in a Halloween mask. Because in the Sweet Valley universe multiple doppelgangers & vampires are realistic but werewolves are too much.
I could have done with a few more pages of Elizabeth eating crow and apologizing to Jessica in the end, especially for that gas chamber remark she made about Jessica's boyfriend aka the original werewolf suspect whose only crime was being born rich. But I guess another near-death experience made Jessica more forgiving. God, this like their 90th near-death experience now and they're not even in college yet.
May 23, 2022
This is an unusual book in the SVH series since it involves a wolf-man, taking the series from it's relatively normal reality to a reality involving the occult and the weird. Both sisters are in London working at a newspaper as interns. There are a series of animalistic attacks that the police begin investigating.
The story involves a place known as the Pembroke Manor, it's owner and his son. Jessica is in love/lust with Robert, the son and has problems with how Elizabeth is investigating the murders and suspects Robert of being the killer.
This leads to arguments between them, investigations that are not exactly totally legal, Jessica's close brush with death, a hidden library, a silver bullet, another suspect and a shooting.
It's an unusual story but it actually is a fairly decent one. Liz does a good job of investigating, Jessica does her usual thing about arguing with her sister and the murders continue. There is another book to finish off the story
The story involves a place known as the Pembroke Manor, it's owner and his son. Jessica is in love/lust with Robert, the son and has problems with how Elizabeth is investigating the murders and suspects Robert of being the killer.
This leads to arguments between them, investigations that are not exactly totally legal, Jessica's close brush with death, a hidden library, a silver bullet, another suspect and a shooting.
It's an unusual story but it actually is a fairly decent one. Liz does a good job of investigating, Jessica does her usual thing about arguing with her sister and the murders continue. There is another book to finish off the story
November 19, 2021
The final book to a trilogy the story spends a good amount of time recapitulating events from the first two parts. All considered, it's a fun enough, if not terribly logic read.
My younger self certainly would have enjoyed this type of story a lot, read as a grown up I can't help but notice how flat the writing often feels, the snails pace at with the story moves along and yep, the huge gaps in logic.
I also had to wonder how likely it could be that the English characters would measure walking distance by "blocks" or that a jornalist would refer to a colleague as an "ambulance chaser", these things feel more like typical Americanisms to me.
My younger self certainly would have enjoyed this type of story a lot, read as a grown up I can't help but notice how flat the writing often feels, the snails pace at with the story moves along and yep, the huge gaps in logic.
I also had to wonder how likely it could be that the English characters would measure walking distance by "blocks" or that a jornalist would refer to a colleague as an "ambulance chaser", these things feel more like typical Americanisms to me.
February 24, 2019
POSSIBLE SPOILERS!!
2.5 stars
Wow, considering I only read this about 5 years ago (this one wasn't around when I was reading them in my teens) i'd forgotten how long it took to get to the point! Waffled on quite a lot and quite frankly Elizabeth was utterly irritating in this one too. If I was Jessica i'd NEVER tire of telling her "See, I told you so" I seriously think any boys should give the twins a wide berth - in the last few books, 3 of their boyfriends have been killed!!!! You'd think that would have put them off for a start wouldn't you??!!??
2.5 stars
Wow, considering I only read this about 5 years ago (this one wasn't around when I was reading them in my teens) i'd forgotten how long it took to get to the point! Waffled on quite a lot and quite frankly Elizabeth was utterly irritating in this one too. If I was Jessica i'd NEVER tire of telling her "See, I told you so" I seriously think any boys should give the twins a wide berth - in the last few books, 3 of their boyfriends have been killed!!!! You'd think that would have put them off for a start wouldn't you??!!??
November 16, 2021
4 stars for irony
While Liz is convinced Jessica's boyfriend is responsible for the werewolf attacks, Jess does a bit of sleuthing of her own and the girls independently discover a tragic love story
Amusingly enough, the "werewolf" turns out to be sensitive Luke, Liz's semi-beau, in a werewolf mask. His traumatic youth (see tragic love story) has resulted in what seems to be schizophrenia, and he had no clue that HE was actually the killer. Sniff
While Liz is convinced Jessica's boyfriend is responsible for the werewolf attacks, Jess does a bit of sleuthing of her own and the girls independently discover a tragic love story
Amusingly enough, the "werewolf" turns out to be sensitive Luke, Liz's semi-beau, in a werewolf mask. His traumatic youth (see tragic love story) has resulted in what seems to be schizophrenia, and he had no clue that HE was actually the killer. Sniff
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 31, 2019
As with the other books in this arc, unrealistic but enjoyable for SVH fans. How these characters fall in and out of love all the time I don't know - must be exhausting!
February 4, 2023
Didn’t see that coming
March 26, 2018
First of all, let's discuss that cover, shall we?
It's a thing of utter beauty. From the garish pinky purple, to the "claws" ripping across the cover, the title BEWARE THE WOLFMAN (YEESSSSSSSSSSSS) and the werewolf inside... oh my. Give me this book for life. How does it only have 3.64 average stars? It's campy perfection, all wrapped up in that particular brand of Wakefield magic.
Jess and Liz are in London, and have been for the past two books. They're spending a summer interning at the London Journal and living in a hostel with a host of other international students. Both have found love - Jessica with Lord Robert Pembroke (someone Elizabeth dismisses as beneath her notice immediately, solely because he's rich - god, she's the absolute worst) and Elizabeth with Luke, a shy, delicate, poet, who makes her forget all about Todd, lol.
While in London, both twins have gotten caught up in investigating a series of gruesome murders committed by what seems to be a werewolf. All victims have had their throats ripped out 'as if by a wild beast'. Luke suspects Lord Pembroke and his family, while Jessica is furious at the suggestion (quite rightly so, imo) and Elizabeth is caught between her new love and her sister. Because she's Elizabeth and she's a hideous human being, she picks Luke, and the twins go their separate ways. Through this, Jessica is unusually smart and sympathetic. She seems genuinely dedicated to helping clear Robert's name, and genuinely interested in using her brains to solve the mystery.
One thing I love is 'journey novels' ... or searching, I suppose. When characters head off on their own to try and track down killers, tearing apart each clue and finding a looping path that somehow connects and connects until all is revealed. There's a great bit in here when both twins are running after the truth, and it's tense and exciting, watching as they conduct their shadow investigations.
Pascal - or whichever ghost writer penned this one - maintains a wonderful sense of place throughout these novels - all have the pervading odor of doom, with the misty streets and cobblestone sidewalks, the fire-lit pubs and quiet drawing rooms. Dark countryside dotted with sheep and wolfsbane, moon-soaked paths and old, rotting love letters. And through it all, a ribbon of blood, like a river of grief and terror. Although the London Pascal paints is more Jack-the-Ripper than present day, it's still highly effective, and I felt like I was there along with the characters. I don't find this to be true normally when they're in California, so it's definitely worth mentioning.
When the 'wolfman' is revealed, it's not a surprise to anyone except , and soon, the summer of love and death is over. All three books are so good and wacky for SVH - don't expect high-brow literature, but do expect to be entertained.
It's a thing of utter beauty. From the garish pinky purple, to the "claws" ripping across the cover, the title BEWARE THE WOLFMAN (YEESSSSSSSSSSSS) and the werewolf inside... oh my. Give me this book for life. How does it only have 3.64 average stars? It's campy perfection, all wrapped up in that particular brand of Wakefield magic.
Jess and Liz are in London, and have been for the past two books. They're spending a summer interning at the London Journal and living in a hostel with a host of other international students. Both have found love - Jessica with Lord Robert Pembroke (someone Elizabeth dismisses as beneath her notice immediately, solely because he's rich - god, she's the absolute worst) and Elizabeth with Luke, a shy, delicate, poet, who makes her forget all about Todd, lol.
While in London, both twins have gotten caught up in investigating a series of gruesome murders committed by what seems to be a werewolf. All victims have had their throats ripped out 'as if by a wild beast'. Luke suspects Lord Pembroke and his family, while Jessica is furious at the suggestion (quite rightly so, imo) and Elizabeth is caught between her new love and her sister. Because she's Elizabeth and she's a hideous human being, she picks Luke, and the twins go their separate ways. Through this, Jessica is unusually smart and sympathetic. She seems genuinely dedicated to helping clear Robert's name, and genuinely interested in using her brains to solve the mystery.
One thing I love is 'journey novels' ... or searching, I suppose. When characters head off on their own to try and track down killers, tearing apart each clue and finding a looping path that somehow connects and connects until all is revealed. There's a great bit in here when both twins are running after the truth, and it's tense and exciting, watching as they conduct their shadow investigations.
Pascal - or whichever ghost writer penned this one - maintains a wonderful sense of place throughout these novels - all have the pervading odor of doom, with the misty streets and cobblestone sidewalks, the fire-lit pubs and quiet drawing rooms. Dark countryside dotted with sheep and wolfsbane, moon-soaked paths and old, rotting love letters. And through it all, a ribbon of blood, like a river of grief and terror. Although the London Pascal paints is more Jack-the-Ripper than present day, it's still highly effective, and I felt like I was there along with the characters. I don't find this to be true normally when they're in California, so it's definitely worth mentioning.
When the 'wolfman' is revealed, it's not a surprise to anyone except , and soon, the summer of love and death is over. All three books are so good and wacky for SVH - don't expect high-brow literature, but do expect to be entertained.
September 22, 2023
This is the final and most deranged book in the trilogy. Werewolves are real, and the British public take it in their stride. There's no international reaction - certainly the Wakefield parents don't try to check in on their daughters who are far from home and caught up in this mystery. And who knows what the reaction is at the end when it somehow transpires that there's not a werewolf so much as a boy in a mask, which quite frankly leaves a lot of questions about his teeth. Anyway, it's satisfying to see Liz be absolutely stunned by the revelation that we all saw coming, and it was nice to have a final book in this upside down version of London.
May 30, 2020
I remember being completely shocked by the “werewolf’s” identity when I read this as a kid.
I had way too much fun re-reading this ridiculous story arc.
I had way too much fun re-reading this ridiculous story arc.
November 6, 2011
This book wasn't that scary even though it was supposed to be a super thriller/horror. But it was a very passionate book. When Luke was the werewolf talking about his mother... He spoke so fondly of her it was so... compelling. And when Robert, dressed as the homeless man, came storming in stopping Luke it was simply shocking. The most hysterical part though was when Lucy and Tony got married after being together for only a week. This book will keep you guessing till the end, it may be a little predictable but a worthy read. Luke will always remain in our hearts (The werewolf of London).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 3, 2024
Finished not long after Kelly's OSA sprint. This one, as my first intro into SVH was so weird...not because it's a thriller. It went on for far too long in my opinion. The lead up to the reveal and action was way too long and convoluted full of drama, yet the action itself was over in mere pages. It could have ended there...but I was dismayed to find there were like 3-4 more chapters rambling on til the story actually finished.
May 15, 2008
I really kind of liked ths book the way that.The man turns into a wolf gets out of control.I dont know if this is the book cover. Because i read this book a long time ago.This bood is one of the books i read in a long time.
January 10, 2011
the Wakefield twins are doing their internships for "the journal" at London & there's a werewolf loose here! All the evidence point at Robert but who is the real werewolf! If only Lord Pembroke stop protecting his son!
...Would the twins find the horror of their lives!
...Would the twins find the horror of their lives!
December 17, 2023
This trilogy-ender is bananas. How are these twins not in lifetime therapy?!
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