14 year old Sherlock Holmes is celebrating spring break from Eton with his mother, and older brother, Mycroft. Waiting along the banks of the Thames River in London, for the start of the highly acclaimed annual Oxford-Cambridge boat race. The race is timed to use the rising tide to assist the rowers and it is set to begin any minute. As a student at Cambridge, Mycroft is proud of his team and rooting for their win.
A feminine voice forces Mycroft's attention as he recognizes the mother and sister of a school chum, Lord Surminster. He immediately bows and introduces his mother and Sherlock to them. Miss Phillips is questioning whether Mycroft knows where her brother is? They have not seen him in several days and thought he would be present for the race. Mycroft did not have a clue as to his whereabouts. As the crowd erupts, the rowers arrive and Cambridge wins! Mycroft encourages Lady Surminister and Miss Phillips to beat the huge crowds and return home, where he is sure Lord Surminister is. He takes their address, as they depart, in case he finds any pertinent information to share with them.
A Cambridge classmate wanders over to Sherlock and whispers in his ear. A man pulled from the water wearing Cambridge colors and wearing Lord Surminister's clothes, is declared to be Lord Surminister and the cause of death is suicide. Hearing this, Mrs. Holmes knows the family will be destitute and socially humiliated. This is the present law concerning how the family of a suicide victim is treated. All their money goes to the Crown and their reputations forever ruined. No way would Mrs. Holmes let this happen. They need to get to the home of Lady Surminister fast and before the police arrive.
The police arrive first and the inspector takes over warning Mrs. Holmes her help is not needed. Quickly, disputes on stolen maps appear, tales of a nun's chest run wild, french prostitutes are center stage when Sherlock, Mycroft, and Mrs. Holmes, disguised as a man visit a "night house." My favorite character is Mrs. Violette Holmes, who loves her boys and will do anything to help them while working together to solve this mystery. She knows how to keep Mr. Holmes from stopping her and her boys from solving this case and her actions are sometimes very humorous. She also gives added stress to the inspector.
On the lighter side, the special friendship with Constance and Sherlock is sweet to watch. Mycroft does not approve. Mrs. Holmes is instructing Constance in reading, manners, and singing. I adore Mrs. Violette Holmes, who teaches think, use logic and never use haste. She knows how to sidestep questions always with a smile.
THE ADVENTURE OF THE DECEASED SCHOLAR is an early case file from young Sherlock Holmes. Liese Ssherwood-Fabre is a Sherlock Holmes scholar and she has spent an enormous time on her research for her books. This is the third in her trilogy and very welcome to a Sherlockian fan like me. Her characters, description of the Victorian England era, as well as the growth of young Sherlock Holmes to become the world's greatest consulting detective was enjoyable. I loved it and you will too. Brava!
A tragedy during the 1868 Oxford-Cambridge Boat race puts Mycroft Holmes’ reputation on the line.
When Mycroft Holmes identifies a drowning victim, he is drawn into a situation that could destroy not only Lord Surminster's name, but his own reputation as well. If ruled a suicide, the lord’s assets will be returned to the Crown, leaving his mother and siblings destitute. Should that happen, the victim’s sister has threatened to drag Mycroft’s good name through the mire. Will Sherlock be able to determine what happened before more than one family is destroyed?
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