Book Review: Enola Holmes - The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer

Enola Holmes: The Case of the Missing Marquess
by Nancy Springer (j Springer and/or jPB Springer)

Having read a novel by this author many years ago, I was intrigued to see that she penned this. It’s the first in the “Enola Holmes Mystery” series for middle-grade readers. The first 6 books were penned between 2006 and 2010 but two more have been published in 2021-2022. The style is semi-formal as befits the time period, which is fine with me. In Springer’s concept 14-year-old Enola is the much younger sister of Mycroft and Sherlock Holmes, both of whom she barely knows, and the latter whom she greatly admires. When her mother goes missing in this introductory volume and, as a result, her elder brother wants to send her off to boarding school, Enola undertakes her own search for “mum”. Although she has very clever plans for how to avoid her brothers and be taken for an adult to everyone else, complications arise. One of these is to become involved in a faux kidnapping which turns all too real. I am interested to check out other books in the series. And, Girl Power!!

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the Nancy Drew mystery series by Carolyn Keene, the Myrtle Hardcastle mystery series by Elizabeth C. Bunce, Murder is Bad Manners by Robin Stevens or The Detective’s Assistant by Kate Hannigan.)

 

( official Nancy Springer web site ) | ( Netflix’ official Enola Holmes TV-series web page )

 

See more titles like this in the extensive Sherlock Holmes booklist, Elementary…, here on BookGuide!

Recommended by Becky W.C.
Walt Branch Library

 

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas

A Study in Scarlet Women

by Sherry Thomas (Thomas)

 

I read A Study in Scarlet Women this month by Sherry Thomas. It is the first in the Lady Sherlock Series. Here Charlotte Holmes, who has always had trouble fitting into London upper class society in the 1880s, finds herself an outcast from society and her own family. She ventures out to make it on her own, and quickly discovers it is not easy for a young lady without resources or references to find adequate lodging or employment. By happenstance she lands a job as a lady’s companion to a kind widow. This allows her to assist the authorities under the assumed name “Sherlock Holmes”.

 

Charlotte employs the same skills as the Arthur Conan Doyle version of Sherlock, putting together facts and clues based on simple details and appearances. Unfortunately, she must do this through correspondence. She also creates the rumor that Sherlock is in a sickbed, and acts as a “go-between” for clients and the fictitious Sherlock in another room. Other reoccurring characters are a concerned younger sister, a patient police inspector, and a love interest from her past.

 

This installment, A Study in Scarlet Women, features the deaths of three unconnected persons. Until Charlotte steps in, the deaths may have been deemed natural causes and unrelated. Charlotte must help the police find the killer to clear her family from involvement.

 

I found A Study in Scarlet Women to be a pleasant read, but lacked any page-turning elements or much action. The series rests more on the uniqueness of a female detective mastermind. Perhaps the next five installments A Conspiracy in Belgravia, The Hollow of Fear, The Art of Theft, and Murder on Cold Street — will be more dramatic. The latest in the series — Miss Moriarty, I Presume — sounds a lot more promising and will be released November of this year.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The Gaslight series by Victoria Thompson, or the William Monk series by Anne Perry.]

[ official A Study in Scarlet Women page on the official Sherry Thomas web site ]

 

See the Elementary (Sherlock Holmes) booklist here on BookGuide!

 

Recommended by Cindy K.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

 

Cindy read this one for the J Just Desserts mystery fiction discussion group discussion in May 2021. If you're a mystery fan, join us for the next group meeting on July 29th, where we'll be discussing the suspense novel One by One by Ruth Ware. The Just Desserts group has returned to in-person meetings as of June 2021. Join us at 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. in the 4th floor auditorium of the Bennett Martin Public Library downtown at 14th & "N" St. on the last Thursday of each upcoming month. For more information, check out the Just Desserts schedule at https://lincolnlibraries.org/bookguide/book-groups/#justdesserts

The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes
by Arthur Conan Doyle

There are 12 short stories within this work and they are the last Sherlock stories written by Doyle. There were many that came after but not by the original author. Each story is stand alone, so you don’t really need to read them in succession and honestly I don’t feel like you need to read the previous works before this one. There was one story that stuck out in this work that I don’t recall from any other in that Sherlock himself was narrator. Typically Watson is narrator and sometimes there’s a non-character narrator, so it was certainly different, though I didn’t mind. I think the books are much better, and very different than the movie adaptions with Robert Downy Jr. in them, so if that’s all you’ve experienced then it’ll be surprising how few action scenes there are. I thought the Benedict Cumberbatch series that’s set in modern times, was ok although I haven’t seen all of them. If you’ve watched and enjoyed these or some of the older film adaptions, I do suggest you try out at least some of the original stories by Doyle, in this set or the others. We have a paper copy of this one and as an e-book. Also it’s not unusual for it to be collected with other Sherlock books such as The New Annotated Sherlock Homes vol. 2.

[If you enjoy this, here are the other Sherlock Holmes stories by Doyle: Short Story Collections — The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, The Return of Sherlock Holmes, His Last Bow, and The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes; Novels: A Study in Scarlet, The Sign of Four, The House of the Baskervilles, and The Valley of Fear.]

 

[ Arthur Conan Doyle Literary Estate ]

Recommended by Kristen A.
Gere Branch Library

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The Soprano's Last Song by "Irene Adler"

The Soprano’s Last Song
by “Irene Adler” [j Adler] 

This is the second in an ongoing series of novels featuring pre-teen versions of Sherlock Holmes, Irene Adler and Arsene Lupin as friends, who solve mysteries together. Following the first volume, where they all met for the first time while each vacation on the coast of France, this volume finds all three meeting up again in London, where Arsene’s father has been arrested for the murder of the assistant of a famed opera composer — he was framed and they have to figure out what really happened. Attributed to “Irene Adler” as the author, these books are actually by Italians Pierdomenico Baccalario and Alessandro Gatti. I enjoy this series, although it plays total havoc with any kind of “continuity” with the Sherlock Holmes “canon” — the characters are well-defined, and it is fun to see the adventures told from the point of view of the young Irene Adler. This volume is a little less action-packed than the first, but features a well-described London and its environs, so we get to see the young Sherlock in what will eventually be familiar settings once he’s an adult. A fun read, but somewhat slow paced.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the other volumes in this ongoing series.] [ publisher’s official The Soprano’s Last Song web page]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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The Big Book of Sherlock Holmes Stories edited by Otto Penzler

The Big Book of Sherlock Holmes Stories
edited by Otto Penzler [828 DoyYp] 

This massive anthology of shorter Sherlock Holmes works is merely the latest in a series of creative anthologies edited by Otto Penzler for Vintage Crime/Black Lizard books. Previous volumes have included The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries (previously reviewed here), and The Black Lizard Big Book of Locked-Room Mysteries). For this Sherlock Holmes collection, Penzler has gather 83 short works from authors both best-selling and obscure. He opens with two short-short works by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself (although he does not include the newly-discovered new story by Doyle that was unearthed in somebody’s attic in 2015. Stories included in this collection range from serious, written in classic Doyle Holmes style, to parodies and pastiches, having fun with the characters and tropes of the Holmesian canon.

There are many Holmes collections or anthologies out there, and often you see the same stories in many of those books. I can’t say I’ve ever seen this many different stories featuring Holmes in any collection previously, and Penzler has certainly included some of the rare, lesser-seen tales. If you are a true lover of the world of Sherlock Holmes, or even if you’re just a basic mystery fiction fan, I highly recommend this volume, although obviously nothing substitutes for Doyle’s 56 stories and 4 novels for authenticity!

[ publisher’s official The Big Book of Sherlock Holmes Stories web page] | [ Wikipedia page on Sherlock Holmes ]

Check out more Sherlock Holmes related titles in our Elementary booklist on BookGuide!

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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The Sherlock Holmes Book by David Stuart Davies

The Sherlock Holmes Book
by David Stuart Davies [823 DoyYd]

This is the latest addition to a series from publisher Dorling Kindersley (DK) called “Big Ideas Simply Explained”. In this beautifully illustrated volume, editor David Stuart Davies starts with several chapters exploring the biographical background of Arthur Conan Doyle and his era in British history, as well as what went into the creation of the character of Sherlock Holmes. After that, each of the individual stories and novels in the Holmes “canon” is given anywhere from two to 8 or 10 pages of detailed background, exploring what influenced Doyle in the writing of each story, what was happening in the world of the reader at the time each story was published, and which of the characters, settings and bits of dialog are most significant (and why) to readers of the Holmesian stories.

Reading this volume really expanded my appreciation for and understanding of each of Doyle’s stories. One minor complaint would be that some stories get a great deal more background provided than others. Following the exploration of the 60 “canon” tales, there are a few addition chapters about Sherlock Holmes, including a marvelous look back at the different iterations of Holmes on stage and screen, from the very earliest adaptions in film to our current era, in which Benedict Cumberbatch, Jonny Lee Miller and Robert Downey Jr. have each put their own stamp on the character. I don’t really think this is a book to be read cover-to-cover, but instead serves better as a reference volume — I would recommend reading a collection of Doyle’s original tales, then come back to this volume and read the chapters that provide background about the Doyle work — it will add layers to your appreciation of the classic stories!

[ publisher’s official The Sherlock Holmes Book web page] | [ official David Stuart Davies UK web site ]

Check out more Sherlock Holmes related titles in our Elementary booklist on BookGuide!

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle

The Valley of Fear
by Arthur Conan Doyle
 
This novella recounts a murder in England, investigated by Sherlock Holmes. As it concludes, it turns out there is a backstory to why the murder occurred that goes back some twenty years in the American West. So the story then travels across space and time, and starts over with the back story. It all comes together in the last few pages. I don’t want to give anything way because it’s full of surprises, so I won’t say more. It was a very good; most of Doyle’s Sherlock stories are short, so it was a nice change to have a longer read. If you like mysteries set in the past, either in America or England, I’m sure you’d like this one.

[ official Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Literary Estate web site ]

Recommended by Kristen A.
Gere Branch Library

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewers recommendations!

The Return of Sherlock Holmes

The Return of Sherlock Holmes
by Arthur Conan Doyle

This collection of 13 short stories begins with Sherlock's return to Baker Street. Having been sometime since his disappearance/death at the Reinenbach Falls, his faithful friend Watson is so shocked to see him, he faints. Once recovered and told how he survived and returned, the pair are back to solving mysteries. I like the short story collections, but there are full length novels by Doyle including A Study in Scarlet, The Sign of Four, The Hound of the Baskervilles, and The Valley of Fear. If you liked the new Sherlock tv series by the BBC which is set in modern times more than you liked the Robert Downy Jr. movies, I recommend reading the these. Even though the tv series is set in modern London, I think it's more similar to the books than the movies are. Really, I'd recommend this book to anyone this time of year. I think autumn/winter is the perfect time to read these because the nights are dark and chilly, perfect for reading mysteries. -- recommended by Kristen A. - Gere Branch Library [ see Kristen's Reviewer Profile and more of her reviews ]

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try any of the original Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock: Seasons 1-3 by the BBC starring Benedict Cumberbatch.]

[Also available in a variety of additional formats.]

[ official Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Literary Estate web site ]

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Sherlock Holmes' London by Higashiyama Kobayashi

Sherlock Holmes' London: Following the Footsteps of London's Master Detective
by Higashiyama Kobayashi [914.21 qKob]

First published in 1984 (UK, 1986 US), this large book is jam-packed with photographs, illustrating London from the perspective of the Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. The first section of the book features reproductions of historical photos from the era in which the Holmes stories are set, showing what the world of London -- and specific sites mentioned in the stories -- looking like when Holmes would have been solving his cases (1877-1903). The remainder of the book is filled with both color and black-and-white photos of sites throughout London and the immediate surrounding countryside, taken in the 1980s, that illustrate the current appearance (in many instances this can be timeless) of scenes described in the Holmes stories and novels. Although a bit dated, since it was published 30 years ago, I still found this to be a fascinating read -- and, because 80% of the content is photos (or reproductions of the illustrations from the original stories), this can be a quick read, depending on how long you want to study the photos. Holmesian fans will definitely appreciate this one, as well Anglophiles in general. Just remember, even the "modern" photos are now historical in nature too! -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library [ see Scott's Reviewer Profile and Other Reviews ]

[ official Sherlock Holmes Literary Tours web site ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewers recommendations!

The Baker Street Letters

The Baker Street Letters
by Michael Robertson

When I saw the third volume in this quirky series at Barnes & Noble recently, I realized I had missed the first two entries, so I backtracked to read The Baker Street Letters. Two British brothers, respectable Reggie Heath and his flightier younger brother Nigel, have set up a legal office on the 2nd floor of the office building at 221 Baker Street in London. Part of the conditions of their inexpensive lease is that they are required to answer all of the fan mail that comes addressed to Sherlock Holmes at 221B Baker Street, with standard form letters -- no personal responses. When Nigel believes foul play is afoot in Los Angeles, based on a 20-year-old letter that has had a recent follow-up, he disappears from England on the even of a hearing to reinstate his law license. Reggie follows his errant brother to the States, and finds himself hip deep in a mystery involved falsified land records, a missing surveyor, and his brother...who is soon accused of murder. Not perfect -- there's a few lapses in logic and it could have used a tighter editorial hand, but this is still a fun and fast read, with likeable characters and an amusing premise. I definitely recommend this, and look forward to reading the subsequent volumes in the series! -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library



See more books like this in our Elementary booklist -- Holmes parodies, pastiches, sequels and homages 

[ official Baker Street Letters / Michael Robertson web site ] 

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewers recommendations!

New Booktalk Booklists from Kristen A.

Here's another pair of Booktalk Booklists that we haven't previously shared here on the BookGuide blog -- Kristen A., from the Gere Branch, has presented a booktalk during each of the most recent seasons of Bethany and Gere Branch BooksTalks. In April 2012, she presented a talk on the 44 Scotland Street series by Alexander McCall-Smith back. And in December 2012, she presented a talk on books related to Sherlock Holmes. [Click here to check out the current schedule of Book Talks.]

44 Scotland Street [2012]

Sherlock Holmes [2012]

A Study in Sherlock

A Study in Sherlock: Stories Inspired by the Holmes Canon
by various authors, edited by Laurie King [823.08 Kin]

This series of short stories by various authors is a fun read. All stories are inspired by the Holmes Canon. Some very loosely, while others it helps to have read many of the original Doyle stories to solve the current mystery you are reading. A must read for any Sherlock Holmes fan. -- recommended by Jodene G. - Walt Branch Library

[ Publisher's official A Study in Sherlock web site ] | [ official Laurie R. King web site ]

Check out the libraries' extensive Sherlock Holmes booklist on BookGuide
 
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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewers recommendations!

Sherlock Holmes & Kolchak the Night Stalker: Cry of Thunder

Sherlock Holmes & Kolchak the Night Stalker: Cry of Thunder
by Joe Gentile (author), Andy Bennett and Carlos Magno (art) [741.5 Kol]

This graphic novel compiles the entire storyline of a 3-issue comic book miniseries from 2009. Having been a huge fan of both Sherlock Holmes and Carl Kolchak for decades, I was initially leary of any attempt to cross them together. Gentile, however, manages to tell a story with elements set in both the 1890s and the 2000s -- Kolchak having been updated from his original 1970s era -- with surprising effectiveness. While I found the artwork incredibly uneven -- at times excellent and at times awful, Gentile's characterization was top-notch. Holmes is brilliant, sharp-tongued, crafty, manipulative, physical and surprisingly compassionate in his pursuit of justice in the name of an unjustly imprisoned immigrant. Meanwhile in modern times, reporter Kolchak is approached by a woman to investigate a mystery in her family's history. Gentile's narrative voice for Kolchak perfectly captures Darren McGavin's noirish voiceovers and downtrodden schmuck-who-won't-give-up personality. The Kolchak part of the storyline involves unusual supernatural elements, which provide the method by which the characters sort-of cross over with each other...the weakest plot element. However, the strengths of each of the separate storylines make this a highly recommendable entry for fans of both sleuths. I particularly appreciate that there are writers trying to keep the Kolchak character alive -- he's always been a "cult" figure, and it's a pleasure to see some well-told stories featuring him, over 35 years since he was first introduced in The Night Stalker. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try other Kolchak stories from this publisher -- Moonstone. Also, the excellent original Kolchak novel "The Kolchak Papers: Grave Secrets" by Mark Dawidziak, available through Interlibrary Loan.] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library [subscribe to Scott's monthly newsletter - "It's All Geek to Me!" - and others on the Books, Movies & More subscription page]
 
[ official Kolchak page on the Moonstone publishing web site ]
 
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Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Series

Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Series
[DVD Sherlock]

In the 125 years since his first appearance in 1887, the "Great Detective" has been portrayed on screen in hundreds of different productions, by 75 different actors. In my case, Jeremy Brett, from the superb PBS Mystery adaptations, will always be "my" Holmes. However, I enjoy tracking down and watching other versions as well. This DVD set collects all 39 episodes that were produced for a 1954 Sherlock Holmes series produced for American television, starring Ronald Howard as Holmes and Howard Marion Crawford as his Watson. Filmed in Paris, though mainly on soundstages, this series is an oddity. Out of 39 half-hour episodes, only four are based on actual Conan Doyle stories (and even those are very loose adaptations). The rest are all original stories for television. The performances are earnest and enthusiastic, though Crawford's Watson can be a bit of a dullard. Howard makes a fine Holmes, though not as serious and intent as many other verions of the detective. For a true Holmesian fan, this series is an essential one to watch -- I'm quite pleased to see that somebody donated this to the libraries' collection! [Note: Check out the Elementary booklist on the BookGuide site for dozens of Holmes-related stories/novels.] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library
[ Internet Movie Database entry for this series ]
 
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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

The House of Silk

House of Silk
by Anthony Horowitz

If you are a fan of Conan Doyle, this book holds true to his style. And - wow! - what a mystery. Holmes and Watson take you on a trail where seemingly unrelated things actually are related and the House of Silk is a place where no one wants to find themselves. -- recommended by Jodene G. - Walt Branch Library

[Also available in downloadable audio format.]

[ official Anthony Horowitz / House of Silk web site ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

A new addition to the official Sherlock Holmes canon!

Holmesians and other mystery fans were treated this month to the first new Sherlock Holmes novel that is considered to be part of the official "canon" of Holmes stories, at least as far as the Arthur Conan Doyle estate is concerned.

The House of Silk, by author Anthony Horowitz (creator of the Foyle's War television series, and author of the Alex Rider series of young adult novels, among others), was released on November 1st, 2011. This book marks the very first time -- ever -- that a non-Doyle-written novel has been acknowledged as belonging to the Holmes "canon" -- those stories that are considered truly and completely official by those individuals in charge of the Doyle estate.

This book's release, along with the appearance of other recent new Holmes-related tie-in books, like Kim Newman's The Hound of the D'Urbervilles (a Moriarity-centric story collection), Between the Thames and Tiber: Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Ted Riccardi, and A Study in Sherlock (an anthology edited by Laurie R. King), inspired us to update our extensive Sherlock Holmes booklist on the BookGuide side.

Elementary... has had several additional titles added to it, both current and classic. All titles still owned by the Lincoln City Libraries are hotlinked to the libraries' online catalog. All other titles can be ordered through the InterLibrary Loan service.

All of which leads us to the following questions: If you are a Holmes fan, which of the hundreds of Holmes tie-ins, pastiches or parodies have you enjoyed the most? Which do you think are truest to the original Doyle Holmes stories?

The Strange Return of Sherlock Holmes

The Strange Return of Sherlock Holmes
by Barry Grant

This volume is one of the latest books to cash in on the long-standing fascination with the legendary British sleuth, this time bringing Holmes into the modern era through a bit of a science fictional trick. The story is narrated by James Wilson, a recently retired journalist - a war coorespondent who's looking to settle into the small English town of Hay-on-Wye. Looking for lodgings, Wilson is connected (through a mutual acquaintance) with the eccentric Cedric Coombes, a man looking to share the expenses of a lodging, as he pursues a variety of odd research projects, primarily focused on pop culture and history of the the past 90 years. When Coombes is called in to consult on a local murder, Wilson accompanies him and slowly begins to realize that his roommate may very well be the legendary Sherlock Holmes. Coombes admits this and, interspersed with their contemporary murder investigation(s), shares with Wilson the tale of how he came to be "preserved" and brought back to existence in the 21st century. This is a fun, though slow-paced, read, and the characterizations are excellent. The mystery is pretty obvious, and a heavy-handed political editorializing to the conclusion may prove to be rather jarring for many readers. However, if you're a fan of classic Holmes, and don't mind a few twists, this is worth a try! -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

See more books like this on our Elementary... booklist

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

Sherlock - Season One

Sherlock - Season One
[DVD Sherlock]

Sherlock is a reimagining of the classic tale of Sherlock Holmes, bringing the legendary, well-known characters out of the foggy era of horse-drawn carriages and into the modern era. Holmes in this case is a brilliant yet somewhat unstable man, still a "consulting detective" for Scotland Yard (and the stolid yet unremarkable Inspector Lestrade), and running a website extolling his theories of deductive reasoning. Dr. John Watson is a military veteran of the Middle East conflict, looking for lodgings and trying to reassimilate himself into society (while dealing with nightmares about his war experiences). The first episode is a very nicely done reworking of the first Sherlock Holmes story, A Study in Scarlet, introducing the Holmes and Watson characters. Beyond that similarity, however, everything is very modern and up-to-date, with the characters making heavy use of contemporary electronic technologies -- cellphones, laptops, texting, etc. Sherlock is a very stylish series, with lavish production design, funky music and a fascinating editing style -- lots of fast cuts and computer graphics super-imposed as Sherlock rapidly makes calculations about the evidence before him. The performances from Benedict Cumberbatch (Holmes) and Martin Freeman (Watson) are absolutely terrific, and they very quickly develop a likeable chemistry as the characters. That's a good thing, since there were only three 2-hour movies produced for this first season, which ends on a major cliffhanger. Holmesian purists seem split on their attitudes towards this reinvention of the characters, but I found it remarkably true to the essence of the Sherlock Holmes canon and highly recommend it. And never fear...if you're wondering if arch-enemy Professor Moriarty puts in an appearance, you won't be disappointed. Written and produced by some of the same folks who are bringing us the newest version of Doctor Who, Sherlock originally appeared on British television in July/August of 2010, then aired as part of the PBS Masterpiece Mystery series in October 2010. A second season is in production for broadcast in 2011.

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this series ] | [ official Sherlock on PBS Masterpiece web site ] | [ official The Science of Deduction site maintained by Holmes in the series ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

The Art of Detection

The Art of Detection

by Laurie J. King

I hadn't read any of the Kate Martinelli books before this particular title was selected for the Just Desserts mystery fiction discussion group at the library. I'm not sure that I'll go ahead and read any others, either. That's not to say that The Art of Detection was unenjoyable...I did like reading it. The dual mysteries in this book -- first, the investigation into who killed a Sherlock Holmes memorabilia dealer and hid his body in a gun battery outside of San Francisco, and second, the storyline in a possible unknown Sherlock Holmes story by Arthur Conan Doyle -- were both fascinating and kept me engaged throughout the book. What I didn't care for was Kate Martinelli herself. She came off as a bit too harsh and judgemental, especially considering the fact that as a lesbian police officer, she herself has probably faced a lot of judgemental types. In the long run, I like the book -- the interweaving of the plots from the two different time periods, plus the historical footnotes about Arthur Conan Doyle's visit to the San Francisco area in the 1920s, made for an intriguing "what if" scenario. And there's a doozy of a Twilight Zone moment thrown in at the end of the book, too. Holmes purists may or may not enjoy this one, and may also find Martinelli's opinions about Sherlock Holmes fanatics a bit off-putting, but it was still an interesting read, and I do recommend it. Fans of the Martinelli series may be surprised to find that 9 years have passed since the previous Martinelli mystery, but for newcomers to the series, that's not an impediment to the story. -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ official Art of Detection page on the official Laurie R. King web site ]

See more books like this on our Sherlock Holmes booklist

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

The West End Horror

The West End Horror

by Nicholas Meyer

In 1895, George Bernard Shaw calls on Sherlock Holmes, inviting him to investigate the death of a theater critic, Jonathan McCarthy. Of course, Holmes accepts and the chase is on. Along the way Holmes and, naturally, Watson, meet Bram Stoker and Arthur Sullivan (of Gilbert and Sullivan). A volume of Shakespeare is open to a passage in Romeo and Juliet; Holmes feels sure that the dying critic opened the book to the passage as a clue to his murder. Meyer captures the era well and any Sherlock Holmes fan will enjoy this effort. -- recommended by Rianne S. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ Wikipedia entry on The West End Horror ] [ Wikipedia entry on Nicholas Meyer ]

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