The Clockwork Sparrow (Sinclair's Mysteries)

If you like Robin Stephens 'Murder Most Unladylike' you will love this series. My 9 year old daughter and I read these books together at bedtime. The clockwork sparrow is the first of 3 books in this series. The story is set in the early 1900's and takes place around a 'New' London Department Store Sinclair's. The four main characters are all aged between 14 and 16. As well a great mystery story the books gives insight into the lives of young people and their families around this time. My daughter was very struck by the way people who had no standing in society were ignored and mistreated. She found it hard to believe that no one listened to young people and that the rich could get away with so much.

Gosh! What can I say. The writing was sublime. And the descriptions of London and the store were magical. I wanted to be there! Secret tunnels, mysterious figures, showgirls, and beautiful hats and orphans, everything you need for the perfect mystery.I loved this story, and only wished that it was longer. I really wanted to know more about her backstory, but maybe that's for another book.I can recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction, and fashion, and a good old fashioned 'who done it'!

I really enjoyed the setting of a upscale department store--it's actually pretty unique as settings go! It was interesting to see what that world was like and the book does an excellent job of exploring several different social strata involved in a department store. I enjoyed the characters--they had enough depth to keep me interested in the story and I enjoyed seeing them relate with each other. All in all, an elegant little mystery!

Product came right on time. I enjoyed the book, the intended owner did not.

My 12 year old loved it! It was a birthday present. I bought her the second and third books in the series for Christmas!

This book was a fun read: great characters, interesting plot and setting and fun mystery. I definitely will read the next one!

This was a fun mystery in a middle grades series set in 1909 in London's finest new department store, Sinclair's. A group of four young people become unlikely friends: Sophie, former member of the gentility who is now orphaned and is thrilled to be a shopgirl at Sinclair's; Lil, a beautiful girl who is one of the living mannequins who model the store's fashions and also an aspiring actress; Joe, who has been living rough on the streets and is on the run; and Billy, an apprentice porter who is more interested in reading detective stories than sticking to his duties. Drawn together as they support each other in the first days of the store's opening, they band together to solve the mystery of who stole the clockwork sparrow and other precious jewels from Sinclair's while trying to clear the name of one of their own.The descriptions of the various departments of the store, the London streets, the fashions, and the occupations of the time vividly bring the story to life. If you enjoy historical fiction, this really puts you right into the time period.The mystery is intriguing, but be aware that while this case is solved, the overall mystery continues.

If you're a fan of Robin Stevens's "Murder Most Unladylike" series or Jordan Stratford's "The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency", then Katherine Woodfine's "Sinclair Mysteries" will be right up your alley, involving two more young women solving mysteries in a period setting.In this case it's Sophie Taylor and Lilian Rose, two employees of the newly-opened Sinclair's Department Store, who finds themselves embroiled in an investigation after a cache of priceless artefacts are stolen from Edward Sinclair, their boss. Amongst them is the clockwork sparrow, famous for its ability to produce a variety of musical tunes.To make matters worse, Sophie is one of the prime suspects given that she was in the store after closing hours, and she can't afford to lose her position at the store. Helping the girls are Billy Porter, an apprentice porter trying to keep on the good side of his uncle, and Joe, a young vagrant on the run from his former gang members.Between the four of them, they experience the entirety of Sinclair's Department Store, from the beauty and luxury of its main floors, to the more industrial stables and cellars. Though the mystery itself isn't particularly brilliant, the setting is fascinating; a hub of activity and gossip, rivalry and challenges, where people from all walks of life can converge.Sophie makes for a lovely heroine, whose innate goodness gets her into trouble (but also out of it) backed up by the vivacious Lilian, the hard-working, put-upon Billy, and the more enigmatic Joe whose rough background is softened a little by his association with the other three.Code-breaking, stake-outs, cream buns, club sandwiches - this is a fun start to a new mystery series.

Because of some bad luck Sophie has to find a job and that means her childhood is over all of a sudden. Fortunately she finds a position at Sinclair's, a department store. She wants to do well and she's pretty, so not every girl she's working with is friendly to her. When someone steals a precious artefact from the store Sophie has to find out what happened. It will be very important for her future. Fortunately she has friends she can count on who are helping her to find out more.The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow is such a wonderful book. I couldn't put it down. I loved the old fashioned atmosphere and the main characters are all fantastic. Sophie is sweet and she's brave. The same goes for Billy, who's lovely. I kept having a big smile on my face when I was reading about his actions. The setting is fantastic. I could picture every department of the shop. Katherine Woodfine makes everything come to life really well. It's great that she pays attention to every little detail, which makes the story absolutely perfect.There are some beautiful drawings in the book. Because of them it's even more easy for the reader to feel the atmosphere. It was like I was in Sinclair's. I could almost touch the items in the shop. I really liked the mystery aspect of the story and was curious to see how things would develop. I couldn't stop reading and read this story in one sitting. I absolutely loved the ending, it's amazing. I think this book is very special.

This is an enjoyable mystery. It's like Selfridges meets Sally Lockhart. Indeed I felt it was rather indebted to Pullman's novels (The Ruby in the Smoke etc) to the point where I think Woodfine can't have read them. The young male sidekick who enjoys sneaking off to read books, the actress friend (arguably Rosa is a much smaller character in Ruby). Enjoyable and definitely worth it while on offer (a bit annoyed I didn't wait for Kindle Deal of the Day) and definitely suitable for younger readers.

Good book and we got the whole set after this one. This one was a used book, although marked as in excellent condition, when it arrived, it had obvious signs of wear and tear - apart from that, a good read!

I loved this book because it was so exciting. I love the characters and it is written really well. I recommend this book to people who like Adventure and detective books.

It has cliffhanger moments when they're about to be discovered hiding behind a bunch of furs.It has breathtaking moments when they find the clockwork sparrow.It has that feeling of being betrayed when they discover people who they trust collaborating with the villian.All in all, it's a mystery novel you better read.