Lock and Key: The Gadwall Incident

By: Ridley Pearson

Narrated by: Nicola Barber

Length: 1 hr and 53 mins

Publisher's Summary

The New York Times best-selling author of the Peter and the Starcatcher and Kingdom Keepers series, Ridley Pearson, brings us the stirring digital prequel to the Lock and Key series, which reimagines the origins of the rivalry between Sherlock Holmes and James Moriarty.

In The Gadwall Incident, listeners get a glimpse into James' life a mere 24 hours before the tipping point - before life as he knows it changes irrevocably and his childhood slips into the shadows. Listeners will come to know the dangers that surround the Moriartys before James and Moria are sent off to the hallowed halls of Baskerville Academy, where they first meet the insufferable, inexhaustible Sherlock Holmes. It's a tale full of intrigue and false starts and daring getaways, one that will leave listeners desperate to know what's next.

©2016 Ridley Pearson (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers

Great narration!

This audiobook was delivered masterfully! However, story-wise, it took me 10 chapters to capture my interest. there was a lot of author intrusion that kept reminding me that I was listening to an audiobook instead of being immersed in a story.

1 person found this helpful

Great short story

Just what I needed from a book. Short and well written. Kept my interest from the start.

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Enjoyed the story

I enjoy when a story pulls you in by the way to describes the environment of the characters in it

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Got me interested

This is a prequel book for Lock & Key. I wasn't sure what to expect for a free prequel but this definitely has me looking forward to Lock & Key. Good story and narration.

3 people found this helpful

I wanted more!

Simply fantastic to be drawn in this way. Love it. Definitely looking forward to more from this author.

Disappointing:(

I was really excited to listen to this book for several reasons...#1 It’s by one of the authors of Peter and the Starcatcher‘s...#2 It’s was a Sherlock Holmes story...#3 I love fantasy fiction! It may be a great book...but the narrator was so bad that I just couldn’t listen to it :(

ended too soon

cute brother sister mystery that ended too soon. I wanted to hear why the father was going out and why he was followed! is there more to this story?

Wanted to like it

This didn't feel like a fully baked short story. There's no resolution. Questions aren't answered. It's a bit confusing. The writer is skilled enough at building interest, he just didn't deliver on his promise of an actual coherent story. This felt more like an excerpt. Did it make me want to read the full series? Kind of, but now I'm skeptical that it will just go on and on as a series with no real resolution.
The narrator was great and obviously a seasoned pro. She struck the perfect balance of sounding engaged but not distractingly dramatic.

Unfinished?

I enjoyed the story for the most part. And I love Nicola Barber’s narration but the ending wasn’t an ending. Unless there is more to this book that I don’t know about, it did not tie up any of the story threads. Frustrating.

If this is a prequel, why is it listed as book 2?

I am very disappointed with this series as a whole. The Gadwall Incident leaves you hanging, as it is a prequel. But I read the first book so long ago, I don't even remember if the first book resolves the conflict in this much shorter story. Also, transporting Holmes and Moriarty to be modern day teenagers with cell phones, etc, really doesn't work. Characters are not engaging, and overall I feel this series was wasted listening time.

Enjoyable

Cleverly writen and intriguing from the start. It's easy listening and keeps your interest 👍😂

It's a great story but abrupt ending.....

loved the narration and the story is intriguing and all the great workings of young detectives but could have had a more adequate ending.

Not a standalone story

This story has no plot of its own and ends abruptly. It's probably fun for fans of the rest of the series.

Interesting

I haven’t read Lock and Key, and I found this quite interesting. I really liked Moria, and I’d be interested to read more from her perspective. I do feel tempted to start the rest of the series.

Good listen

Good listen with a modern day twist Looking forward to the next few installments of the series

Brilliant!

Me and my 9 yr old son loved it! Can't wait to hear next volume :)