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Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury) | MYSTERY ROB | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
From a manuscript believed to be the work of John H. Watson, MD The summer of 1897 brings visitors flocking to London for Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. With them comes a Russian nobleman, as well as an English lady from Canada. This lady calls on Holmes and Watson for their assistance in dealing with strangers who are following her. The mystery deepens when Holmes recognizes one of them as the head of Russian Intelligence in London. What dreadful deed occurred on the plains of Russia more than twenty years before? What has a charitable lady in Sussex, whose fianc? was murdered years ago, got to do with it all? Danger escalates as Holmes investigates, until he is forced to find an unusual refuge for his client.
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Set in 1897 during Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, British author Roberts's eighth Sherlock Holmes pastiche captures the language and spirit of Doyle's originals while keeping the great detective and his legendary medical sidekick in character. Diana Fordeland, a well-known journalist who also served as governess to the children of the king of Mongkuria, calls on 221B Baker St. because she believes that mysterious men have been shadowing her and her granddaughter. With typical brilliance, the sleuth soon finds the roots of his new client's troubles in her past travels in Russia, which are of interest to various foreign factions, including the czar's secret police. While the relative slightness of the puzzle makes this effort a notch below Roberts's best work (e.g., Sherlock Holmes and the Harvest of Death), this highly enjoyable outing is far superior to 2004's Sherlock Holmes and the Rule of Nine. Second only to Denis O. Smith among current writers at evoking the Watsonian voice, Roberts needs only a more complex plot to truly shine. Agent, Juliet Burton (U.K.). (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Booklist Review
Roberts' latest entry in his imaginative series featuring Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson is the best yet. It's Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, and London is filled with visitors from afar, including Mrs. Diana Fordeland, of Canada. But Mrs. Fordeland has a problem, one that she is sure Holmes can solve. She fears she is being followed, and she cannot find a credible reason to explain why. At first, Holmes thinks she is imagining things, but when he discovers that she is telling the truth and that one of the men following her is the diabolical Major Kyriloff, head of Russian intelligence in London, he becomes genuinely concerned. As Holmes concentrates his considerable powers on unraveling the case, he finds himself drawn into a decades-old tale of intrigue. The charismatically eccentric Holmes takes center stage, of course, but he's admirably supported by clever writing, an unusual plot, historical authenticity, and well-drawn characters. One of the most traditional--and traditionally satisfying--of the many series that update the Holmes canon. --Emily Melton Copyright 2005 Booklist
Library Journal Review
An Englishwoman from Canada, formerly governess to the children of the King of Mongkuria, visits London in 1897 for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. After noticing several people following her, she consults Sherlock Holmes for help. With his usual scientific observations and consequent brilliant deductions, Holmes rapidly identifies the pursuers as unsavory Russian agents, connects them to a 20-year-old unsolved murder of a British military officer, and uncovers the reason for their interest in said Englishwoman. Disguises, fake attacks, and salubrious tidbits of Baker Street life should appeal to many. [Holmes afficionados may also enjoy Caleb Carr's The Italian Secretary and Mitch Cullins's A Slight Trick of the Mind.--Ed.] (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
