Billy Pink's Private Detective Agency

This is a yarn about a poverty-stricken, quick-thinking and fast-walking lad who makes the most of his chances when a wandering, ghostly spirit attaches itself to him with an offer of tracking down felons. Billy gets rich and earns a reputation for himself meeting, among others, Conan Doyle. The pace never slackens and it reads a bit like Boys Own ... but there's no harm in that. It's a fast read that less enthusiastic boy readers ought to latch onto.