Every Breath by Ellie Marney

Every Breath is a captivating  start to a new series involving Rachel Watts and James Mycroft who are styled after the famous investigative pair Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson.   Rachel has recently moved to the city and is missing everything about her past countryside lifestyle.  James has never recovered from the death of his parents and is struggling to stay in school long enough to graduate.

While being in some of the same classes at school has aided their friendship, it is being close neighbours that has cemented it.  Perhaps it stems from Rachel taking care of the animals on the farm, but she seems to view Mycroft as a motherless lamb who needs someone to keep and eye out for him.  It's a good thing too, because he has some unresolved issues that threaten to overwhelm him.

The school year might have gone by uneventfully, except for a murder that occurs in the city park and the duo are drawn into the investigation.  considering their namesakes, Watts and Mycroft are the perfect people for the job, or are they.

I loved this book.  The setting in Melbourne, Australia provide all the big city venues for the two to explore and investigate.  It also establishes without a doubt that they are not their earlier incarnations, but a new investigative team with differing strengths and techniques.  The timing is early in their acquaintance and they are still working out the details of their relationship.  They work well together, they compliment each others skills and weaknesses.  Best of all, they tend to bring out the best in the other.

There is something about the flaws of the character of Mycroft, that I find endearing, much like the feeling I experience when reading about  Odd Thomas in novels by Dean Koontz.

I highly recommend Every Breath for teen and adult readers.  There is lots to appeal to the teen reader; school angst, young romance, and parental disagreements.  Adults will find indepth character development and  teens dealing with situations beyond their years.

Starting Monday November 16, 2015, Tundra Books will be hosting a blog tour for the launch of Every Word, the second book in the series.  I will be posting my review on Monday.  Click the link to Tundra Books for a list of blogs participating in the tour and for interviews/guest posts with Ellie Marney and possible book giveaways.

#WattsCroft

Cover image courtesy Tundra Books.