The Night Calls

Arthur Conan Doyle and Dr. Joseph Bell #2

by David Pirie

While a young medical student at Edinburgh Arthur Conan Doyle famously studied under the remarkable Dr Joseph Bell, who was a pioneer in criminal investigation. The Night Calls chronicles their most frightening and disturbing case - the encounter with the man who was later presented in expurgated form as Moriarty. Beginning with a series of bizarre and outlandish assaults on women in the brothels of Edinburgh, the story moves to the medical facility of the city's university, which is itself being disrupted by the violent struggle for women's educational rights. Here Doyle meets a fellow student, young Elizabeth Scott, who has many enemies, among them a crazed misogynist student called Crawford and the smiling hypocritical patron of the university, Henry Carlisle. Yet slowly Bell begins to realise that the increasingly freakish crimes they are investigating reflect an entirely new and terrifying kind of criminal who is not susceptible to the old methods. The Night Calls takes them from the evil heart of old Edinburgh into what Bell calls their 'fight against the future' and to London itself, where Doyle again faces his nemesis with terrifying results -

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical Mystery, Historical, Crime, Victorian

480 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

David Pirie was a journalist and film critic before he became a screenwriter. Just a few of his numerous credits are the BAFTA nominated adaptation for the BBC of The Woman in White and his collaboration with Lars Von Trier on the script of the Oscar nominated film Breaking the Waves. David Pirie lives in Somerset.

Reviews

[Bre · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm interviewing myself about how I felt about this book, since I don't feel like writing a regular review, thought it would be an interesting format.
I sat myself down and mercilessly questioned me. Here's what I had to say.
Interviewer: Hello, good to see you again. You're looking good.
Me: Thanks.
Interviewer: OK, so what did you think of the book?
Me:(Takes a gulp of water) Well, I obviously thought it was good if I gave it 5 stars, right?
Interviewer: Why did you give it 5?
Me: (Shrugs)5 sounded like a good, wholesome number, and anyway, I've never written anything that could get published myself, so why pick on people who do? It was enjoyable.
Interviewer: Umm do you think you'll forget about it an a year?
Me:I...uh...I honestly don't know. I had to look up someone's review for The Patient's Eye, the previous book in the series, because I completely forgot what happened in it!
Interviewer:My God, and didn't you give it like 5 stars?
Me:(blushing)Yes, and a very incoherent, rambling review.
Interviewer:Sort of like this one?
Me:Uh huh
Interviewer:Why don't you just write a coherent review?
Me:That wouldn't be any fun!
Interviewer:Moving on. So...What was your favorite thing about this book?
Me:It did a good job creating an alternate sort of reality for Sherlock Holmes. Of course, it's obvious that Bell and Doyle are the original Holmes and Watson. And the whole Victorian atmosphere was well done...it was somewhat sinister.
Interviewer:Ah! Anything you didn't like?
Me: I just told you I don't like being too hard on books! Geez, pay attention.
Interviewer...
Me: Ok, I didn't like how some of the happenings in the book followed the original adventures of Sherlock Holmes too closely. Such as, without giving much away, a cardboard box arriving with human ears as its cargo. It was just too much like the Adventure of The Cardboard Box. Not a major complaint.
Interviewer:In case you forget it later, before you read the Dark Waters, the next book in the series, give us an overview of the plot here?
Me:Okay, well it's basically a story of good v. evil. What isn't? A bizarre string of incidents happens to women, some of them quiet disturbing and...well, offensive to a Victorian audience. Whose behind it? The answer might surprise you...
Interviewer:Shut up! Don't give it away!
Me:OK.
Interviewer:Well, that's enough for the day. Thanks
Me:You're welcome.

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have had David Pirie's trilogy of books featuring Arthur Conan Doyle on my list of potential books to read for quite some time now. I wish there was some way to know what books you will love before you read them.... perhaps a little metal detector, or a literary Geiger counter that would give you a reading on its dial indicating you will like this but not that, even a forecast predicting enjoyment...you have a seventy five percent chance of enjoying this book. If only... and if so, then I would certainly have read David Pirie's books long ago.

I was lucky enough to find these books after there were three of them to read. I'm sure I would have been frustrated to read the first one only to have to wait a year to read the second then do the same for the third. I read them one right after the other and I recommend others do the same.

Pirie writes about Arthur Conan Doyle, embellishing on the known facts about his relationship with Dr. Joseph Bell, who was the model for Sherlock Holmes. The Historical Note alone makes for fascinating reading and I read that before starting the book, which for me made the fiction that much more enjoyable.

I think I liked 'The Night Calls' best of the three books because there is a bit of happiness for ACD in this story and we learn about his relationship with Elsbeth who was referred to numerous times in 'The Patient's Eyes'. This was a fast paced read with all of the necessary ingredients for a favorite for me; realistic and likeable characters with convincing relationships, believable dialog and a story that follows logic. There were a few sloppy editing errors which reflected poorly on the proof reader but didn't influence my appreciation for the story and the characterization created by the author.

I would recommend this to fans of historical fiction and mysteries and I think Sherlockians would appreciate this as well. Overall well done, I wish David Pirie would write more like this.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Earlier I had noted that this book picks up right where The Patient's Eyes leaves off. It tells the full story of what is continually hinted at in the first book, and I find it slightly odd that David Pirie paced his trilogy the way he did. The Patient's Eyes is almost like a prologue to the full story that's covered in this book and, from what I can tell from this book's ending, The Dark Water as well.

In any case, whereas The Patient's Eyes only got a 3-star rating from me, this book gets a full 4. Its mystery is far more engrossing and disturbing and the fictional version of Arthur Conan Doyle is much more interesting this time around. Pirie also provides a little more background about his research on Doyle and how it guided this novel.

It ends on a startling cliffhanger, and I'm looking forward to picking up the third book (I called it a trilogy before, although I admit I have no idea if it is - I can't find any information online about whether another book is expected).

[Brigitte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wieder gut vorgelesen (die Stimme von Dr. Bell war eher unsympatisch und hätte eher zum Bösewicht gepasst).

[Preetam Chatterjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

#Binge Reviewing my previous Reads #Holmes Pastiche

David Pirie’s *The Night Calls* feels like returning to a recurring dream — one stitched from candlelight, chloroform, and moral dread. It’s the third and final entry in his *Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes* trilogy (following *The Patient’s Eyes* and *The Night Calls*’ immediate predecessor, *The Dark Water*), and it ties up not just a mystery, but an atmosphere — the unsettling prelude to the birth of the modern detective mind.

What Pirie does in this series is far more interesting than a standard pastiche. He isn’t interested in simply aping the cadences of Conan Doyle or reconstructing Baker Street nostalgia. Instead, he drags us backward — into the formative years of Doyle himself, before fiction had yet distilled life’s chaos into narrative control. In *The Night Calls*, Doyle has grown darker, sharper, and more aware of the thin membrane separating medical empiricism from metaphysical terror. He’s still apprenticed, emotionally and intellectually, to **Dr. Joseph Bell**, the real-life surgeon whose uncanny powers of observation would inspire Sherlock Holmes. But now the mentorship has curdled into something complex and frightening — part admiration, part suspicion, part desperate need for moral orientation in a world dissolving into deceit.

The title itself, *The Night Calls*, captures the novel’s tension — the calls that come in the dark, literal and metaphorical. They’re the cries of patients, of conscience, of death; they’re also the unholy summons of reason into madness. Pirie’s Scotland is steeped in fog and Protestant guilt, where science and superstition coexist like mismatched roommates who can’t stop watching each other.

The story begins with Doyle and Bell summoned to investigate a case that feels both surgical and spiritual: a series of grotesque murders that seem to fuse ritual and medical precision. Each victim is marked by cuts too deliberate to be random, yet too symbolically charged to be purely anatomical. Doyle, now more worldly than in *The Patient’s Eyes*, senses both a pattern and a warning — that the crimes may be designed to challenge Bell’s supremacy as the paragon of deduction. The investigation soon becomes an intellectual duel, not just with the killer, but with Bell’s own increasingly cryptic motives.

Pirie’s narrative excels in its layering. On one level, it’s a historical thriller — full of clues, forensics, and cat-and-mouse tension. On another, it’s a Gothic psychodrama about discipleship and doubt. Doyle’s faith in Bell is shaken; the master seems to withhold more than he reveals. Bell’s methods, once a source of fascination, begin to resemble manipulation. We see Doyle’s internal metamorphosis: his conscience evolving faster than his mentor’s intellect, his moral intuition clashing with scientific detachment. It’s a haunting study in the birth of empathy within the machinery of logic.

Thematically, *The Night Calls* continues Pirie’s exploration of **the moral consequences of observation**. Just as *The Patient’s Eyes* investigated the act of seeing — of diagnosing, of knowing — this book examines the act of witnessing. What does it do to the soul to see too much of human suffering? How do we process atrocity when reason is our only defense? Pirie’s answer, whispered through Doyle’s weary narration, is that there is no defense — only the slow corrosion of innocence.

Bell himself becomes increasingly enigmatic — part father figure, part Mephistopheles. His detachment, once admirable, now borders on inhuman. Pirie teases us with the possibility that Bell’s own moral compass has fractured, that his fascination with deduction has become an addiction to control. His interactions with Doyle brim with unspoken tension; every conversation feels like an examination, every gesture a coded test. The mentor-pupil dynamic that once illuminated the series now feels claustrophobic, like an operating theatre with no anesthesia.

The female characters, as in Pirie’s earlier novels, are not ornamental. They are emblems of Victorian repression, of emotional intelligence stifled by the logic of men. In *The Night Calls*, the victims and witnesses — women marginalized, silenced, or pathologized — form the emotional undercurrent of the book. Doyle, increasingly attuned to their suffering, becomes both doctor and confessor. His growing empathy sets him apart from Bell, whose brilliance remains unsoftened by compassion. This tension crystallizes into one of the book’s central motifs: that reason, if left untempered by feeling, becomes its own kind of madness.

In terms of atmosphere, Pirie is at the height of his powers here. The Edinburgh he evokes is both geographically exact and psychologically dreamlike. The streets are labyrinthine, the fog almost sentient, and the interiors — surgeries, morgues, asylum wards — throb with claustrophobic dread. The prose is spare but elegant, its rhythm echoing the meticulous pulse of a scalpel. He uses medical language not as decoration but as metaphor: the world itself feels like a dissected body, its organs exposed and pulsing.

Pirie also plays with the idea of **narrative reliability**, a concept Doyle’s later creation would famously control. The young doctor’s account is careful, precise, and yet we sense gaps — moments where fear and loyalty cloud his objectivity. He is the unreliable narrator in training, learning how to structure reality through the discipline of reason. The novel thus becomes meta-detective fiction: the story of how the detective genre learned to hide its own trauma behind the mask of method.

As the mystery deepens, Doyle begins to suspect that Bell’s involvement in the case may not be purely investigative. There are hints — never overplayed, always tantalizing — that the doctor’s fascination with crime might have crossed ethical boundaries. The line between studying pathology and creating it blurs dangerously. Pirie doesn’t resolve this tension neatly, and that’s his genius. The ambiguity remains, lingering like ether in the reader’s mind.

By the novel’s climax, Doyle faces a moral crossroads. The case demands a kind of coldness that he can no longer sustain; Bell demands a loyalty that he can no longer give. The final confrontation between them — restrained, sorrowful, and devastating — is written with surgical precision. It’s less an argument than a parting of philosophies. Bell remains the apostle of logic; Doyle chooses the messier, more humane path of understanding. Out of that fracture, we glimpse the birth of Holmes and Watson — intellect and empathy, separated and reconciled through art.

The brilliance of *The Night Calls* lies in how it reframes the entire Holmes mythos as an act of moral reparation. Doyle, scarred by his apprenticeship under Bell, creates Sherlock Holmes not as homage but as exorcism — a way to contain and sanitize the terror of knowledge. In this light, Holmes’s hyper-rational mind and Watson’s emotional grounding become symbolic compensations for Doyle’s own divided soul. Pirie’s trilogy, and especially this final installment, reads as the spiritual biography of an idea — the cost of turning life’s chaos into narrative order.

Compared to *The Patient’s Eyes*, *The Night Calls* is darker, more introspective, less concerned with plot mechanics and more with psychological reckoning. It abandons the simplicity of mystery-solving for the complexity of moral awakening. If *The Patient’s Eyes* was Doyle’s initiation, *The Night Calls* is his confession. The tone is elegiac, the writing tinged with melancholy, as though Pirie knows that rationality will triumph, but at the cost of innocence.

Pirie also excels at tying small motifs together across the trilogy — the act of seeing and being seen, the blurring of diagnosis and judgment, the loneliness of knowledge. In this volume, these motifs reach their culmination in Doyle’s self-awareness. He realizes that his power of observation, which once promised mastery, now isolates him. Understanding others means losing the comfort of illusion. The doctor becomes a detective, and the detective, a haunted man.

The final pages are hauntingly understated. Pirie resists the temptation of grand closure; instead, he leaves Doyle standing at the edge of a new intellectual horizon — bruised, wiser, and already composing the mythology that will outlive him. Bell, the man who taught him to see, fades into shadow. The night calls once more, but now Doyle knows its voice.

What makes *The Night Calls* so compelling — and so unlike most Holmes pastiches — is that it restores darkness and doubt to the act of reasoning. It reminds us that deduction was born out of fear, that the impulse to explain the world emerged from the terror of its inexplicability. Pirie’s Holmesian prequel trilogy is, therefore, not about detection, but about *becoming capable of detection* — the moral, emotional, and psychological toll of learning to observe without flinching.

In the end, *The Night Calls* stands as both a Gothic mystery and a philosophical elegy. It is about how reason is forged in the crucible of grief, how mentorship can shade into domination, and how even the purest pursuit of truth carries a residue of violence. The trilogy that began with the shimmer of curiosity closes in a hush of disillusionment. Doyle walks away from Bell’s shadow carrying both his gift and his curse — the ability to see too much, and to understand that seeing does not always save.

Pirie’s prose lingers long after the mystery concludes, like the echo of a scalpel dropping in an empty theatre. And perhaps that’s the ultimate truth his work reveals: that every act of reasoning, no matter how brilliant, begins in the dark — with the night calling, softly, for someone brave enough to answer.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book about the early life and adventures of Arthur Conan Doyle. Partly based on the author's own research into the factual history Conan Doyle and a healthy imagination, this series reveals how his last two years as a medical student and early years as a doctor gave him the insights and experience to later create the World's Greatest Consulting Detective. Key to this premise and in the historical record is Doyle's knowledge and familiarity with a brilliant and "peculiar" Professor, Dr. Joseph Bell.

In this novel, Mr. Pirie delves deeper into the dark past of Doyle while he was still a medical student and how he and Bell uncovered a ruthless and evil mind who had been one of Doyle's closest associates. While the prior novel, "The Patient's Eyes", dealt with mystery and murder, this book is much blacker in tone and detail. I would not go so far as to say the the first novel is "lighthearted", but it almost seems so in comparison to this one.

If you saw the BBC movies "Murder Rooms" and "Murder Rooms: The Patient's Eyes" on PBS, there is quite a lot of overlap in this volume. But, even if you did see them, I strongly recommend this book before moving on to the third novel in the series. I read that one first and the beginning is rather abrupt if you do not have the final chapters of this one as a lead-in.

This novel crosses over more into the horror genre than generic mystery. Although it may put off some readers I think that because this book encompasses the central theme of how Bell and Doyle will relate for the rest of their lives it is worth the effort. Without giving anything away, Doyle suffers a severe personal loss because there is a failure of Bell and his method to apprehend the criminal (or to divine the danger quickly enough). So, in the middle of the novel, we have a break between them that only begins to heal slowly. The re-emergence of the arch-vilian speeds this process, but there is no simple forgive and forget. The author makes Doyle's character too short-sighted to understand how his mentor truly sees his own abilities and failures until deep into the novel. This is an area where one wants Doyle to be a little less pig-headed, but the points are resolved well later on.

I thought that the writing and plotting were very, very good. This novel is both longer and faster-paced the its predecessor. In a few places I could predict a plot turn, but in almost every case this was because I had read the successor novel beforehand, so don't do that. Because of how this book links to the next one, they are less "standalones" than a co-joined pair. One can certainly read this book and never the third, but "The Dark Water" has plot elements whose understanding depends on this book.

I recommend the book to anyone who likes a good story. I think that the author took a big chance in changing the "tone" of the series with this second entry and it was a good decision. I also think that those who search for elements of Sherlock Holmes in this series will also feel more rewarded. Perhaps not in an obvious way, but there is a flavor here that reminds me more of the longer and darker Holmes stories. I've ranked it a straight "4.0", but this does seem like the best of the series and perhaps it's worth a "4.25" or "4.5". See for yourself.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

Wow! I am very glad that I continued with this series. I was on the fence about The Patient’s Eyes when I read it, but The Night Calls blew the first book out of the water. I completely devoured this thing in two evenings.

The mystery is strange, gripping, and horrifying. There is an amazing twist in this book that hit me like a punch in the gut and actually made me shout out loud in shock. That’s a pretty rare thing.

Doyle is far more likeable and interesting in this story than he was in the Patient’s Eyes. I can finally understand the friendship between him and Doctor Bell. Doyle, despite being inexperienced, does bring something to the table in their partnership.

I still adore Bell. He is truly fantastic. Again, he is not Holmes. He is gentler, more considerate and caring. Every scene with him is excellent.

Elsbeth Small is a far more interesting character than Heather Grace was. Her and Doyle’s relationship is really lovely.

There is also a wonderful cast of minor characters this time around and a superb and fascinating villain.

After reading this, I understand why Pirie structured this series in such a strange way. The bulk of The Patient’s Eyes fits in the middle of this book. The Night Calls is such a tense read that it would be very jarring to stop in the middle of the mystery to deal with the case from The Patient’s Eyes. By moving that into a separate book, Pirie is able to keep this plot all together for maximum effect. Setting the series up like this is a bit unusual, and makes the first book feel a bit disjointed, but I think the payoff is worth it.

Lastly, what a way to end a book! An absolutely evil cliffhanger ending. I’m desperate to get home from work and start on The Dark Water.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Die spannende Geschichte zur Entstehung der Romanfigur Sherlock Holmes geht weiter. Beim Klappentext musste ich zunächst spontan an Jack, the Ripper denken. Es geht um seltsame Untaten und brutale Morde in Bordellen im Edinburgh des Jahres 1878. Aber die Geschichte entwickelt sich völlig anders und viel perfider. Der Täter hinterlässt bei seinen potentiellen Opfern einen Stapel Münzen und scheint sich mit biblischen, oft frauenfeindlichen Psalmen zu beschäftigen. Aber genau das könnte auch Tarnung sein.

Als eines der Opfer Doyles große Liebe Elsbeth Scott werden soll, muss der angehende Arzt das Verbrechen unbedingt verhindern. In gewohnt düsterer und lebendiger Atmosphäre setzt der Autor die damalige Zeit in Szene. Auch Doyle selbst wirkt aufgrund seiner angespannten, familiären Situation in diesem Band schwermütiger. Er und sein Mentor Dr. Bell setzen natürlich alles daran, um Elsbeth zu retten und den Täter zu fassen. Aber ob ihnen das rechtzeitig gelingen wird? Immer wieder werden ihnen und dem Leser falsche Fährten präsentiert. Interessant, wie hier zum ersten Mal Sherlocks legendärer Erzfeind Moriarty auftaucht.

Diese Serie begeistert mich immer wieder aufs Neue und ich freue mich schon auf den nächsten Teil. Die Spannung fällt auf keiner Seite ab. Eine ganz neue Perspektive auf den später von Doyle erschaffenen Meisterdetektiv Sherlock Holmes.

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the exceptionally well-crafted "The Patient's Eyes", this second book of the 'Murder Rooms' trilogy is a slight let-down. Chronologically speaking, the events happening in this book precede those in "The Patient's Eyes", and describe the following: -

* although the events that had first brought Arthur Conan Doyle into the world of Dr. Joseph Bell had been described in the 1st book, the events that had followed that 'introductory' phase, are all here;
* the deep scar left by Arthur Conan Doyle's nemesis, who went on to become the template for Professor Moriarty;
* episodes in the Dr. Bell's crime-solving episodes, one of which surprisingly ends in placing Doyle face-to-face his nemesis, in a cliffhanger ending.

As usual, it is a great fun for Sherlockian aficionados trying to find out as many references to the 'Canon' (yet to come, in a much diluted version, since Doyle must have been trying very hard to evade the shadows accompanying all those memories) as possible. But the book, while succeeding in creating a gothic atmosphere of palpable evil (a precursor of the events in Whitechapel in 1888-91?), does not do justice to Dr. Bell's detective skills as much we have started expecting. Nevertheless, heartily recommended.

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

The historical note at the end is fairly amazing because it makes you believe for a second that there is some mystery from Doyle's real life that has been covered up.

I love this series and the adaptations. I do feel that Doyle gets a bit annoying with his doubts about Dr. Bell. Clearly he should idolize Bell. How could you not? It's a long book and it does add some nice wrinkles to the standard serial killer novel.

The author says he does not like pastiche and this is not. It is clever and has many nice scenes. There several really well done surreal scenes both "real" and in dreams. The stakes of the story are high since the killer wants to break Doyle. The ending is quite a cliffhanger in this regard. It's almost a negative it's so painful. I can't decide if it is a cheap ending or great. I need to read the next one pronto to find out.

[Emily Whetstone · Rating 3 out of 5]

The conceit of this book, a very Sherlock Holmesian fictionalized version of the adventures of Arthur Conan Doyle and his mentor Dr Joseph Bell, is a wonderful one. It frees Pirie to be creative and pay homage to Doyle's creation without attempting to directly mimic the famous characters. The story flows quickly and has some chilling moments. The ending is a cliffhanger, so if those bother you, you should probably have The Night Calls lined up to continue reading. I started with this rather than The Patient's Eyes, but that didn't bother me or hinder my enjoyment of the story.

If I come across the other two books in this series I will definitely read them, but my reading list is so long this one doesn't go in the Must Seek Out pile.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have to think about this one before endorsing. There was certainly a lot of action in this one as well as love, heartbreak, family trauma without resolution and then there was the truly bone-chilling ending. I do not watch "scary" movies and feel like a teenage or college-aged son has pulled a prank on me...but still - I will go to library tomorrow to read the third and final? (I hope for my nerves!)
Then I will make my final decision on this series. There are many good parts but also weak parts. I don't usually continue reading in cases like this, but the ending of this one forces the reader to continue. Grrrrrr!

[Bookpassion · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dieser Teil der Trilogie hat mir sehr viel besser gefallen als der erste, obwohl der auch gut war.
Der Schreibstil ist angenehm zu lesen und sehr authentisch für die Zeit, in der der Roman spielt. Die Charaktere sind sehr sympathisch. Ich mag einfach diese Dynamik zwischen dem Doctor und Doyle :)
Die Handlung ist spannend und man rätselt ständig mit, wobei mir Doyle ab und an ein wenig begriffsstutzig vorkam *gg* Natürlich nimmt ihm das nichts von seiner Liebenswürdigkeit.
Allerdings war das Ende des Buches wohl der fieseste Cliffhanger der Literaturgeschichte! Ich war sehr froh, dass ich Band 3 schon neben mir liegen hatte. Ein sehr lesenswerter Krimi.

[C · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good accompaniment to Sherlock Holmes. There are even allusions to Holmes stories in the plot. The beginning is a little confusing as I was trying to link the characters to what I knew of Holmes, but in time it became more clear. This book is incredibly dark and has a bad guy that could give you nightmares. It was okay, but I'm not sure I would ever read it again.

[Carol Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like another reviewer said, this is a very "dark" novel. There are two mysteries, one of which is solved. The other mystery is solved, but the offender is not brought to justice. I love the atmosphere of this series and the Doyle and Bell characters are fascinating. Of course, I'm a Holmes fan, so I may be biased.

[Phillip Ramm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable pastiche of the Sherlock style, supposedly based on the scant facts we have about the real life of Conan Doyle. Dr Joseph Bell was a lecturer at Edinburgh University when Doyle was a medical student there. He was certainly the model for Sherlock Holmes, a critical observer and adherent of the inductive method. Substitute him for Homes and Doyle for Watson and you have it.

[Angela Woodward · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am such a sucker for Sherlock Holmes-based mysteries. There are a lot of good ones. This series centers on Arthur Conan Doyle as a medical student and young doctor, teamed up with his mentor Dr. Bell. Night Calls is apparently the second in a series, so I've gone back to the first one. Well-written, complex, completely enjoyable.

[Anna Bergmark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than the first installment. Doyle is more of his own character here (read; less Watson) and Bell fleshes out a bit as well. But the story is just as incomprehensible as a whole. I kept getting lost by the roadside, head spinning, not knowing how I got there.

3 atmospheric but oh so vaguely gripped stars. (Perhaps only 2 and a half.)

[Jonna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved how the author uses Arthur Conan Doyle in the mystery! Very creative! It's a very creative and well-written book. It has everything I love- dark, well-developed characters and it takes place in Victorian England. A great read!

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eigentlich sind es sogar zwei Kriminalfälle in einem Buch. Okay sie stehen in Zusammenhang und der Cliffhanger ist echt böse. Aber da A.C.Doyle im echten Leben relativ alt geworden ist, mache ich mir keine Sorgen und freue mich wie Bolle auf den nächsten Band!

[Cecilia Rodriguez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pirie starts out in 1898, then "flashes back" to: 1878.
Narrated by Arthur Conan Doyle, Pirie writes a complex and gruesome
mystery that involves sexually transmitted diseases and the emerging
Suffragette movement.

[Guy · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a fan of Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes genre, this novel is a must read. The language is perfect for the time and setting. The best is that once again, the plot does not conclude until the very end.

[Alessia · Rating 3 out of 5]

E' il primo libro che leggo di questo autore e devo dire che l'ho trovato ben scritto ed interessante. Forse mi hanno deluso un po' la caratterizzazione del villain ed il finale troppo aperto, ma nel complesso è sicuramente un bel giallo.
Lo consiglio a tutti quelli che amano il "giallo classico".

[Gena · Rating 4 out of 5]

The rather unsavory early beginnings of Sherlock Holmes. Fun ride!

[Allie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I sort of read these books out of order. I have yet to find the other two and I would love to read them, as well as The Night Calls again.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ending is great!

[Marianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again, too scary, need the print book. Being a scaredy cat is a pain in the arse.

[Marco · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well... it's okay-ish...
I did not like it as much as #1 (The Patient's Eyes) and I kept falling asleep (I guess that is because I'm somewhat tired :) ). I hoped for more mystery, more puzzles.
But, it has to be said, the first half of the book is good: murder, mystery, horror and even some drama, it has it all. It is a dark story, has a dark setting and Mr. Pirie does a great job describing the setting. And then the story collapses...
Let try #3, in a while.

[Jean Doane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A real page-turner. Author David Pirie has created a story as entertaining as those of his main character, Arthur Conan Doyle. The reader can easily imagine how the adventures of Sherlock Holmes could have been prefigured by the investigations undertaken by Dr. Joseph Bell and Conan Doyle in Edinburgh and London described herein. There are 3 books in this series. The cliff-hanger ending of The Night Calls leaves me anxious to read the others.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give this 3.5 stars. Overall, I liked the book. I was surprised who the perpetrator of the crimes turned out to be, although in retrospect I should have seen it coming. The only thing I didn't like about the book was that it should have ended after the first mystery wrapped up. The second mystery felt tacked on, like it should have been a second book. And it didn't resolve in any way that made it crucial to being in the same book with the first mystery. Still worth a read though.