Praise for Peregrine
“Somebody give the boy a medal!”–King Edward VII
“He’s escaped from more sticky situations than I’ve slipped out of straight-jackets.” – Harry Houdini
“Looks like he needs a good wash.” – Florence Nightingale
“What a brain! Never have I seen such an ego.” – Sigmund Freud
“Damn smart chap with a lovely bowling action to boot.” – W.G. Grace
“More of a windbag than one of my airships.” – Count von Zeppelin
“A cool charmer, able to melt the iciest of hearts.” – Scott of the Antarctic
“Keeps his wits about him, while others are losing theirs.” – Rudyard Kipling
“Scouting for trouble seems to be his speciality.” – Lord Baden-Powell
“A little too revolutionary for my liking.” – Tsar Nicholas II of Russia
Reviews of Peregrine Harker & the Black Death
“Such a great fast paced book... FUN FUN read!!!”
Michelle Parsons, Librarian, USA
“Readers of all ages will gobble up this non-stop rip roaring adventure – don’t miss this one!”
Bill Baker, Educator, USA
“Part Sherlock Holmes. Part Indiana Jones. Peregrine Harker and the Black Death was a quick, enjoyable read. I could easily see my former students or future patrons flying through this book ... A great middle-grade mystery novel that will keep readers hooked from the first page. Well done!”
Jenni French, Librarian, USA
“I am so excited to discover an adventure book with a boy for the protagonist/narrator. Peregrine is such a great character and one I think middle grade students (especially boys) will fall in love with. The story is highly imaginative and original, and I love how the plot was fast paced.”
The Hopeful Heroine Blog
“Thank you Luke Hollands for a great book. The pace of this book was quick and for mystery lovers, fairly easy to see who was behind all that happened to Peregrine. Luke threw in two great twists in the end that were great. I believe for my young boys who are reluctant readers, they will enjoy the story and pace of it. I will be purchasing this for my middle school library”
Jennifer Cubbage, Educator, USA
“... The most engaging thing about this novel is the style and narrative voice. Harker tells his own story as a first-person narrator. His tone throughout is self-assured, even somewhat cavalier, even when faced with dangerous circ*mstances. This cavalier tone marks Harker as the shining, confident hero, bound to triumph. For example, when involved in a shootout , during a car chase, Harker remarks that, "Despite the fact that someone was trying to kill me, I was rather enjoying myself." This sense that danger is terribly exciting pervades the novel and makes it pleasant to read. This tone also serves to reassure young readers that Harker is bound to come through such difficulty relatively unscathed.
“Combined with Harker’s self-assured tone, is a marked lack of realism, which also reminds us that Harker will ultimately succeed in getting to the bottom of his mystery. We can actually enjoy the danger that he finds himself in partly because the very nature of the danger and the way that the various villains are presented as caricatures reminds us that Harker is actually not a real child in our mundane world. This lack of realism is almost like a safety net, allowing us to not have to fear for Harker’s safety.
“Harker’s adventures are a romp through the seedy criminal side of early 20th Century London. Hollands seems to draw on such diverse literary traditions and figures as Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, E. Nesbit’s adventuring children characters, and Barrie’s Peter Pan, all while maintaining a tone that is unique to Hollands. This tone is sure to appeal to contemporary child readers.
“… This book serves to fill part of the gap that seems to exist in the world of non-fantasy middle school readers aimed specifically at boys. As such, it should be a welcome addition to schools and libraries.”
Drennan Spitzer,Educator, USA
“For those who have been crying out for more ‘boy’ books in Middle Grade, here’s one for you. Peregrine Harker is very much a boy’s adventure novel. It’s a fast paced read, focusing on the adventures of the title character as he uses his intrepid journalistic skills to uncover a plot bound up in tea and smuggling. There are chases, rescues, twists, and a pretty satisfying resolution that gives readers the idea that more may be coming from Harker and company.
“The novel is written in the Victorian/Edwardian style of adventure books. If you’re a fan of steampunk, this should appeal to you as well—there’s some gadgetry going on, not to mention an amazing car (with a sort of driver/butler/bodyguard), and a few steampunkish tropes that pop up to give the book an “out of time” feel. There’s a bit of the penny dreadful in the novel as well, what with a damsel (not usually in distress as she rescues the hero quite often) who is to be married off against her will to some ne’er-do-well who is the sworn enemy of the hero.
“Reading it I was reminded of Mark Twain’s Adventures of Tom Sawyer and of Alan Moore’s League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. A strange mashup, I know, but that’s what hit me when I would put the book down. It makes it hard to categorize. I was also reminded of Kim Newman’s Anno Dracula, but I think that had to do with the Victorian references...
“The story is well told and blasts along at a good clip, with some truly fun action scenes. At base, it is a detective story and the mystery is engaging and fun with the right amount of menace. I enjoyed the secondary characters more than Peregrine himself, as sometimes he seemed more like a piece that got us into the action with the really interesting people. Oh the whole, I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoys steampunk and historical fiction with a detective bent.”
Jeannette Battista, USA
“Luke Hollands’ debut Peregrine Harker and the Black Death is a fun adventure set in a time long-past where mysteries were daydreams, and danger a way of life for over-curious detectives. Hollands’ world is explored by his young protagonist, Peregrine, as he strives to uncover the surprisingly intriguing mystery surrounding the sudden shortage of tea.
“Peregrine isn’t one of those protagonists who immediately comes off as haughty, attractive, and confident--instead, he is rather flawed and easily distracted...No, what I liked was the slow build-up into the main revelation of the story--and it is huge and very satisfyingly unexpected. Though the novel is quite short, Hollands does have a skill for pacing and keeping the reader intrigued as the mysteries mount.
“The characters we meet along the way are all quirky and fit the stereotypical image we may sometimes have of mysterious people detectives often face...”
Dayla Fuentes-Morales,Canada
“...It is definitely a book for young boys, preferably reluctant readers who like a lot of adventure with chases and a minimal amounts of girls/mushy stuff.
“Peregrine Harker is a rich kid orphan turned journalist in Edwardian England, circa 1908. His newspaper boss has sent him to investigate tea as the price has jumped significantly of late and soon it will be so high that your average British citizen will not be able to have a cuppa every day like normal. Instead of finding out about tea, Peregrine gets sucked into a secret smuggling ring, strange deaths, harrowing car chases and double-crossing lords. There’s even a damsel in distress or so he thinks. Will Peregrine ever get his story? Will he figure out who is in charge of the smuggling ring? And just who is the Black Death and what is their connection to all of this? To find out, read this exciting book! Recommended for ages 10-15.”
Rachel Huddlestone, Librarian, USA
“A lover of Penny Dreadfuls, Peregrine has a hard time reporting on boring subjects, which means he generally turns in fantastical stories his editor cannot publish. He’s given one more chance to redeem himself and is sent to speak to a tea merchant about the sudden rising price of tea due to missing cargo. How will the Empire cope? Not something Peregrine finds exciting enough at all, so when he spies two sketchy characters on the docks, apparently up to no good, he decides to investigate. Unfortunately he’s caught and finds himself locked up in a coffin.
“That’s not the only scrape our hero gets into: underground boxing matches, daring escapes through tunnels in Paris, motorcar chases, informants turning up dead, a childhood rival, a girl with a penchant for showing up in dangerous situations, and an order known as The Black Death out to stop Peregrine and anyone who gets in their way. It seems there’s a lot more to this missing tea business than previously thought. This is confirmed when Peregrine runs into his slightly older cousin Archie Dearlove who tells him there’s a smuggling ring tied into all this and that he’d like Peregrine’s help solving the mystery! Finally, a story Peregrine can really sink his journalistic teeth into. If he doesn’t die in the meantime...
“The cast of characters is colorful and the author does a great job of introducing the time period without getting too descriptive, which I think is very important in a book geared to younger audiences.
“Overall the story is a lot of fun, but despite Peregrine’s age it reads more for a younger crowd, and given everything kids are exposed to in media today, I think the murders aren’t really all that shocking. Definitely 10yrs+.”
Alicia Wheeler, USA
“A Ripping Yarn and an Engaging Hero”
“I know this is a cliche, but bear with me. Start with the Hardy Boys. Or at least with the can do, gee whiz, boy detective vibe. Now put that in 1908 England. Amp up the violence a little by introducing a few bodies, poison and gun-play. Make the plot more twists and turns than just smugglers hiding in a cave.
“Then, add an earnest young reporter/detective with a sincere narrative style, a bit of a romantic streak, a droll sense of humor and an inclination toward deadpan descriptions.
“This is a stock sort of character, but there is a good reason why this character keeps popping up. He is the enduring embodiment of adventure, excitement, danger!, action and derring-do. And, everything is improved when you add a romantic interest in the form of a girl with spirit and twinkling eyes, and a pal with a revolver. Once you sprinkle in a range of secondary characters who you may trust, or perhaps not, and a shady society of villains, you’re set.
“The last piece of the puzzle is the author. Does he have the skill to keep this mix moving forward, to keep all the balls in the air, and to keep you interested in and rooting for the hero. The answer here is ‘yes.’ Mr. Hollands doesn’t get cute and he doesn’t reach too far. This is action/adventure and he keeps the wheels turning with writing that doesn’t fail, and that is complemented by some some nice touches and sharp observations that elevate the work beyond mere pulp, (not that I’m faulting mere pulp).
“This is pure unadulterated entertainment and it works. “There’s no magic or fantasy; this is old fashioned action. But sometimes that’s what you want, and for a tween or young YA reader this could be just right.”
Joel Smith, USA
“This is an ideal book for readers aged ‘tweens’ and up; it is filled with mystery, action, adventure, thrills, spills and dire peril - and not too long either.
“Written in the style of a ‘penny dreadful’ and incorporating a satisfying amount of historical detail about the early twentieth century Europe in the process, we meet the brave young detective Peregrine Harker who investigates some mysterious deaths and quickly finds that learning too much about The Brotherhood of the Black Death carries risks and his own life is now in mortal peril.
“This book races along at breakneck speed, carrying the reader gasping and breathless to the highly satisfying conclusion. A fun children’s book, sure to be popular with the majority of youngsters.”
Sian Williams, UK
“I loved it”
“I loved it! I felt that this book was equal parts Rin Tin Tin (minus the dog), Indiana Jones,The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Sherlock Holmes all wrapped up in the 15 year old protagonist. This is a book primarily for the male reader, probably ages ten to fifteen. But, that is what gives this book its appeal. It’s a great mix of history and the fantastical, of the dreams of a young boy with a head full of stories and the amazing stories that can actually take place.
“Our young hero, a young and very green journalist, is dispatched by his editor to examine a story regarding something distinctly British ‒ tea. And yet, when young Harker reaches the crux of his search, we find out that tea is not the root of the problem, but something much more sinister and engrossing.
“This book had me in its clutches from the first page. I felt like I was reading one of those old dime-store novels that I used to find tucked away in the far, unreached corners of my library as a child. It was exciting, kept my interest from the start and I genuinely cared about Mr. Harker...
“I could definitely see how this text could be incorporated into the classroom. It fits perfectly with a lesson that would, in tandem, teach history and literature as well as British culture. If nothing else, it is a text that any teacher should be proud to have on their shelves, available to lend to voracious readers and hard-to-please readers alike.”
Hope Thomas, USA
Peregrine Harker and the Black Death
Luke Hollands
The right of Luke Hollands to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved
© Sparkling Books Ltd 2013
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organisations, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or places is entirely coincidental.
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be copied electronically or otherwise nor transmitted by any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher.
1.2
ISBN of e-book: 978-1-907230-49-3
ISBN of printed book: 978-1-907230-44-8
@SparklingBooks
Table of Contents
Praise for Peregrine 1
Reviews of Peregrine Harker & the Black Death 2
Peregrine Harker and the Black Death 12
The author 16
1. One-way ticket to hell 1
2. Trouble brewing 6
3. Buried alive 12
4. It’s all about smugglers 19
5. Ghost in the darkness 25
6. Under attack 29
7. The mysterious symbol 32
8. The man with the cigar 36
9. Your life is at stake 40
10. Hugging a corpse 42
11. The ride of your life 49
12. Strange goings on 55
13. A little pistol practice 62
14. Incredibly dangerous 64
15. The coldest-blooded of scoundrels 66
16. Skulking in the shadows 70
17. A tower of flame 75
18. A curious fellow 78
19. Stop meddling 85
20. Nightmarish faces 89
21. Anything goes 94
22. Two large fangs 103
23. Flesh and blood 109
24. A sense of dread 115
25. Shocked and exhausted 123
26. Two fugitives 132
27. Murderer! 136
28. The man with the scar 143
29. Despicable errands 152
30. A dance of death 156
31. One final shudder 165
32. The grave of a traitor 172
33. Not quite the end 175
Sparkling Books 1
The author
Luke Hollandsis a former lion tamer, motorcycle stunt-rider and ruler of a small South American country. He is also a compulsive liar. He learnt how to tell tall tales while interviewing famous politicians, celebrities and criminals as a newspaper journalist.
Thinking he should get a proper job he joined the BBC. Since then he has produced and presented quirky radio documentaries, appeared in the odd drama and danced on television dressed as a giant bear.
He now makes wildlife films, some of which he briefly appears in, and has travelled the world, swimming in shark-infested waters, tramping through crocodile-stuffed lagoons and being eaten alive by various species of nibbling insect.
Surprisingly for Luke, everything apart from the first sentence of this biography is actually true.
1. One-way ticket to hell
Dr Quintus Crick was a traitor. A traitor and a thief to be precise. Which is why he was about to die.
The good doctor had no way of knowing he was soon to meet his match, the brave boy detective Peregrine Harker. This was fortunate as young Peregrine was sitting but a foot from his delicately polished brogues, in the dining car of the express train to Dover.
As the locomotive thundered towards the Kent coast, Peregrine studied the face of the man sitting opposite him. It was cold and clammy, like that of a dead fish; his lips were little more than a red scar, clamped tightly together, while his eyes were hidden behind a pair of round smoked glasses. Peregrine watched as the doctor raised a long thin bony hand and smoothed back a lock of his oily black hair.
Catching Dr Crick had been the toughest case in Peregrine’s career. It had been a gruelling six months since the Prime Minister himself had asked Peregrine to look into the matter personally, and had promised him a knighthood for his troubles. The case had taken him on a merry dance through the cobbled streets of foggy London, to the bustling Souks of Constantinople and around the opera houses of Vienna. All the way he had been ably assisted by his beautiful companion, the ever-brave Miss Petunia Goodheart, the Prime Minister’s niece. Now, sitting here on the 9.15 from Victoria, he was finally face-to-face with the evil genius who had stolen none other than the Crown Jewels.
Dr Crick took a sip of coffee from the bone china cup in front of him. His clammy features briefly contorted into a grimace.
“Excuse me, young man,” he hissed at Peregrine, lisping through a set of crooked teeth. “Would you please pass the sugar bowl?”
“Of course,” replied Peregrine smugly, sliding the bowl of sugar lumps across the table that separated them. “But only if you give me the Crown Jewels in return, you despicable bounder.”
Dr Crick’s pale face briefly flushed red and he let out a world-weary sigh, less in desperation or fear, and more in mild annoyance, as if someone had just asked him to lend them a ten-bob note. He gave a brief manic chuckle.
“I suspected they would send someone after me,” he spat viciously. “But I did not expect them to send a child. What makes you think I’m going to give you my spoils, boy?”
“Because if you don’t,” said Peregrine, smiling in return, “you’ll be dead.”
As soon as the words had left his mouth, Peregrine pulled back the hammer of the trusty service revolver he had concealed under the table. It was now pointing right at Crick’s stomach.
“Ah, you mean to shoot me,” chuckled Crick, hearing the click of the revolver, “on a train, surrounded by witnesses. Well, I would like to see you try, young man; but unfortunately I shall not have that pleasure because long before you pull that trigger you shall be dead, killed by the poison I placed in your coffee. Yes, that’s right. I suspected you had been sent from Scotland Yard the very moment you chose to sit opposite me and while I shall be boarding a ferry to France this afternoon, the undertaker will be measuring you for a coffin,” he finished with a wild laugh.
Peregrine sat quietly for a second and without a hint of fear on his stony face picked up his coffee cup and drank down every last drop in one satisfied gulp.
“Ah, you are quite right, Dr Crick; there is something wrong with my coffee,” he said coolly. “It is a little too sweet for my liking. I never take sugar with a hot beverage, whereas you always do,” he said, reaching across the table and switching his cup for the doctor’s, “do you not?”
Dr Crick’s face took on a puzzled look. Whatever was the boy blithering about, and then it hit him. He had poisoned his own coffee!
“That’s right, Dr Crick; I switched our cups not ten minutes ago, as we passed through that tunnel. So while this afternoon the undertaker will be measuring you for a coffin, I shall be having tea and crumpets with the King himself.”
Crick’s face turned even paler than before. He looked down at his cup, he had sipped at least half of it, more than enough for a fatal dose. He reached for his chest and let out a quiet agonising gasp. The boy was right, he could feel the poison working its deadly effects already.
“You may kill me, boy,” he hissed. “But you will not be able to save your delightful companion Miss Goodheart. For in ten minutes she will be dead, crushed by the wheels of this train. She is tied to the tracks ahead of us, and there is nothing you can do to prevent her demise. I paid the driver and his crew to jump from their engine at Bekesbourne, I was to follow them shortly afterwards, but now it looks as if I shall be travelling to another place.”
You will indeed, thought Peregrine, his mind racing, straight to hell you devil! And before the evil doctor had drawn his last breath Peregrine was up and running towards the front of the train. Clasped in his hand was Crick’s carpet bag, which he knew was packed full of the royal booty. In his haste, Peregrine sent a waiter with a tray of brown Windsor soup flying. The viscous substance landing in the lap of a rather bemused vicar. But he did not dare stop, he had to save Petunia.
Peregrine made it as far towards the front of the train as he possibly could, but there was no connecting door to the locomotive. He would have to climb outside. Taking the butt of his revolver he slammed it into the window next to him, sending shards of glass flying. A harsh wind came blowing into the carriage. He knocked the remaining shards clear from the window, before slinging the carpet bag across his shoulder and leaning out dangerously. He was thrown backwards by a blast of cold air. Bringing his free hand up to shield his face he could see something up ahead on the tracks. It was white and billowing in the breeze. It took him a while to work out what it was, but then the sickening realisation flooded over him. It was Petunia, in her long white flowing dress. Damn and blast it. She was a lot closer than he had expected. Even if he could reach the locomotive and find a brake, or extinguish the fire in the boiler, there was no way the thundering train would be able to stop in time. All was lost.
And then he saw it. Salvation. Up ahead lay not only the prone body of his faithful companion, but also a set of points and a lever to throw them. One nudge of the controlling lever and the train would shift on to a parallel track saving Petunia’s life.
There was only one thing he could do. He raised his revolver and checked the chamber, three rounds remaining. He would have to keep a steady hand, but if only one round hit the lever it might just work. Holding the revolver with both hands he rested his finger on the trigger, shut one eye, and took aim. When the lever was in his sights he held his breath, and then squeezed the trigger: BANG, BANG…
2. Trouble brewing
…BANG. A fist slammed on to my desk for a third time.
“Harker! Harker, my boy! Rise and shine.”
I opened my eyes, and then immediately shut them again, realising I had been asleep. I gradually opened first my left eye and then my right, taking in my surroundings. I was in the newsroom of the Evening Inquirer, my head resting on my notepad. Around me was the din of two-dozen clacking typewriters as busy journalists frantically recorded the day’s news.
Through a rain-splattered window I could see a brown smudge of smoggy sky. Below, men in top hats and frock coats made their way along Fleet Street, with the occasion-al cloth-capped copy boy running alongside them.
I was at my workplace in London.
There was no train, no secret mission, and no Petunia. I had been dreaming again.
I looked up and saw Reginald Morton, news editor of the Evening Inquirer, leaning over me. He picked up a tattered magazine from my desk and momentarily thumbed the pages.
“I see you’ve been reading the Penny Dreadful again, Harker. Nothing but a load of fanciful tosh. Next you’ll be dreaming you’re a bally hero, instead of a simple hack. Well, there’s no time for that, I can tell you. The editor wants to see you in his office right away. Come on lad, jump to it!”
I reluctantly stood up and made my way to the large mahogany door at the end of the office that bore the name:
Jabez Challock – Editor
I raised my hand to knock, but before my knuckles reached the woodwork a voice boomed from inside.
“Harker, get in here now!”
I slowly opened the door to find the familiar form of Jabez Challock sitting behind a large wooden desk. He was dressed in a garish checked suit, and a large pipe hung from his lips, blue smoke curling upwards, around his piggy face.
Challock was a larger-than-life Yorkshireman with a fearsome reputation. He was well known in Fleet Street for his outrageous manners, impressive moustache and terrible wind. He was an editor who could terrify even the bravest of chaps.
“Sit down, boy,” he grunted, pointing to a chair in front of a large mahogany desk.
“How old are you, lad?”
“Fifteen, sir,” I answered.
“Fifteen, eh. And you’ve been a reporter with us for three months?”
I nodded in reply, wondering what he was getting at. I was about to find out.
“In the past twelve weeks you’ve been late for work five times, had a scrap in the newsroom twice and even been in trouble with the police.” His chubby cheeks wobbled as he spoke. “That’s not to mention how scruffy you look, you’re like a tall bag of bones with a straw mop on top.” He paused, narrowing his angry gaze. “But the worst thing Harker, the worst thing,” he continued, “are these tall tales you keep blithering on about. I’ve not had one decent bit of copy from you, lad, since you started. You’re too busy chasing make-believe tales of spies, thieves and saboteurs. None of which have been true. You’re living in a dream world, lad. And it won’t do, it won’t do at all.”
I sat there silently, half expecting him to jump across the desk and hit me, but instead he opened a drawer and pulled out a wedge of papers. He looked at them with disgust.
“Just look at this nonsense. Last week alone you tried to convince me a Dowager duch*ess was selling stolen diamonds from the Cape, a group of anarchist lamplighters wanted to plunge London into darkness and there was a foreign plot to lace the King’s crumpets with arsenic. This is a newspaper, Harker, not a Penny Dreadful.
