Official Review: The Vanishing Villa by I H Laking

[Airam Velarde]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Vanishing Villa" by I H Laking.]

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After a holiday away with his wife, Francis Finney, a well to-do construction company director, arrives home to find his whole house has vanished into thin air. He then seeks the help of Inspector Ambrose Aramis and his partner, Detective Percy Portland. Together they seek to uncover the truth behind the very puzzling disappearance of Mr. Finney’s centuries old villa. However, this search leads Inspector Ambrose to make a startling discovery. He finds himself deep underground, in a place that has long since been forgotten, and comes face to face with a most eminent danger.

The Vanishing Villa is the second installment of the Inspector Ambrose Series by children’s author, I. H. Laking. Aimed primarily at a young audience, Laking recounts the adventures of Inspector Ambrose in a series of detective short stories. While introducing modern elements into his tales, the author still brings out the components of classic children’s books. Which make this a story that both children and adults can enjoy reading.

Our protagonist, Inspector Ambrose is the classic depiction of a detective. He is tall and neat in appearance. He always seeks out a rational explanation and tends to avoid anything having to do with emotions. Although not much is mentioned about his methods in detective work, I would say he still comes close to a Sherlock Holmes in character. Albeit a simpler one that children will enjoy reading about and following throughout his tales. The supporting characters of The Vanishing Villa also give the story an interesting take. Inspector Ambrose’s partner, Detective Percy, is quite the opposite in personality as well as in appearance. I feel that he has some of the typical elements of a sidekick by being the one to provide a bit of humor to complement Inspector Ambrose’s more serious personality. Although it seems like a paring that has been done before, Laking manages to make this arrangement work better and creates an interesting partnership that the reader delights in following. While the characters do not show a lot of depth, they still display enough character in order for the reader to become familiar with. I think this is a good quality that will make the characters easier to understand but still enjoyable to read about.

The storyline in itself does quite well in arousing curiosity and attention. Like any detective novel, it introduces a conflict that presents certain elements of mystery. I think this tale was very well written and well developed, more so as it was fitted with an intriguing plot twist. Because it is a short story, it does not stray from the main plot line and therefore does not introduce many other conflicts apart from the main one. However, it certainly held my attention throughout and I am sure it will accomplish its goal of awakening curiosity and interest in children. What I also enjoyed is the classic feeling of detective stories that blended well with the new more modern elements that the author introduced. For example, we have our characteristic detective present, but also we are met with Mechs, which are robot like creatures. This along with a new and imaginative setting, make The Vanishing Villa, a very good read.

Like I stated before, even though this book is directed at a young audience, I quite enjoyed it myself. It made me remember other detective novels that we read as children, while still being a unique story on its own. It definitely gave me the feeling of “what will happen next?” And for this reason I would very much like to discover what other adventures our Inspector Ambrose embarks in. I give The Vanishing Villa 4 out of 4 stars.

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Buy "The Vanishing Villa" on Amazon

[AVK2913]

I know I'm probably too old for kids' books now, but I still really like reading them lol
So this series sounds like one I would actually enjoy
On another note, I don't know why but the cover reminds me of a series of unfortunate events for some reason idk

[Airam Velarde]

I know I'm probably too old for kids' books now, but I still really like reading them lol
So this series sounds like one I would actually enjoy
On another note, I don't know why but the cover reminds me of a series of unfortunate events for some reason idk

Thanks for your comment! I do not think it matters how old you are, as long as you enjoy your book. I sometimes find myself reading books from my childhood and I enjoy them just the same.

[TLGabelman]

Im pretty sure just bought this book at my used book store! Excited to read this!