Egypt’s Fire by Tom Phillips || Diverse, Hilarious Action-Packed Mystery

Egypt's Fire (The Curious League of Detectives and Thieves, #1)

Accused of stealing a rare ruby, a down-on-his luck twelve-year-old is swept into the orbit of the world’s greatest detective you’ve never heard of to track down the true culprit. A madcap middle grade mystery series starter for fans of A Series of Unfortunate Events and Enola Holmes.

After twelve-year-old John Boarhog’s mom dies, the last thing he wants is to be schlepped off to the Jersey Home for Boys, where kids are forced to make skinny jeans for hipsters and are fed nothing but kale. Instead, he makes himself a snug home in the ceiling of the New York Museum of Natural History, where he reads anything he get his hands on and explores the artifacts afterhours.

But when a rare Egyptian ruby—the highlight of the museum’s new exhibit—goes missing, John is accused of the crime. That is until the unpredictable Inspector Toadius McGee sweeps in to wrestle control of the case, certain that the true culprit is a notorious criminal he’s been tracking for years.

John quickly becomes the Watson to Toadius’s Holmes as they race from Broadway to back alleys to a speak-easy that only serves root beer. And along the way, John uncovers secrets about his own past, including that he’s a lot more involved in this web of endearing ne'er-do-wells than he ever could have imagined.

A love letter to classic middle grade, Egypt's Fire introduces a remarkable new duo that will steal your heart as surely as it leaves you begging for their next grand adventure.

Content Tags:

Perfect for readers who want:

• Fast-paced action adventure
• Character modeled after Sherlock Holmes, but for a middle grade audience
• Funny scenes with larger-than-life characters
• A crime-solving duo that will absolutely win your heart
• A charming and adorable found family

Many thanks to Pixel + Ink and Rockstar Book Tours for an eARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I have to admit, I don’t see a whole lot of mystery featuring not only a Black protagonist but also a Black detective. So okay, color me curious right from the start. I’m absolutely a sucker for any sort of Holmes-esque mystery, especially if it promises to be comedic. So I immediately knew I needed to pick this one up!

Egypt’s Fire is an action-packed roller coaster of a mystery with subtle nods to Sherlock Holmes. It’s jam packed with humor, a diverse cast, found family, and adventure that’ll keep you turning pages.

I had an incredible amount of fun with this book. The plot is extremely ridiculous, which I hadn’t realized going in, but that’s what makes it so stinking addictive! This plot is larger than life, doesn’t take itself too seriously, and is heavily entrenched in humor and action. I definitely fell for Toadius and his young sidekick, John, and I can’t wait to read about more of their adventures!

Meet John Boarhog, who has been living in a museum for the past six months following the death of his mother, and who has only recently been accused of stealing a rare ruby. He’s innocent, of course, but he’ll need to prove it.

Ever just been in the wrong place at the wrong time? John has a serious case of that. Because as far as anyone’s concerned, he did steal that ruby, without a doubt, and they have proof. Except he didn’t. Only, he has no proof.

Fortunately for John, the best detective ever, Toadius Holmes, is on the case. John’s no slouch, either. He’s a smart kid, and has every intention of finding his own answers. The two make an unstoppable (and utterly adorable) crime-solving duo. They don’t always get on all that well, because Toadius isn’t exactly used to dealing with kids and John isn’t used to . . . well, whatever Toadius is.

While the great detective Toadius Holmes is just a smidge insufferable, he’s not nearly as bad as the famous detective that inspired the character. In fact, I found him downright charming, faults and all.

To older readers, the inspiration from Sherlock Holmes will be pretty obvious. That means the big reveals are sort of predictable if you’re familiar with that body of work. Not really a problem for the middle grader readers, though.

Unlike Sherlock Holmes, this Holmes is brilliant but slightly more charming. He doesn’t necessarily work well with others, but he does work with others, so there’s that. Toadius is also fairly honest about his shortcomings, and when he finds a mystery that he hasn’t solved yet, he just adds it to the list of things to be solved. On his alone, Toadius may not be nearly as charming, but it’s hard to deny that he fits into this squad.

Toadius and John aren’t alone on this adventure. No, far from it. Instead, they’re joined by a cast of larger-than-life characters that form this rather curious league of detectives and thieves.

It’s a squad, guys. The coolest squad you’ll ever want to join, I assure you. I don’t want to ruin it, because the surprise is really half the fun with this book, so I’ll just say to expect the unexpected!

The characters in this book are absolutely wild. It’s not often that you see a cast as out there as these characters are. Yet, they sort of fit together perfectly? It’s such a weird dynamic, but I absolutely love it. There’s villains and heroes and detectives and, yes, even animals. Once the adventure gets going, you never quite know what will pop up!

This book has a little bit of everything: humor, adventure, mystery, and, when you really get down to it, found family and some really touching, heartfelt moments.

While it’s true that Egypt’s Fire is primarily mystery, action, and humor, that doesn’t mean there aren’t moments that hit hard in the feels. There definitely are. Actually, due to the otherwise light and humorous tone, these moments pack an extra punch, because they take the reader from going 100 miles per hour in the action to hitting the brakes hard and taking a very vulnerable moment to examine just how human these characters are. It’s super effective because it’s basically the last thing a reader would expect at the moment, which makes it all the more noticeable and poignant.

I appreciated how the book could be utterly ridiculous and yet strike to the heart of the matter almost simultaneously. While these very serious, deep conversations are few and far between, they’re extremely effective in driving character growth and understanding, and they come at just the perfect time to let the reader breathe for a moment before diving back into the action.

Favorite Quotes

I love funny books. Especially funny middle grade books. The way the world is right now, I feel like humor is something we can definitely use more of, so you know what? I had so many quotes that made me chuckle that I decided to share a few extra with you. Because who doesn’t need a little extra laugh in their life?

About Tom Phillips

As a dyslexic child, Tom Phillips eagerly listened to any story his mom or older sister would tell him. Today, he writes books that kids can not only enjoy on their own, but also can be read aloud and shared. Tom employs his passion for storytelling as an artist and video editor in Los Angeles, California. His work includes editing for the acclaimed LeVar Burton Kids, and he is currently at work on a screenplay for a major studio. An armchair detective and Sherlockian, he is an obsessive watcher of crime dramas. Tom can often be found walking his dog, Dr. Watson, with his wife Autumn.

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1 winner will receive a finished copy of THE CURIOUS LEAGUE OF DETECTIVES AND THIEVES: EGYPT’S FIRE, US Only.

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