A stroke can be very devasting at any time and recovery is uncertain. Such is the case for John Watson Senior, the former longtime associate of the late Sherlock Holmes in 1914. While he is recovering some of his previous mental acuity, his daughter-in-law has been implementing the best medical advice given by a neurologist. They do this by using mental stimulation such as going over old cases involving Holmes and Watson to find out how the clues were gathered and then the case solved.

As Joanna Blalock, wife of the younger John Watson and the long-lost daughter of Sherlock Holmes, engages her father-in-law in these mental activities, Sir Harold Whitlock, First Sea Lord of His Majesty's Navy, unexpectedly arrives at their door in London. As they note he comes without any aides, they immediately assume espionage is involved. As top secrecy is a priority, Dr. Watson, his son, and Joanna are pressed into service to quickly find a missing unannounced treaty that would be highly explosive if it fell into the wrong hands. Will they be able to find it in time? Will Dr. Watson Senior be up to the challenge?

A STUDY IN TREASON is the latest novel from Leonard Goldberg as part of his Daughter of Sherlock Holmes series that is written in a similar style and voice as would have been used by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle while also being Goldberg's as well. As the novels are set around specific cases, A STUDY IN TREASON also works very well as a stand-alone mystery.

Right from the first sentence, I felt I was pulled right into the living room at 221b Baker Street in A STUDY IN TREASON, and fully captivated by how wonderfully Goldberg sets the scene, introduces his three main characters, and lets the sleuthing begins. While the main mystery involves the missing treaty, the story swirls around between the characters' past involvement with Sherlock Holmes, what they learned from him and how that influences their current lives. The characters are well developed and authentic to Doyle's style in their mannerisms and actions. I did find Joanna a bit too patronizing at times; yet, that may have been the author's depiction of how she has to deal with attitudes to women by the men in her times.

As the three main characters strive to solve the mystery of how a document gets stolen from a supposed locked room in a secure house, Goldberg keeps the momentum going and will keep you wanting to turn the pages to find out what is going to happen next. To tell more about A STUDY IN TREASON would only reveal guarded secrets from the past. So, get your copy ofA STUDY IN TREASON and enjoy solving this complex and baffling case!