- Hardcover: 224 pages
- Publisher: Severn House Publishers Ltd; World edition (26 Sep 2003)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0727860046
- ISBN-13: 978-0727860040
- Product Dimensions: 22.5 x 15.9 x 2.2 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 628,314 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
| |||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Synopsis
From a manuscript believed to be the work of John H. Watson, MD When a series of bizarre accidents befall small shopkeepers who have recently taken precautions to protect their premises, Sherlock Holmes is the first to discern a pattern, to the befuddlement of his most loyal friend. It seems someone is running a protection racket, and more, murder is involved, so Holmes teams up with a New York detective who has travelled to London to get to the bottom of the Rule of Nine.
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organise and find favourite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
There are no customer reviews yet on Amazon.co.uk.
5 star
4 star
3 star
2 star
1 star
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3 reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Nicely done
17 April 2006
Format:Hardcover
This little mystery is nicely turned. The author proportions the story very well to the book's length. It is not a particularly long novel. The plot is pretty simple and straightforward -- there are no subplots that I can think of.
The author is very effective in capturing the character and mannerisms of Holmes and Watson. He is also highly knowledgeable about the London of the late Eighteenth Century that Holmes inhabited. His pages of "notes" at the end of the book show that he is quite a Holmes scholar, which may explain how he succeeds in recreating the flavor of the original fiction so well.
Action scenes are very well rendered. There are several of these, including a major gunfight. The gang of nine that provides the villains is very similar to secret societies in several of the original Doyle novels.
One possible shortcoming of the book is a void in characterization. For example, the arch-villain of the book is a child-molesting Catholic Cardinal. This same Cardinal is also deeply involved in the theft of the Vatican Cameos, which poses Holmes his challenge in the book. However, this clerical figure is little more than a cardboard cutout. He never emerges as a character at all.
To say more about the book's characters, an American detective from New York, who assists Holmes, comes across somewhat more convincingly, as does good old Lestrade. Inspector Lestrade in this story is less the fool and more an underappreciated and mentally sharp guy. He is really a true friend of Holmes, not just the jealous dabbler as he so often appears. Unfortunately, many imitators of Doyle love to make Lestrade a pathetic fool or buffoon. I like this "sharp" version of Lestrade much better.
This novel is not War and Peace. But it is a very nice little piece of work, wonderful for reading in the tub, on a plane, or while nodding off to sleep. Seriously, I do plan to try and get my hands on more of the several Sherlock Holmes novels that this author has penned.
If you purchase the book, you probably will not be disappointed.
The author is very effective in capturing the character and mannerisms of Holmes and Watson. He is also highly knowledgeable about the London of the late Eighteenth Century that Holmes inhabited. His pages of "notes" at the end of the book show that he is quite a Holmes scholar, which may explain how he succeeds in recreating the flavor of the original fiction so well.
Action scenes are very well rendered. There are several of these, including a major gunfight. The gang of nine that provides the villains is very similar to secret societies in several of the original Doyle novels.
One possible shortcoming of the book is a void in characterization. For example, the arch-villain of the book is a child-molesting Catholic Cardinal. This same Cardinal is also deeply involved in the theft of the Vatican Cameos, which poses Holmes his challenge in the book. However, this clerical figure is little more than a cardboard cutout. He never emerges as a character at all.
To say more about the book's characters, an American detective from New York, who assists Holmes, comes across somewhat more convincingly, as does good old Lestrade. Inspector Lestrade in this story is less the fool and more an underappreciated and mentally sharp guy. He is really a true friend of Holmes, not just the jealous dabbler as he so often appears. Unfortunately, many imitators of Doyle love to make Lestrade a pathetic fool or buffoon. I like this "sharp" version of Lestrade much better.
This novel is not War and Peace. But it is a very nice little piece of work, wonderful for reading in the tub, on a plane, or while nodding off to sleep. Seriously, I do plan to try and get my hands on more of the several Sherlock Holmes novels that this author has penned.
If you purchase the book, you probably will not be disappointed.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Easy to read
4 Sep 2004
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Mr. Roberts has written a number of Holmes pastiches and this is his latest. His style of writing is easy to read and quite enjoyable. There has been a play written along the same lines as the premise of this book, namely the murder of Cardinal Tosca. Some Catholics may be offended by Cardinal Tosca's perversions but it should not came as a surprise with all the media coverage involving some of the Church's priests and their years of abuse.
This is not his best book but I happen to like Roberts pastiches. This is a story about fanatics, criminal lords and religious officials. The Baker Street Irregulars are wonderful here and champions. Read it for yourself and make a judgement.
This is not his best book but I happen to like Roberts pastiches. This is a story about fanatics, criminal lords and religious officials. The Baker Street Irregulars are wonderful here and champions. Read it for yourself and make a judgement.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Actionful Holmes pastiche
23 Feb 2008
Format:Hardcover
The year is 1895 and the setting is London.Holmes observes that a number of small shops in the city are falling victim to a protection racket ,the culprits being the Rule of Nine run by a New York Italian now based in England ,a man named Corese.He is also involved in an attempt to recover the priceless Vatican cameos ,stolen some years previously .During the robbery an innocent man ,the priest guarding the treasures ,was shot and Holmes knows that a high ranking Vatican figure ,Cardinal Tosca was behind the theft having informed the thieves of the security arrangements .
Holmes is helped in the matter of the Rule of Nine bya New York detective ,the real life figure of Joseph Petrosino (as played in a good biopic called "Pay or Die "by Ernest Borgnine).The cases are linked as Corese is in possession of the cameos and to recover them Holmes must take on a motley crew of competing interests including the Catholic Church (unsympathetically portrayed in the book as devious ,cynical and manipulative ) Northern Ireland Protestant bigots and anarchists in the Italian community in London ,not to mention trying to prevent a miscarriage of justice when an innocent boy is charged with the murder of the Cardinal .There is also a nod to G K Chesterton as a Father Brown like figure also appears in the book .
The book is more thriller than deduction with lots of action -s rescue from a fetid cellar in Docklands,a shootout with anarchists and an encounter with burglars
It is a good and lively read and recommended to all Holmesians and lovers of quick actionful books
Holmes is helped in the matter of the Rule of Nine bya New York detective ,the real life figure of Joseph Petrosino (as played in a good biopic called "Pay or Die "by Ernest Borgnine).The cases are linked as Corese is in possession of the cameos and to recover them Holmes must take on a motley crew of competing interests including the Catholic Church (unsympathetically portrayed in the book as devious ,cynical and manipulative ) Northern Ireland Protestant bigots and anarchists in the Italian community in London ,not to mention trying to prevent a miscarriage of justice when an innocent boy is charged with the murder of the Cardinal .There is also a nod to G K Chesterton as a Father Brown like figure also appears in the book .
The book is more thriller than deduction with lots of action -s rescue from a fetid cellar in Docklands,a shootout with anarchists and an encounter with burglars
It is a good and lively read and recommended to all Holmesians and lovers of quick actionful books
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Crime, Thrillers & Mystery > Mystery
- Books > Fiction > Historical
- Books > Fiction > War
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
