The Adventures of Mary Darling
Mary Darling—a mother with an independent spirit—lives in Victorian London with her husband, George, and three children, Wendy, Michael, and John. When her children suddenly vanish, she is desperate to find them. John Watson, her uncle, presents her strange case to his friend, the infamous Sherlock Holmes. It does not take long before Holmes is blaming her for her children’s disappearance. When the tide of the investigation turns against her and she is about to be locked away, Mary has no choice but to embark upon a journey to find her children, heading to the most unexpected of places: Neverland.
This is a clever and unique story that marries together characters from two wonderful authors, Arthur Conan Doyle and J.M. Barrie, including Mary Darling, John Watson, Sherlock Holmes, Peter Pan, Captain Hook, and Nana, among others. This is a cool and intriguing idea.
Some of Murphy’s best writing is in her rich portrayal of the Neverland characters, some of whom are larger than life. One who truly stood out to me was the titular character, Mary, who must deal with so much adversity while remaining strong for her children. Another fascinating example is Peter Pan. He turns out to be more of a villain than a hero.
While this story was such a fun idea, it falls short in the execution. The framing is slightly misleading because Sherlock Holmes did not play as prominent a role as I had expected. The pacing is slow at times, and the ending feels a bit rushed. Ultimately, though, I found Mary’s story to be an engrossing read, and I loved the twist, which I didn’t see coming.
