The Ruby in the Smoke: Sally Lockhart Trilogy, Book 1

This is an incredibly fun listen. I am 51 years young and can recommend this book to anyone who loves a great mystery with characters you want to get to know read/performed with mastery on a par with Nigel Planer of Discworld fame ... this book is for you. I highly recommend it to anyone from 8 to 80!

I rate books I listen to (rather than read) by reader first, plot second. The reader, Anton Lesser, was outstanding. His voices differentiated the characters very well for me, and in the case of the Mrs. Holland character, her oozing evil actually sent a shiver down my spine. The plot has a few holes in it. Characters who are supposed to be in hiding allow themselves to be photographed for widely-distributed stereopticon pictures. Not smart. But over all, I loved the story, especially the bravery and resourcefulness of the main character.

I purchased this book based on my love of Philip Pullman's other work. Although the genre and style are quite different from the His Dark Materials trilogy, I was mesmerized all the same. The characters and the story were engaging, and the narrator is one of the best I've heard from Audible. At first, I had a bit of difficulty understanding his heavy English accent, but it did not take long for this to fade away. He had a distinctive voice for each character, and unlike many narrators, the voices were very well done and added to the overall experience. The female characters were especially impressive, actually sounding like women. He read with enthusiasm, and did an excellent job of capturing the emotion and intensity of each scene.

The author had very unique descriptions and details that took me to Victorian England. Each characters role in the story were blended very well. The reader has voice inflections for each character that made this a very entertaining listen. The book was well written and you are pulled into the story very smoothly.

The story is written well. Sally lockhart has to use her wits and what her father taught her in order to stay alive and become just another orphan. The author does a wonderful job of writing this story and utilizing a 16 year old who's intelligence and forethought is a match for any adult. Quite charming and amazing cast of characters.

Pullman, better known for the His Dark Materials series, is a master of historical fiction. The Sally Lockhart Mystery series are wonderfully atmospheric melodramas set in the 1800s peopled with colorful characters. While most historical fiction writers for children trade in the worst cliches about historical periods, Pullman does a particularly admirable job of presenting a strong, independent woman of the 1800s who knows both how to wield a gun and understand financial markets. This is a great audiobook, dramatic, well-paced with a nice love story thrown in---and very appealing to teens.

Great story, great narration. After I finished listening to this, I immediately purchased the other two books in the series.

I enjoyed Philip Pullman's 'Dark Materials' trilogy, and wanted to hear more of his work. I was very pleased to see that Anton Lesser - one of my favorite actors - was the narrator for this work. Lesser's reading is amazing, as he convincingly voices everyone from a terrified female child to a pickpocket-turned-honest to an old crone. The story is gripping, and the presentation is superb. This is suitable for teens and adults, although the material is probably too strong for kids under 13.

Not as good as the Golden Compass series, but the author creates some intriguing characters and a suspenseful story. The reader is outstanding. Incongruities in the plot (characters in hiding selling photographs of themselves; Madame DeFarge-like character falling apart in a way that is out of character) and a somewhat weak ending keep this from being a memorable book.

This is one of the few Audible series I have listened to more than once. Philip Pullman is a master -- I particularly admire the way his characters evolve consciously on so many levels. I was both inspired and entertained.