Sherlock Book Reviews - The Holmes & Co Series
Posted by Steve Emecz on
It’s 1947. Post-war London is slowly settling in to life without bombs and air raid sirens. But wartime spies linger. So do secrets. After a long, dreary winter, Irene Holmes itching for a case to solve. When she notices a man with a cane walking up and down a street and peering into a house into which Dr. Joe Watson’s girlfriend and her three besties have recently moved, Homes’s sleuthing skills kick into overdrive.
Irene Holmes, daughter of the famous Sherlock, solves cases the police either dismiss or deem “too tricky” and toss away.
But something doesn't smell right. Is a serial killer on the loose? A former Nazi spy? Is Irene just desperate to find a case where there isn’t one? What about the recent break-in at a nearby house? Why did the prior female tenants leave the house that’s now occupied by Watson’s girlfriends and her girlfriends? If a former tenant’s husband was an officer rescued from a POW camp, why the secrecy surrounding same? Finally, are Holmes and Watson digging into lives that were meant to be left alone?
Irene Holmes must deploy all her prodigious sleuthing skills and powers of deduction in order to solve the case of the Hidden Case in this delightful historical fiction.
Indeed, this splendid read is an intriguing blend of history, mystery, and subtle social commentary. Echoes of the not-so-distant war include references to potatoes that aren’t from a box, Turkish Delight, Bletchley Park, and how there’s not only a “crime shift” in London since the war ended, but also “a social shift.” Women are back to either being housewives or to menial jobs instead of running the country “as they had done while the men were away.” Irene epitomizes this shift as she’s itching for a case to solve after a harsh winter.
Tightly written and briskly paced, there’s much more to this tome than a murder mystery. The story takes a little time to get rolling. But once it picks up steam, it’s quite a ride. Clever and engaging, it keeps readers guessing and turning pages as they join Irene Holmes and her best friend Dr. Watson the veterinarian as they uncover one unusual clue after another. Two thumbs up!
The Holmes & Co Series is available from this site and all good bookstores (links on the product pages)
