The Lady Sherlock Series by Sherry Thomas

I love a good Sherlock Holmes pastiche, and I don't know how many I've read.  Some are very good, some are serious, some are amusing, (and some are pretty bad), but all present different views of Homes and Watson.  

I read the Lady Sherlock series out of order because I received the second in the series (A Conspiracy in Belgravia)  from NetGalley,  and read it first.  Initially, I was not sure I'd like it.  Some books in a series work great as stand-alones, but this one was one of those that left me confused at the beginning because there was obviously so much important background that I didn't know about.  In any case, as I continued to read, I became absorbed in the plot and developed a fondness for the characters.

When I finished A Conspiracy in Belgravia, I immediately ordered A Study in Scarlet Women, the first book.  I needed that background!  The reviews are in chronological order, not the order in which I read them.

Book 1

A Study in Scarlett Women.  Charlotte Holmes is brilliant.  She is also a fallen woman.  Deliberately so--although things did not turn out as she planned.  

When her father reneged on his promise to pay for her education, Charlotte decides that losing her reputation would put her out of the marriage market and carefully chooses a man to aid her in her quest.  Her plan to keep this quiet and use it to pressure her parents goes awry, the scandal is public knowledge immediately.  Oops.

Charlotte is intelligent, observant, and logical.  However, her life has been limited to the safe and secure strictures of society, and she is unprepared for the difficulties she is about to face as a social pariah with no practical skills.

There are a number of things that bothered me about both books, but for some reason the characters kept me absorbed.  Charlotte is never the typical heroine (she seems to fall somewhere on the Asperger's scale).  Mrs. Watson charmed me.  The two form the consulting detective business and solve some murders.  And I had fun.  :)

Purchased.  

Historical Mystery/Sherlock Holmes.  2016.  Print version:  323 pages.

Book 2

Sherlock Holmes, Consulting Detective (or Charlotte Holmes and Mrs. Watson) is in demand for all manner of mysteries from  mundane household puzzles to murder.  

One of the main problems with A Conspiracy in Belgravia is that it begins as if you had just finished a previous chapter.   It took me a while to decide whether I wanted to keep reading because so much seemed missing.

Fortunately, I did and enjoyed the adventures of this female Holmes and Watson (and other assorted characters) so much that I ordered and read the first one the same day. Yea for Kindles and ebooks and immediate gratification.

Moriarty has been mentioned, but has not yet appeared. Nevertheless, the Criminal Mastermind's sinister influence lurks in the shadows.

Read in June; blog post scheduled for Aug. 17

NetGalley/Berkley Pub.

Historical Mystery/Sherlock Holmes.  Sept. 5, 2017.  Print length:  336 pages.

Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood

Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood is the best book I've read this year.  Loved it!  Bounced back and forth from delight to fearful nervous tension and a sinking feeling in my stomach throughout the entire thing.  With the exception of Titus Andronicus, I've read all of Shakespeare's plays, and although I've always appreciated the wonderful language and multiple quotable lines in The Tempest, the plot has never been my favorite.   Atwood's version has given me much to think about and a completely new appreciation of the play.   

Briefly, Felix is a creative and innovative artistic director whose self-importance and experimentation in staging Shakespeare productions has not always been appreciated, and he has more wild ideas for his upcoming production of The Tempest.  Immersed in his creative work which helps him deal with the death of his young daughter, Felix has abandoned many of the more boring duties of his position  to his assistant Tony.  

Ah, but traitorous Tony has taken advantage of Felix's neglect and has plotted his ouster.  Not only is Felix abruptly and unceremoniously removed from his directorship, but his Tempest will never be produced.

Felix retires to a shabby, isolated farmhouse where he mourns the loss of his beloved daughter and the loss of a career.  And plots revenge.   

What I loved:  Everything.  From the opening prologue that intimates disaster, to the play within the play within the play, to Felix's character development throughout, to the way he approaches teaching Shakespeare to prison inmates, to way the inmates ways of assimilating the universals of the plays, to Miranda's role, to my new appreciation of the original play--just everything!

I have a strange relationship with Atwood's works, some of which have not appealed as much to me as they have to others, although I always find deep pleasure in the way she wields language.  My favorite work before reading Hag-Seed was The Penelopiad, which I adored.

Hag-Seed charmed and delighted me, and after finishing, I pulled out my Complete Works and will be settling in to reread The Tempest with a new perspective and pleasure.  

This is my favorite work of fiction in years.  You don't need to have read The Tempest to love this novel.  You don't have to like Shakespeare to enjoy the plot and the characters.  Yet you will still come away marveling at the genius of Shakespeare and at Atwood's masterful reinterpretation of the tale.

The Acknowledgements at the end include books and films that Atwood found useful which include Julie Taymor's film of The Tempest with Helen Mirren as Prospera and other films and books that I might be interested in checking out.  There is also a section about prison literature that has another list of books that sound fascinating.  And more.  I have a quite a list of possible further reading and viewing.

rev. sch. for Aug. 4, 2016  

NetGalley/Crown Publishing

Fiction/Shakespeare Retelling.  Oct. 11, 2016.  Print length:  320 pages.

Eleanor & Park, The Girl Before, and Jane Steele

Eleanor & Park.  I really liked Attachments, but I loved Eleanor & Park.  It has been on my list since it was published; I skimmed all the positive reviews at the time because I didn't want to know too much about it, but...somehow I never got around to reading it.  Now, I have, and it was a pleasure.

Although billed as YA, E&P is a book for anyone who remembers what it was like to be a young adult, at that awkward stage and the need to be accepted; Rainbow Rowell clearly remembers.  The pov alternates between Eleanor and Park, two misfits who somehow, eventually fit together.  

One of Rowell's greatest strength is her ability to create characters who are interesting and likable, not goody-goody or too bad-ass.  Characters who are ordinary, but individual, not heroic and not totally downtrodden.  Sometimes small things d0 require courage and abuse can fail to make an individual surrender.  No magic, no deadly battles, no assassins, no zombies.  Two young people who learn to depend on each other and who face life's  predicaments and hazards with pluck and determination.  And that is not always easy, especially for adolescents.

Purchased.

YA/Contemporary.  2013.  Print length:  335 pages.

The Girl Before is timely in the sense that human trafficking is something right here in our own world, not in some distant country.  In fact, our local paper has been running a series of articles about human trafficking that brings the topic that many novels lately have used as a premise--too close to home.  

The Girl Before was an intense and frustrating read, but often novels make the distant and the impersonal...very personal. Was the premise of this novel believable?  Maybe not so much, because the expense of kidnapping, raising, and educating a child for the purpose of selling her (or him) ten or twelve years later would be difficult to justify economically(Dear God, what a thing to say!).  Quite a few elements of the novel didn't ring true...yet the brainwashing and Stockholm Syndrome are quite believable, sad, and disheartening.  

An interesting and well-written novel about a degrading, repellent practice that is much more common than those of us in our middle-class neighborhoods want to believe.  If it happens most often to runaways, immigrants, or the very poor (there are instances of parents selling their children or pimping the children themselves) than to the people we know, it does not change the horror.  A compelling read that manages to avoid graphic descriptions, avoids manipulating the reader while still making the point, and does not leave you without hope.  

NetGalley/Penguin Group

Psychological Thriller.  Penguin Group.  Print length:  320 pages.

Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye is a recent retelling of Jane Eyre, and the similarities are all over the place--except turned on their heads.  Jane Eyre in a fun-house mirror.  :)  

It was amusing to see how closely and how absurdly Faye followed and inverted characters, events, and elements from the original novel.  There are murders and romance and intriguing situations.   

There are flaws (pacing could have been better, some parts that drag and the whole treasure motif didn't feel convincing), but I have to admit to enjoying it thoroughly.   What I enjoyed most (besides noting all of the clever sneaky subversions) was the Thornfield household with the butler, who was not a butler, and Jane using her charge's love of horses to teach...well, almost everything.  Well done, Governess Jane.  :)

Library copy.

Pastiche/Serial Killer Parody.  2016.  427 pages.

A Study in Ashes by Emma Jane Holloway

I thought this was going to be a trilogy, but A Study in Ashes leaves the door open for more.  I suspect the focus will be different, perhaps on the repercussions concerning Tobias Roth and Alice.

A Study in Silk introduced Evelina Cooper, niece of Sherlock Holmes and practitioner of magic.  Reviewed here.

A Study in Darkness is certainly a darker book and continues the adventures of Evelina, Nick, Imogen, and Tobias.  Reviewed here.

A Study in Ashes finally resolves The Baskerville Affair.

What I liked:  the interesting take on Holmes' The Hound of the Baskervilles; the school teacher's character development; the introduction of the sinister Moriarty.

On the other hand, I had some serious reservations with this last book.

As this series continued, it did get darker and more sinister, but the darkness was not necessarily an improvement as it was too unremitting--too much about the evil characters and not enough about the good ones.  The light touch in A Study in Silk was a pleasure that worked with the good vs evil theme and shouldn't have been abandoned so completely.  

--The Magnus arc was unnecessary and so rushed that it served more as distraction than resolution within the major story line.

--The steampunk elements overcame the narrative in the very lengthy section about the war. 

--In my opinion, the Imogen plot shouldn't have happened.  She deserved a larger role based on the first novel, but not this role.

The end was followed by another section that felt like the end...and so on.

I really enjoyed the first book, but felt let down by this one.

NetGalley/Random House/Del Rey Spectra

Steampunk/Paranormal.  Dec. 31, 2013.  Print version:  352 pages.

A Study in Darkness by Emma Jane Holloway

A Study in Darkness:  
Book Two in the Baskerville Affair

I thoroughly enjoyed A Study in Silks by Holloway and was pleased to have the opportunity to read more about Evelina Cooper, niece of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes and her adventures.  

I enjoyed this one as well, but in my review of Silks, I mentioned I'd like more of Imogene and Bucky, secondary characters who added greatly to the first novel.  Unfortunately, there was much less of these two characters in Darkness.  

The title is appropriate; there is less humor in this second installment.  The focus is more exclusive on Emma and on Nick.  Emma is caught in a compromising situation that leads to forced compliance to the steam baron known as the Gold King and leading her to an area of London full of crime and poverty. 

Nick has taken to air piracy, with some sympathy for the rebel contingent.  Tobias is unhappily engaged to the Gold King's daughter.  Both men are still in love with Emma.  Magnus and his automatons have a place in one of several conspiracies.  Sherlock and Mycroft have plans of their own.

This second version loses some of its appeal with a more serious tone, but is still a fun steam-punk mystery/thriller.

NetGalley/Random House, Del Rey Spectra

Steampunk/Mystery.  Oct. 29, 2013.  Print version:  544 pages.

A Study in Silks by Emma Jane Holloway

A Study in Silks   

  A fun combination of steampunk and murder mystery.  Evelina Cooper is the niece of Sherlock Holmes, and she possesses a talent that could mean her death-- she can animate mechanical objects.  Victorian England, in this alternate history, is ruled by Steam Barons who are influential, callous, and greedy and whose goal is to consolidate their already immense power by any means necessary.  Magic is a threat to their control, and "witches" are condemned to death.

When a housemaid is murdered, Evelina notes a magical signature and finds herself wanting to solve the murder and protect Imogene, her best friend.

Some sections are a little slow, but overall the book reads quickly.  Sherlock Holmes plays a relatively small role, but his influence on methods of detection helps guide Evelina's  investigation.

A little romance--Evelina is courted by two suitors, both handsome, but with completely different backgrounds.  Strangely, the secondary romance of Imogene and Bucky is much more entertaining.  These two secondary characters, turned out to be my favorites for several reasons.

A Study in Silks is the author's debut novel, and while she does wrap up the mystery of the housemaid's murder in the conclusion, she also leaves room for more in this series.

A light and entertaining read.

NetGalley/Random House, Del Ray Spectra.

Mystery/Historical Fiction.  Sept. 24, 2013.  Print Version:  560 pages. ISBN-10: 0345537181

The Dark Water by David Pirie

The Dark Water:  The Strange Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes  is Pirie's third novel in his series featuring A.C. Doyle and Dr. Joseph Bell, Doyles' inspiration for Sherlock Holmes.  Originally published in 2006, the novel is being republished this month.

Dr. Bell and Doyle (Holmes and Watson) have a complex relationship, and Pirie uses fact and fiction as he describes the cases the duo pursue.

The villain in this piece is Dr. Thomas Neill Cream, the real-life murderer known as the Lambeth Poisoner and also a nominee for the role of Jack the Ripper (although that doesn't seem to be a real possibility).

The real Thomas Neill Cream did qualify as a surgeon in Edinburgh, and Pirie uses his presence there to connect him to both Dr. Bell and Doyle in a previous novel.  Using factual information along with artistic license, Pirie uses Cream's return from the U.S. (where Cream did, indeed, commit several murders) to take revenge on Doyle and gain funds to continue his dissolute and murderous lifestyle.

                                                             
The narrative spends too much time with Doyle, too little time with Dr. Bell.  If Dr. Bell is the Holmes figure, he really deserves more attention.  Some gruesome scenes that don't even match the m.o. of the real Dr. Cream seem included for effect, and the plot is held together by effort rather than logic.

Fine for a little escapism, but not the best of Sherlockian novels.  One of my favorites of the Holmes pastiche novels is by John Gardner, The Revenge of Moriarty, a recent Net Galley read.  On a totally different level, but quite fun, are Laurie R. King's novels featuring Holmes and Mary Russell.

From Net Galley/Open Road Int. Media/Pegasus Classics.

Mystery.  May 7, 2013. (orig. publ. 2006).  Print version:  320 pages.
ISBN-10: 1933648112

Death on a Pale Horse by Donald Thomas

Death on a Pale Horse:  Sherlock Holmes on Her Majesty's Secret Service  will be released on March 6.  Another Sherlock Holmes pastiche, the novel kept me glued to the pages (so to speak, it was an ebook), and I enjoyed it as much as the earlier pastiche by John Gardner featuring Moriarty.

I wasn't aware of Thomas' previous novels about Holmes, but he has also written The Execution of Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Holmes and the King's Evil, and Sherlock Holmes and the Ghosts of Bly, and more.

Thomas is a prolific writer in both fiction and nonfiction: "His biography of Robert Browning was short-listed for the Whitbread Award and he received The Gregory Award from T. S. Eliot personally for his poetry collection Points of Contact."  from the Amazon page

Holmes and Watson, with Mycroft's aid, are determined to keep the evil
Colonel Moran from creating chaos and war across Europe.  Intent on revenge, Moran has staged a massacre of a British force by Zulu tribesmen,  the murder of the heir to the French throne, forged dispatches to heads of state, and other events geared to cause death and destruction.  Initially, no one knows that one man has engineered these disasters, but Holmes, Watson, and Mycroft set their sights on Moran and pursue him with a vengeance.

From Net Galley and Open Road Media, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and am glad to have discovered another "new to me" author.

Mystery.  2012.   print version 400 pages.  ISBN-10: 1605983942

The Revenge of Moriarty by John Gardner

The Revenge of Moriarty (a republication of Gardner's 1981 novel, back in print after 40 years) this offering from Net Galley was a genuine pleasure.  I love Gardner's Grendel, the Beowulf myth from Grendel's pov, and always used it when I taught Beowulf.

Years ago, I read The Return of Moriarty by Gardner, but it has been so long that all I can remember are Inspector Crow and his wife (aside from Moriarty and Sherlock Holmes).  I will have to seek this one out again as it precedes The Revenge.

If you are a fan of the Sherlock Holmes stories (and/or of all of the succeeding pastiche versions by modern authors), you will find The Revenge of Moriarty a joy.

In this novel, we have Moriarty's version of his relationship with Holmes and of his criminal enterprises.  The villain gains depth as Gardner presents his side of events and his planned revenge, but Gardner never permits Moriarty to become a sympathetic character.

:)   Drawn from Moriarty's coded journals, much of the narrative presents the cunning plans of the arch-nemesis of Sherlock Holmes.  Gardner also includes information gained from descendants of one of Moriarty's henchman and from one of Inspector Crow's descendants.  The tongue-in-cheek introduction by Gardner makes the source of the materials clear.

Altogether a fascinating narrative that makes great use of what Holmes (or Watson) has said about Professor Moriarty, and when the accounts differ, there is an explanation.

Highly  recommended for fans of Sherlock!

Garment of Shadows by Laurie R. King

Garment of Shadows features Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes and is scheduled for release in September.

I'm happy to say that I did, indeed, enjoy Garment of Shadows which takes place right after Pirate King (which did not keep my interest).  In fact, Mary disappears from a Pirate King film location and reappears in Morocco.  She awakens in a strange room with no idea of who she is or how she got there.  Ever-resourceful,  Mary acts on instinct when soldiers arrive at the building and makes good her escape.  Since she doesn't know who she is or how she was injured, she isn't sure where to go to find the answers, but she discovers several interesting talents the she possesses (picking locks, etc.), and she acquires a young ally as she moves through the twisting streets and alleyways of Morocco.

Meanwhile, Holmes, unaware that Mary is missing from the film crew of the Pirate King, is visiting a friend and distant cousin in Morocco and learning about the threats of war, about the Rif revolt, Spain's use of poison gas against the Rif , massacres on both sides, and other internal and political difficulties of the 1920's in Morocco.   The historical facts are especially interesting to me as I didn't know much about the politics of this region, but the facts are seamlessly blended with the fiction.

This was a typical Russell and Holmes--fast-paced, good historical information, tightly plotted, old friends, and interesting new characters.  A fun read and a relief after the disappoint of the previous novel.

If you like this series, look for it in September.

This was from Netgalley, and I read it on my Kindle.

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Oh, and we've discussed at different times all of the analogues and pastiches of  concerning Holmes and Watson, books, television series, and films, and recently  I discovered a blog by Dr. Watson which is interesting.  This post lists some recent and yet to be released books, audio books,  and some upcoming Sherlock films.

Fiction.  Historical Mystery.  2012.  print version- 288 pages.  Random House.

The Sherlockian by Graham Moore

The Sherlockian, told in alternating chapters, begins with Arthur Conan Doyle's frustration with the character he created in Sherlock Holmes; he wanted to be remembered for more than his detective's fictional adventures and resented the fact that many people believed Holmes to be real.  Killing off Holmes aroused genuine anger among his readers, and as we know, he eventually brought his character back to life.

In the current day chapters, Sherlockian Harold White is inducted into The Baker Street Irregulars, and finds himself trying to solve the murder of one of its members and recover a missing diary of Conan Doyle's.

Moving back and forth, we find Doyle and his friend Bram Stoker pursuing a serial killer in London, and Harold White pursuing a murderer and the diary.  I usually like parallel stories, but there is a skill in moving between alternating chapters that seemed lacking here.  Each little segment left me a bit frustrated.

Truthfully, neither story truly pulled me in.  I liked Bram Stoker's character much more than Doyle's and found Harold White annoying as often as not.      

Initially, I found the book amusing and thought I'd like it a lot.  As I continued reading, however, I found myself bothered by several things (including chapter transitions, or lack thereof).  A good premise, but somehow the novel never lived up to my expectations.

I don't regret reading it, by any means, I just hoped to like it better.   Years ago, I read The 7 Percent Solution which I liked, and I always enjoy Laurie King's Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series.  Sherlock Holmes continues to intrigue me, whether through Doyle's original stories or the many take-offs.

Other reviews here:  Linus's Blanket, The Written World,  Literary Corner Cafe...

Fiction.  Mystery/Historical Fiction.  2010.  350 pages.

The Baker Street Letters

Robertson, Michael.  The Baker Street Letters.

I've enjoyed a lot of Sherlock Holme's take-offs, so the title interested me.  Reggie Heath, a London solicitor, leases office space at 221B Baker Street only to discover that written into the lease is the obligation to manage and respond (by form letter) to all correspondence addressed to Sherlock Holmes.

Reggie's brother Nigel, in charge of this chore,  comes across some recent letters relating to a letter written 20 years earlier from an eight-year-old girl.  A theft, a murder, and Nigel's unplanned flight to Los Angeles, all lead to Reggie's following his brother to find out what is going on.

This novel is the first in a planned series, but has a way to go before being able to sufficiently capture faithful readers.  An interesting premise, but ... the mystery has several scenes that feel repetitious and is average in characterization and narrative.

Will I try the next one?  Yes, many series take some time to warm up, and I'm hoping that will be the case here.

Fiction.  Mystery.  2009.  277 pages.

The Language of Bees

King, Laurie R. The Language of Bees.

I always enjoy the Mary Russell/ Sherlock Holmes series. After a long period of time away from England, Mary and Holmes return home to a small mystery about the disappearance of a hive of bees. This mystery is followed by a much more pressing one when Holmes' son Damian Adler (ah, yes, remember Irene?) arrives seeking help in locating his missing wife and child.

This is only Mary's second meeting with Damian, a bohemian and talented surrealist painter, and the fact that the first was when he was accused of murder, doesn't ease her mind. His past and his paintings are disturbing, and Mary remains somewhat skeptical about the man Damian has become.

The entire Holmes clan becomes involved in the search for the missing mother and child. Holmes, Mary, and Mycroft each have a niche to fill and each works in different avenues toward the same goal. Things become darker with the realization that a religious cult is involved and that several deaths at ancient monuments seem to be linked.

As usual, an entertaining adventure, although I found the amount of time spent on the plane ride a distraction that slowed down the plot at a point the action should have been moving more quickly. Another quibble is the lack of conclusion. I'm not unhappy to have the prospect of continued characters and/or issues that are not fully resolved, but the conclusion seemed abrupt and a bit of a cliff hanger.

Other reviews: A Striped Armchair and Books & Other Thoughts.

Fiction. Mystery, Historical fiction. 2009. 433 pages.