E.A. Allen has written a fun and intriguing young-adult (YA) novel in “Percy St.-John and the Chronicle of Secrets,” which appears to be the first in a series. The story follows a young teenage protagonist, Percy St.-John, from tragic son to heroic thief.
The YA novel follows the general path of initial tragedy, much like one may read or see in Grimm fairy tales or Disney films. Percy’s father, an Anglican vicar, is murdered in the first chapter; his mother had long since been deceased since his birth. It is this unfortunate unfolding of events that puts Percy on his path to becoming a thief. But first he is placed in an orphanage.