You can never get enough of Sherlock Holmes in my book. Man, woman, or just Holmes-esque, a Conan Doyle style mystery is one I won’t pass up. Imagine my delight to have three such novels to write about—eek! All three authors are hugely talented and each story is so vastly different from the other, the reader can’t help but enjoy each journey in a completely different manner. It’s like traveling through time, across the pond, or better yet, inside an iguanodon! Okay, inside an iguanodon may not be very comfy but nevertheless, the trip is out of this world.
Holmes Coming by Kenneth Johnson was released November 1, 2022, and is written in a traditional style with modern day twists. Hubert Holmes, aka Sherlock Holmes, whose name wasn’t “sexy enough for author Conan Doyle,” develops a method of cryonics in the Victorian England and preserved himself to solve crimes in the future after his archenemy, Moriarty, dies at his hands. Without the stimulation of worthy challenges, Holmes’s occasional uses of addictive drugs, had turned into a habit and his new endeavor of prolonged sleep turns into his very own detox program. His humorous, (and grotesque) awakening in the modern era is not what he expected. The history he must learn and the advancements in the science of crime solving have him feeling more than a bit out of sorts and tempts him to lose himself in his addiction once more—until his passion to conquer a Moriarty descendant named Booth inspires his deductive reasoning skills. This new nemesis has escaped law enforcement for decades and he’s killing local coppers in bizarre fashion leaving law enforcement baffled. It will take an antiquated Holmes to shirk his layers of dead skin and dust, to solve the murder spree, but of course, he has the help of Watson—or rather, Dr. Amy Winslow.
Very little in Holmes Coming is from the point of view of Holmes. Instead, it’s told in the narrative form from Dr. Winslow’s knowledge of the events. Some readers may be put off by this old-fashioned style, but I found it refreshing to capture the true essence of the brilliant consulting detective’s work. The audio book version furthers this unique experience by having multiple voice actors reading all of the scenes together. It truly is a mixture of two types of storytelling wrapped up in beautiful fashion. Best of all, there is a hint of more mysteries to come at the end of the book!
This month one of my favorite authors, Sherry Thomas, released book #7 in her Lady Sherlock series, A Tempest at Sea. Once again, Sherlock is the fictional name for our hero—Charlotte Holmes. She is quirky with an outrageous sense of fashion and an addiction I completely relate to—sweets! In Ms. Thomas’s version of Holmes, the brilliant detective isn’t the only fallen woman in the series, her sidekick Watson is as well! Each story can be read by itself, but as with any series, it’s much richer if the reader has read them in order.
In book #7, Charlotte is in one of her masterful disguises as a governess to Lord Ingram’s children as the family goes on a cruise with all of the secondary characters along for the trip—yes! Charlotte’s disguises are truly an inspiration, but while acting as caretaker for the children, it’s Lord Ingram who must take on the role of investigator when a dead body appears. Some may say there isn’t enough Charlotte in this book, however, we get a deeper look into her lovable Lord Ingram, as he takes the lead for this story. I love this twist just as I love how the mystery is more Christie-like while still maintaining a Doyle-esqueness with her investigations off the page being told by another—except it’s Lord Ingram rather than Watson. It another great twist that keeps this series fresh and on the top of my must-read list—way to go Ms. Thomas!
And last, but not least by any means, is Deanna Raybourne’s 8th Veronica Speedwell mystery, A Sinister Revenge, also released in March, 2023. I know this isn’t a Sherlock Holmes series, but Veronica is every bit as interesting in her deductive detective work as Sherlock and the framework of the series is setup like a Holmes mystery. The series is Victorian, she is a scintillating deductionist, and she has an adorable sidekick—the somewhat moody, grumbly, reluctant doctor Revelstoke (Stoker)Templeton-Vane—even if he is scarred, muscled and exotically beautiful. (Torture us further, please Ms. Raybourne.) The mysteries are intricate, and page-turningly delicious—you’ll want to gobble them up in one sitting—unless you want to savor every last word—which is something I choose to do with Ms. Raybourne’s work. Her writing fascinates me with its poetical creation.
In this latest installment, Veronica and Stoker’s brother, Tiberius, lure Stoker into helping with the investigation of suspicious demise of several of Tiberius’s friends from his rakish days of youth. With the promise of restoring an iguanodon, Stoker grudgingly agrees to assist with this scheme to catch the killer of the members of Seven Sinners, a name the men had notoriously called themselves during their debauchery on their grand tour. (Is that a not just the most tempting name?) Veronica is determined to get to the bottom of things and save Stoker’s brother, because despite how much Stoker and Tiberius try to make their relationship look like that of Cane and Able, these two men truly care about one another.
Can anyone see the need for a dinner party involving the survivors? I love dinner party mysteries! There are plenty of red herrings and intrigue and adventure— it wouldn’t be a Doyle-Christie style mystery without them;) Once again, a thoroughly enjoyable mystery that is a MUST read.
I am anxiously awaiting the next books from Johnson, Thomas and Raybourne! Until next month, get cozy and read-on!
- Thank you to the authors, publishers, voice actors and Netgalley for advanced copies of Holmes Coming and A Sinister Revenge.
Kym Roberts writes by day and is a pro-surfer in her dreams by night. Her humor is often raunchy, her jokes are often bad, but her hunger for a story keeps the adventures coming fast. Experience the thrill & catch the wave of passion, mystery, and suspense with her on her website, on Facebook, and on Twitter.
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