"The original super-sleuth, Sherlock Holmes, is back on the case - "When James Wilson retires from journalism, he decides to settle down in Herefordshire with a room-mate, a Mr Cedric Coombes, and at first thinks little of his new friend's eccentric behaviour. But he can't shake the feeling that he knows him from somewhere else. As Coombes displays his magnificent deductive prowess, and becomes embroiled in the police investigation of the apparent murder of a man in bathtub, Wilson, or should we say Watson, begins to wonder just who this Coombes really is . . .
Strange Return of Sherlock Holmes, The
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Review
. . . starts as a curiosity, quickly becomes an entertaining mystery, and concludes with a powerful
revelation of deceit and inhumanity. --The District Messenger: The Newsletter of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London No. 302 12th April 2010
Readers will settle in and feel right at home in this first of a projected series. A genuine treat. -- BOOKLIST Issue: 1ST MAY 2010
. . . a frozen Sherlock Holmes is miraculously revived in the 21st century . . . Sherlockians will be pleasantly surprised. --Publishers Weekly, 4/26/2010
Riveting instant classic reinvigorates the legendary iconic sleuth for the modern era. . . . a well crafted literary treat. -- Apex Review, June 06, 2010
Holmes is not only back solving a splendid new mystery, he has stunningly, yet logically, arrived in contemporary times.
--Amazon Reader Review by Steve Stark, May 08, 2010 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
revelation of deceit and inhumanity. --The District Messenger: The Newsletter of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London No. 302 12th April 2010
Readers will settle in and feel right at home in this first of a projected series. A genuine treat. -- BOOKLIST Issue: 1ST MAY 2010
. . . a frozen Sherlock Holmes is miraculously revived in the 21st century . . . Sherlockians will be pleasantly surprised. --Publishers Weekly, 4/26/2010
Riveting instant classic reinvigorates the legendary iconic sleuth for the modern era. . . . a well crafted literary treat. -- Apex Review, June 06, 2010
Holmes is not only back solving a splendid new mystery, he has stunningly, yet logically, arrived in contemporary times.
--Amazon Reader Review by Steve Stark, May 08, 2010 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Paperback
This book is the first of a series of novels which feature Sherlock Holmes, who was lost on a mission for the King in 1914 in Switzerland. He has apparently been recovered, resuscitated and is recuperating as Cedric Coombes in 21st Century Wales. James Wilson, a retired newspaper correspondent who was wounded in Afghanistan, meets an old friend who tells him that Coombes is looking for a roommate, as is Wilson, and so begins a tale.
The `facts' about Coombes come to Wilson slowly. He is skeptical and fascinated. Holmes seems very much Holmes, attempting to sop up ninety years and more of details and marvels. Meanwhile, Holmes is asked to help the local police with a puzzling little mystery. It seems that a chief Inspector Lestrade, of Scotland Yard was assigned by the Bureau to aid in Holmes' recovery. His grandfather (yes, rat-face) was involved with Holmes many years before and seems to have passed along some tips for making use of him. There seems to be a large Government presence involved in the matter, which argues against the `simple' explanation nominally provided.
The mechanics of Holmes' disappearance and revival are sketchy and bear the marks of a government cover-up, besides being almost impossible to believe as presented. The key word here is `almost.' The story is crisp and well-written and the writer has a real gift for catching characters. His scenes are lively, his comments are few, but well-chosen and the situations seem to develop naturally. Wilson remarks at one point that Holmes seems to exhibit many of the symptoms of `Bi-Polar disorder.' This is not a Physician speaking, but it does seem to catch the essence of the Holmes of The Canon. This Holmes is a bit more human than Dr. Watson's version, but is also quite believable.
The mystery proceeds apace and Holmes and Wilson, together, manage to muddle through. The clean, sharp answers of The Canonical tales are not in evidence, but this Holmes and Watson (oops, Wilson!) are much more believable and likeable. They relate to one another and they actually compliment each other. It makes for a very interesting book. This edition is new and, possibly, revised from the original 2007 version. It is well-edited and imaginative.
Reviewed by: Philip K. Jones, March, 2011
The `facts' about Coombes come to Wilson slowly. He is skeptical and fascinated. Holmes seems very much Holmes, attempting to sop up ninety years and more of details and marvels. Meanwhile, Holmes is asked to help the local police with a puzzling little mystery. It seems that a chief Inspector Lestrade, of Scotland Yard was assigned by the Bureau to aid in Holmes' recovery. His grandfather (yes, rat-face) was involved with Holmes many years before and seems to have passed along some tips for making use of him. There seems to be a large Government presence involved in the matter, which argues against the `simple' explanation nominally provided.
The mechanics of Holmes' disappearance and revival are sketchy and bear the marks of a government cover-up, besides being almost impossible to believe as presented. The key word here is `almost.' The story is crisp and well-written and the writer has a real gift for catching characters. His scenes are lively, his comments are few, but well-chosen and the situations seem to develop naturally. Wilson remarks at one point that Holmes seems to exhibit many of the symptoms of `Bi-Polar disorder.' This is not a Physician speaking, but it does seem to catch the essence of the Holmes of The Canon. This Holmes is a bit more human than Dr. Watson's version, but is also quite believable.
The mystery proceeds apace and Holmes and Wilson, together, manage to muddle through. The clean, sharp answers of The Canonical tales are not in evidence, but this Holmes and Watson (oops, Wilson!) are much more believable and likeable. They relate to one another and they actually compliment each other. It makes for a very interesting book. This edition is new and, possibly, revised from the original 2007 version. It is well-edited and imaginative.
Reviewed by: Philip K. Jones, March, 2011
Format:Hardcover
"The Strange Return of Sherlock Holmes" starts as a curiosity, quickly becomes an entertaining mystery, and concludes with a powerful revelation of deceit and inhumanity. Film-makers have imagined what might happen if Holmes were to be resuscitated in our time after having been cryogenically preserved. Barry Grant may be the first to write a novel with that premise, and he does it with great skill.
James Wilson, looking for a quiet life after his experiences as a war correspondent in Afghanistan, is perhaps a little slow to realise that his new friend Cedric Coombes looks like Sherlock Holmes, and he's understandably reluctant to believe that Coombes actually is Sherlock Holmes - but believe it he does. The tale of the detective's apparent death while on a mission from King George to his cousin the Kaiser is a top-notch thriller in itself, but the main thread of the novel concerns Holmes and Wilson's first investigation together.
A stranger came to Hay-on-Wye looking for a woman who doesn't exist. He is found dead, his throat cut, in the bathroom of an empty house. Nearby is a newly published book, "Abu Ghraib: Torture and Betrayal"... It's a fine detective story, and I'm impressed by the way the narrative parallels that of "A Study in Scarlet" without actually imitating it.
James Wilson is likable, trustworthy and intelligent; that he comes to accept being addressed as `Watson' is a tribute to his good nature. Holmes is, well - Holmes. Barry Grant promises more exploits of this engaging partnership, and I'm looking forward to reading them.
James Wilson, looking for a quiet life after his experiences as a war correspondent in Afghanistan, is perhaps a little slow to realise that his new friend Cedric Coombes looks like Sherlock Holmes, and he's understandably reluctant to believe that Coombes actually is Sherlock Holmes - but believe it he does. The tale of the detective's apparent death while on a mission from King George to his cousin the Kaiser is a top-notch thriller in itself, but the main thread of the novel concerns Holmes and Wilson's first investigation together.
A stranger came to Hay-on-Wye looking for a woman who doesn't exist. He is found dead, his throat cut, in the bathroom of an empty house. Nearby is a newly published book, "Abu Ghraib: Torture and Betrayal"... It's a fine detective story, and I'm impressed by the way the narrative parallels that of "A Study in Scarlet" without actually imitating it.
James Wilson is likable, trustworthy and intelligent; that he comes to accept being addressed as `Watson' is a tribute to his good nature. Holmes is, well - Holmes. Barry Grant promises more exploits of this engaging partnership, and I'm looking forward to reading them.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
2.7 out of 5 stars
23 reviews
23 of 25 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars
Not Sherlock Holmes
19 Sep 2010
By M. Halstead
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book was extraordinarily disappointing. The poor quality of the writing nearly made me set it aside within the first few pages, but I soldiered on in an attempt to ignore that particular flaw since I've previously read a few well-plotted books with writing quality nearly as bad. But the mildly promising plot quickly devolved into propagandist nonsense which, whether you agree with it or not, simply had no business masquerading as a Sherlock Holmes mystery. It seems that the author merely used the name 'Holmes' in an attempt to trick people into buying this mess, and cared nothing about keeping the characters intact. I rarely write reviews, but I feel compelled to warn others not to waste their money on this garbage the way I did. Do yourself a favor and just don't buy it.
25 of 29 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Slightly entertaining until the end...
23 Jun 2010
By Hannah R. Gray
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Wow. What an awful book. First, of all it was poorly written. More like fanfic than anything that should get published. The character of Sherlock Holmes was not true to the original stories. My last straw with the book, though, was the end. Sherlock implies to Wilson that the two worst villains in the world were still out there and he could never touch them. Who were they?---George Bush and Dick Cheney....The author should have kept his political opinions to himself.
22 of 26 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Stinks
24 Jun 2010
By K. Thompson
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
How unfortunate Hannah Gray reviewed this after I bought and read it. I certainly would have stayed away.
As it happens, she is perfectly right, which makes me sound like a parrot account created to bash the book, much like I suspect the five-star reviews are parrot accounts by the author and his buddies to boost the book (and apparently say that those ridiculous fawning reviews are the most helpful. Total BS. I should have known better).
But that's not keeping me from saying this book was a real disappointment. I'm a big Holmes fan, and I can be picky about my pastiches, but this one sounded interesting and perhaps passable, if a bit different. How would Grant pull off Holmes in the 21st century? What would the mystery be about, since times have changed so much?
But this book does suffer greatly from the author's inane politically views, as Gray noted. Look, Bush was an idiot and Cheney was evil. But I don't need the author screaming that at me. The book is passable up to those final two chapters, where it just devolves into the author using his characters as a mask to shout his personal political opinion. Now, I happen to agree with great--but that doesn't mean I want him using my favorite literary character as a mouthpiece for those views. It was disgusting. Those chapters also include a lot of profanity and really disgusting details which, I have no doubt, are really true, but very out of place in a Holmes pastiche.
I overpaid and I wasted a few hours reading this. I would have read the next in the series, if there ever is one, if it hadn't have been for those two chapters. But since Grant, whoever it is, preferred to spout his political views instead of coming up with an original, fictional mystery and plot, I'm going to do something I never do with a book: I'm going to chuck it in the garbage.
What a shame. Some potential for originality and not horrific writing completely derailed by the author's personal agenda. It happens, and it'll keep me away from anything else by whoever the hell this guy is.
As it happens, she is perfectly right, which makes me sound like a parrot account created to bash the book, much like I suspect the five-star reviews are parrot accounts by the author and his buddies to boost the book (and apparently say that those ridiculous fawning reviews are the most helpful. Total BS. I should have known better).
But that's not keeping me from saying this book was a real disappointment. I'm a big Holmes fan, and I can be picky about my pastiches, but this one sounded interesting and perhaps passable, if a bit different. How would Grant pull off Holmes in the 21st century? What would the mystery be about, since times have changed so much?
But this book does suffer greatly from the author's inane politically views, as Gray noted. Look, Bush was an idiot and Cheney was evil. But I don't need the author screaming that at me. The book is passable up to those final two chapters, where it just devolves into the author using his characters as a mask to shout his personal political opinion. Now, I happen to agree with great--but that doesn't mean I want him using my favorite literary character as a mouthpiece for those views. It was disgusting. Those chapters also include a lot of profanity and really disgusting details which, I have no doubt, are really true, but very out of place in a Holmes pastiche.
I overpaid and I wasted a few hours reading this. I would have read the next in the series, if there ever is one, if it hadn't have been for those two chapters. But since Grant, whoever it is, preferred to spout his political views instead of coming up with an original, fictional mystery and plot, I'm going to do something I never do with a book: I'm going to chuck it in the garbage.
What a shame. Some potential for originality and not horrific writing completely derailed by the author's personal agenda. It happens, and it'll keep me away from anything else by whoever the hell this guy is.
›
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2.7 out of 5 stars
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