I loved the concept, but I felt the execution was lacking. It seems like Davies pulled his punches. As a result, it doesn't make anyone very happy, not purists or people accepting of a non-traditional Holmes story. But it's not bad... just boring, in a way. In fact, I lost most of my interest in the middle of the book, when it became a pretty straightforward retelling of A Study in Scarlet. Which, if I wanted to read, I would just... read. It's a good thing I got through it, because it does pick up at the end but by that time it was too little, too late.