Lad in the Lane

WarrenCabral practised law in Bermuda for 30 years before taking up his pen as authorof fiction for adults and children. Evenbefore his second career as a writer, he had written short stories, plays,pantomimes and the books for two musicals. He was the winner of The Royal Gazette prize for one of his shortstories. His most recent theatrical work was On the Line, staged at The TeaHouse Theatre in London. The LakelandMysteries, of which The Lad in the Lane is the third book, is Warren's firstventure into children's fiction.Corryn Webb is a Welsh freelance illustrator and designer based in the rugged mountains beside the North Wales coast in the UK. Living with her husband, children and rescue dogs. With her vivid imagination and eye for detail, Corryn has been lauded for her beautiful award-winning pieces bursting to the rim with creativity. She is fascinated by the beauty, magic, and mythology of the natural landscape of Wales, which regularly inspires her art.

Supernaturally gifted sisters team up to preventinjustice in the mystery novel The Lad in the Lane, a story aboutfighting unfairness with the truth.Sisters partner with their neighbors to fight an unfairhousing redevelopment in Warren Cabral’s inventive mystery novel TheLad in the Lane.While camping during a storm, Mae and Isla have asupernatural vision of a boy dressed in historical clothing. Meanwhile, theirgrandmother’s street is repossessed for a planned business park, and one of heracquaintances seeks the girls’ help to prove his ownership of the land. Soon,they realize that the boy they saw is crucial to their search.The land rights at the center of the story, all related tomanor properties, are a somewhat esoteric topic. However, explanations aboutthem are proffered in brisk conversations among the story’s adults; the factthat the girls’ grandmother and her neighbors’ homes are at risk is thusestablished in clear terms. Mae and Isla take a practical approach to theproblem, spearheading a campaign to save the land with their classmates. Mae’shabit of turning information into rhyming verse so as to better remember it andIsla’s talent for drawing fold into their social media and community protest.The girls are precocious heroines, developed in terms oftheir concern for others, their curiosity, and their sisterly closeness. Thelatter is deepened by their telepathic abilities. Their parents are somewhatbewildered by them but also indulge their gifts. Heightened descriptionsintensify the sense of who each person is: Mae is a “fiery little girl” with“flame-coloured hair to match her scorching words”; a man’s aftershave is“stratospherically expensive but ghastly smelling.”The Lake District setting is developed through mentions ofRadio Cumbria, sites including Wray Castle, a lakeside beach, and a rainyatmosphere. Indeed, the worldbuilding is quite picturesque. A man’s ancestralroots are a key factor in solving the mystery, and searches for grave markersflesh out the area further. In this small town, community life is inseparablefrom its rich history.The illustrations depict the main characters with varyingdegrees of success: A drawing of Isla reading on a rug is sharp; in groupsettings, people are rendered in rougher terms, as when the girls and theirfather crowd inside a tent. Some discrepancies arise too: The text describes ablack Mercedes, but the illustrations feature a red one.With a greedy, comical villain as their main obstacle,there’s little doubt that the girls will triumph in time. While theirhappenstance discovery of proof shortchanges their ingenuity, their hunt for aland deed is exciting. That they rally to help their elders is alsoheartwarming, ensuring interest in the girls’ continuing story.The Lad in the Lane is an engaging mystery novelin which bright siblings with deep local ties are driven to solve a mystery bytheir sense of fair play.Reviewed for Foreword Clarion by KarenRigbyOctober 25, 2025"With ghosts, castles, churches and graveyards in the Lake District setting, The Lad in the Lane makes for a good autumnal read. Corryn Webb's bright illustrations once again help to bring Mae and Isla's investigations to life." LoveReading4Kids