Montmorency on the Rocks: Doctor, Aristocrat, Murderer?

by Eleanor Updale

Book Overview

1885: With terrorists bombing London and a whole generation of children dead on a Scottish Island, Montmorency has plenty of work to do. But he must battle against his own dark side in this... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0439606772
• ISBN13: 9780439606776
• Release Date: February 2006
• Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks
• Length: 362 Pages
• Weight: 0.54 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.3" x 7.5"
• Age Range: 11 to 15 years
• Grade Range: Grades 6 to 10

Customer Reviews

Not only good, but educational

This 2nd book to the Montmorency Series, caught me in its enthralling tale. i had completely fallen in love with the first, and so took up the second like a dieing man. not only was it a good read, but it taught you something as well. the addiction Montmorency suffered was a pinpoint in the story, causing you to think. i thought this book was best for teens like me. with all of the addictions and other things crawling about in this world, it is hard to completely avoid them all. most books i find dont focus in on this horror, leaving it to the parents and teachers to go on about. yet often young adults really do learn best from the novels we read. to see Montmorency go through this torture, and yet eventually have victory over it, brings hope into our lives. for those who have already surcomed to these things, they know what he is going through, while others who feel that temptation, and yet have resisted, can resist even harder. if you are a normal average teen, then you feel those things pulling you too. this story is not only well written, a good thriller, and an enjoying read, but it teaches you the importance of friends in getting over addictions. read it and Enjoy!

Montmorency on the rocks

I thorougly enjoyed this book, its characters and its historical background. Although it's written for young adults and I am 76, the plot kept me fascinated throughout the book.

An Engaging Mystery

The search for something as engaging and magical as Harry Potter is a tough one. However, I found the characters of Montmorency, Fox-Selwyn, and Dr. Farcett wonderfully human with both unsavory pasts and compassionate hearts. And the thickly interwoven mysteries compelled me to read late into the night. I picked up this trilogy at its midpoint reading the second in the series first (Montmorency on the Rocks). Nevertheless, Eleanor Updale manages to catch up the reader quite quickly on the who's who and sketches the important events which lead up to the current plot. For a yonger reader (I'm not sure I shall admit to being a 20-something reading this book for fun:), I would suggest starting with the first in the series to make the chronology easier to understand. For those children who gobble up Sherlock Holmes, Montmorency will quench their thirst. A very high recommendation.

Thrilling Victorian Mystery

This is the sequel to "Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman", which I found necessary to read before I started on this one. Actually, I listened to it on tape and it was excellent. I never would have picked up either volume because the covers did not appeal to me, but as you read the story it becomes clear what is trying to be conveyed. This volume picks up 5 years after the first one ends and it is assumed that Montmorency and his partner Fox-Selwyn have spent it working undercover for the Home Secretary. However, somewhere towards the end of that time Montmorency has picked up the bad habit of using some Turkish drug and is quite addicted. When they return to London, Fox-Selwyn has worked out a scheme of whisking Montmorency away to the Scottish country and having another one of his friends, Doctor Farcett, come along to cure Montmorency of his habit. This would be the same Doctor Farcett that had used Montmorency as a medical speciman during the years when he was in prison. Following some initial awkwardness, the three become inseparable and begin working on a couple of capers. One involves the death of dozens of babies being born on the remote island of Tarimond in the northern Scottish isles, and the other involves two bombings in London. Many characters from the first book are reintroduced and the twists and turns in the plot leave the reader wanting more. And there is room for a third volume. An excellent purchase for those wanting a good mystery.

Full of life and the plot was suspensful

In the sequel to the first book Montmorency, Montmorency now works with Sir Fox-de-Sewlyn as spies for England. Unfortunately, Montmorency must battle his addiction to a foreign drug and meet the man who saved his life in the first book: Doctor Farcett. In getting the doctor and fellow spy to meet, de-Sewlyn arranges for the three of them separately to go to his brother's estate in Scotland where the doctor eventually helps Montmorency get off his addiction, and then he and Montmorency must help a servants' village escape a massive death of dead babies. Overall this book was written well, the characters were full of life and the plot was suspensful. I felt that while I was reading it, I was actually in the story. The characters were not bland but were vivid and full of life. The book contains intellegent language but not too hard for any one. I recommend this book to people who wish to read a historical fiction or are interested in spies. Preteen, teen, and young adult book reviews and recommendations