3 Stars.

Had some interesting moments, but the case was not particularly complex and we really don't get to see Sherlock be Sherlock. Instead, he races around London chasing the villian and saving Dr. Watson. Paced more like an action story than a detective story.

Decent story...just not much actual detecting. No acute observations from Holmes, no complicated problems for him to solve. Story rings hollow for a Sherlockian tale.

Ah, I love the smell of a crime scene in the morning. Holmes made quite a wonderful entrance into the world of third class, shoddy literature, and greatly entertained me. Davies adds his own twist to a classic character, without running out the door and flying to Puerto Rico with it ( which many authors tend to do.) Bravo, bravo.

Hard to go wrong with Sherlock Holmes! David Stuart Davies does a great job with the legendary detective. This was a great mystery, with a dark mood. The ending left me sad, but it was the best way for the story to conclude…

An interesting "retelling" of the first Sherlock Holmes novel, but with a twist. Rereading the original canon will now feel a little different!

Unread shelf project 2022: book 18.

*throws book down in dismay upon reading the final page*

Well, THAT was a depressing story.

(That’s literally what happened.)

Holmes and Watson felt very human and very imperfect in this novel. I enjoy the “further adventures” of Holmes as imagined by various different authors but this… this one was just odd. Very depressing. Holmes didn’t seem as clever or as quick on the uptake. It was odd.

While I am somewhat intrigue over the "what if" alternate canon (or, rather, 'hidden' canon), I just can't quite manage to keep myself into the slow revealing of the plot. The ending was not particularly outstanding, but then I already had a good idea how it would go once I got to the later end of the story.

What if John Watson wasn't quite who he said he was? What if Professor Moriarty acted like the supervillain Conan Doyle claimed him to be? This ballsy alternate take is just as plausible as Watson's migrating war wound in the original stories.

Good piece. The villain became obvious on page 144, in a very thinly veiled reference. I expected a bit better after 'The Devil's Promise,' which was very unique, if not somewhat unfaithful.