M. J. Downing

Dr John Watson recounts the case that occurred in 1891. Holmes and Watson are approached by Gladstone (the former P.M.) and a nurse, Anne Prescott. She is looking for her fiancé Tom McHugh and her sister, Kathleen. Their investigation reveal that men that have gone missing from charity wards in Spitalfields and Whitechapel. This leads them to the the discovery of several murders, medical experiments, and voodoo rituals.
An enjoyable and interesting well-written Sherlock Holmes case file.
A NetGalley Book… (més)

I am a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes. I was really hoping to like this book. I'm fine with the idea of Holmes and Watson facing the supernatural. I like some of the little touches, like explaining why Watson switched out his bullpup for his larger weapon. But Watson's attraction towards one of the female original characters kept throwing me off. I kept trying, like, ok, Watson has always been a gentleman and admired pretty ladies even when married. But I got about 1/5 of the way in and the escalation of Watson's attraction just ruined the book for me and I couldn't keep going. Watson's loyalty is his defining characteristic and he'd never be so dramatically attracted to another woman. Maybe it's a setup for a later plot point or something but I don't really care. It's just not right.

I received a free eARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.… (més)

I was disappointed by this book, not because it's poorly written, but because I just didn't find it a good fit with the Holmes canon, and I'd chosen to read this book because I was hankering for some Holmes. This books lack the kinds of ratiocination that make the Holmes stories so engrossing. In the canon, it's not just that Holmes and Watson solve mysteries; it's that these mysteries become solvable because of the complexity of Holmes' thinking. The Case of the Undead Client reads more like an action movie. Attack, respond, retreat; attack, respond, retreat; attack, respond, retreat. Gun, sword, dagger; gun, sword, dagger; gun, sword, dagger. There is some thinking involved, but the book is propelled by brute force. If you like books where brawn is a key part of solving mysteries, you'll probably enjoy Undead Client. If, like me, you were looking something with a more cerebral core, you'll be disappointed.… (més)