Is Jackson Thwaite ready to discover the secret of Makewright Orphanage?
Although he doesn’t know it, he has been selected to be part of something vital to the land of his birth.

Norlandia is a country under threat, as never before. The old heroes are but a memory, while evil forces gather, seeking power. They are armed with the latest devices that perverted science has devised. Control of Norlandia and everyone in it is their ultimate aim.

Who will stand in their way?

Under the command of the mysterious Mortimer Langdon, all that stands between civilisation and anarchy are Jackson and the rest of The Orphan Detectives.

I purchased a copy of this book for my own reading.

The Sensaurum and the Lexis was just the book I needed after a slight disappointment that was my previous read. As an author of steampunk fiction, and having had the fortune to read a lot of Dee’s past books, I’m amazed it’s taken me as long as it has to get around to reading this wonderful book. It’s fantastically written, with a wonderful mystery and great characters.

The story follows Jackson, a young man who has spent the last six years of his life behind the orphanage’s walls. He hasn’t seen the city beyond in all that time. His life is nothing special. He sits through lessons he has no interest in, carries out chores and does his best to dodge the bullies and make it through another day. That is until he finds himself recruited into a secret order of detectives working with the man in charge of the orphanage, and ultimately for the country’s protection.

Then his life is turned upside down. Lessons in self-defence, how to scale walls, how to find his way around the city and how to maintain a cover story start, to name a few. Lessons that Jackson has no problem with. Along with his new friend Jessamine, he finds himself thrown headfirst into his new role in life, investigating a serious threat that could harm the nation and its people.

The story is exciting, and the character development is fantastic. Some characters are engaging others cold and distant, a testament to Dee’s character building. The world is rich and vibrant and feels like exactly the sort of place I picture when thinking of steampunk. I’m a huge fan of Richard Dee’s books and would go out on a limb saying this is by far my favourite of his books so far! I look forward to seeing what comes next for the Orphan Detectives.

My rating: