The Crimes of Dr. Watson

by Duane Swierczynski

After the rooms at 221B Baker Street are set ablaze—and a mutilated corpse is discovered in the wreckage—Dr. John H. Watson is arrested and imprisoned at Coldbath Fields penitentiary. Writing from a cramped and dimly lit cell, Watson describes the mysterious events leading up to his arrest. Someone has been mailing him a series of cryptic warnings. His lifelong friend Sherlock Holmes has vanished in the raging waters of Reichenbach Falls. And Professor Moriarty’s criminal empire is expanding across Europe and throughout America.
 
In a desperate attempt to clear his good name, Watson has compiled twelve clues that may prove his innocence,
 
     •  The front page of a newspaper from Thousand Oaks, California
     •  A catalog of Victorian fashions and merchandise
     •  An empty matchbook containing cryptic handwritten notes
     •  The complete text of “The Final Problem,” Watson’s famous account of the death of Sherlock Holmes
     •  Plus a theater ticket, an arrest report, a railroad timetable, and more
 
All twelve clues have been painstakingly reproduced for this volume, along with the complete text of Watson’s manuscript and specially commissioned illustrations by Homes aficionado Clint Hansen.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Historical, Historical Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Crime, Young Adult

72 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2007

About the author

Duane Swierczynski is an American crime writer who has written a number of non-fiction books, novels and also writes for comic books.

Reviews

[Olivia-Savannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another interactive mystery, but this one was told from the point of view of Dr. Watson. The novel is about those who find clues to a mystery which apparently was supposed to be secret, buried and hidden. However, when new documentation is brought to light, the reader can try and solve the mystery with some of the clues which are given. This is brilliant for those who are fans of Sherlock and enjoys these kind of mysteries!

I really loved the interactive side of things once again. Perhaps even more so than the Dracula novel because these were even more interactive. For example, there is a paper which has been cut up and burned, and you get the pieces and have to put them together. Although there are still notes, newspapers and so on, this has a bit more than the Dracula one did.


The illustrations are still intricate and so well drawn. I will say that I preferred those in the Dracula mystery more, but these ones were still able to take my breath away with their beauty. When you have interaction and beautiful illustrations, it’s hard to label this book as anything other than a winner.

However, for some reason when reading this book I felt a bit confused. Not when we were getting things from Watson’s point of view, but when we weren’t. When it was set in the present day, I got all mixed up with the characters and whose perspective I was reading from. I wish a little more time had been taken to describe who these people were so I would’ve gotten a little less mixed up. That took some enjoyment from my reading, but that could simply be something personal. Maybe others found it easier to follow, so make sure you go to Goodreads and check out other reviews to be sure!


All in all though, it was another fun, quick read which I flew through in a couple of hours. It’s well worth the fun!

This review and others can be found on Olivia's Catastrophe: http://olivia-savannah.blogspot.nl/20...

[Cherie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must have sucker written on my forhead. This is not the first time I have thought it, but after opening my box of books this afternoon, I was sure.

Give me a chance to read a new Sherlock Holmes story, and I will jump almost every time.

I jumped at this one. It sounded like it could be a good story. I was not a 'bad' story, just meh.

It is hard to read in the fine print on the cover and in the upper left corner, it says "An Interactive" - then, in bigger print "Sherlock Holmes Mystery".

I am not upset about the story, or the book, just the money. It was a lot for less than 60 pages, no matter what the summary on GR says.

The interactive part means that there are clues in envelopes and in parts of the story for the reader to solve the mystery, if they can. The clues in the envelopes and the inserts were fun to open and read. The main body of the text was a letter from Dr. Watson to an American investigator that I had never heard of before. The time frame of the mystery and crime was when Holmes was missing, after having died at R. Falls. The text included the complete story of "The Final Solution", which was fun to read again and a nice addition.

I did not solve the mystery because I really did not pay all that much attention to the clues, except to have fun removing them from the envelopes and reading them. I did open the envelope at the end that contains the response from the American detective and a follow up letter from the editor of the story. I re-sealed it for the next person.

I am going to donate the book to my library.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just plain FUN. Interactive pieces within the story, a full manuscript of The Final Problem, and a solution that is exciting and hidden behind the sealed envelope. it doesn't get much better than this.

[Lindsay Stares · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book mostly consists of a letter from Watson to a friend in Philadelphia, asking for help proving his innocence in a crime. He has received several mysterious mailings from America, which are enclosed, along with several other clues. You, the reader, are supposed to use the account and the clues to solve the mystery. The aesthetic advantage this book has over the last one is that the clues are fully created, not just pictured, and included in envelopes pasted into the book. It is very very pretty.

Unfortunately, that doesn't stop it from being really terrible.

Now, let's be clear. I don't mind, in principle, choosing to deviate from canon. I mind when it's done badly. I mind when the author (purportedly Watson), makes excuses as to why he doesn't sound like Watson. (Also a problem in The Seven Per-Cent Solution, and this one did a lot better than Meyer. To my ear, the fact that this author comes much closer and still misses almost makes it worse.) I mind a bad pun written in 1895 referencing a book that doesn't come out til 1900, when the author is asking me to examine the evidence. I mind when the inconsistencies make me doubt the veracity of each clue, when the point is supposed to be to solve the case. The fact that the dates on the postmarks don't seem to work with the account? Doesn't mean anything.

Read my whole rant here (includes spoilers): Blue Fairy's Bookshelf

[Keith Bowden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Designed to look somewhat like an old album (photos, keepsakes, etc.), it features a letter from Watson to an American collegue of Holmes (the preposterously-named anagrammatical Colonel Harold Kelsh Resmo, Holmes himself in hiding). Anyway, the fun thing about it is that, bound into the book, are several loose items in envelopes (letters, drawings, theatre tickets and more) and other items, all to give the reader the physical clues as well as the narrative in order to try to solve the mystery.

This was a lot of fun. The mystery was fairly silly (and no, I'm not saying that because I didn't quite solve all of it), but having the physical clues tucked inside envelopes or glued onto the pages was so engaging.

Since it isn't explained in the book... does anyone know to whom or what "Leonardo L" refers? (These are the remaining 9 letters from the anagram of "Colonel Harold Kelsh Resmo", after rearranging the other letters to spell "Sherlock Holmes".) Or perhaps it's "Leonardo 50", reading the final "L" as a Roman numeral?

Whatever.

In a bit of synchronicity, it was announced a few days ago that Robert Downey, Jr. is slated to portray Sherlock Holmes in a coming film.

[Amy McCourt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really fun book. It is a mystery about Dr. Watson and the clues are included in the book. For example one page has an entire newspaper page attached to it that you need to unfold and read, or a ticket to a play you need to examine. All of the clues help you to solve the mystery. The solution is sealed at the end of the book so you aren't tempted to look ahead. Great story, the author did a good job of writing in the style of Arthur Conan Doyle.

Note: Not for children. One of the clues contains ads for a mail order company that provides items for his and her pleasure - descriptions and pictures of some items included. Kind of weird, did not add to story in any way...

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is this book super fun? Yes. But also possibly infuriating. Within the covers of this book lie physical artifacts of a fictional world, clues to help you piece together an intriguing mystery and draw out its secrets. Thing is, you may find yourself finding a particular detail more important than it is, become myopic in your convictions, and unseal the envelope containing the solution only to find yourself dropping a Usual Suspects coffee mug as you realize it was Kevin Spacey all along. That is to say, I got this one completely wrong. I had a great time, but could not help but wish the evidence pushed a little more towards the solution.

But I might also just be a terrible detective.

[Christie · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the "Interactive Mysteries Series" this is an incredibly fun read. You are faced with reading about a plea from Dr. Watson to an investigator in PA to help solve a crime for which he has been sentenced to jail but did not commit. Along the way you are given a set of removable clues that you will use to piece together the who the real murderer was that committed the crimes that Dr. Watson has been convicted. Being a Sherlock Holmes enthusiast, this was great entertainment for me and I thoroughly enjoyed the read. There is also a Dracula mystery and a Batman mystery available as part of this series of interactive mysteries.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a quick, interesting read. Duane is no Conan Doyle though and I love him but it was well structured. I admired the work it took to put this together and the accuracy with Conan Doyle's stories. I'll admit I couldn't solve the mystery although I figured a bit of it. It was weird but entertaining. I loved the interactive elements in the envelopes I wished someone would so annexes like this to Conan Doyle's stories.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

An awesome idea that was sadly not on level with Sherlock Holmes mysteries and not worth the price. I solved the mystery by the third clue. Deeply disappointing. The three stars are simply for the cool idea.

[Toni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, interactive mystery story featuring Dr. Watson of the Sherlock stories. The writing or plot isn't particularly well done, but the overall idea is clever, and at least worth a search at the library for Sherlock Holmes fans.

[Johnflynch · Rating 3 out of 5]

I way overthought the solution to this book. The answer was my first guess. But it was fun to get wrapped up in and beautifully done.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a quick read. I did not figure the mystery out and don't think I would have if I had spent more time on it. The explanation ties all the clues together in a clever way.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this kinda fun, because I'm clearly a big child. But because I'm not a small child, the solution wasn't too much to strive for.

[Yosef Shapiro · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun book. The mystery was not too complicated. It had an interactive component to it. The clues were included in envelopes and you could actually handle them.

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is an "Interactive Sherlock Holmes Mystery" which includes twelve actual clues included in envelopes and described in detail in the text. It centers on the arrest and imprisonment of Dr. John H. Watson and takes place during years when Sherlock Holmes is believed to have perished in the dangerous waters of the Reichenbach Falls. In the days leading up to the crime, Watson receives mysterious letters from various points in the United States. He firmly believes that these are messages from his supposedly deceased friend and when one of the Baker Street Irregulars comes to tell him that there is a strange gentleman who has broken into the rooms at 221B Baker Street, Watson rushes off to investigate.

He wakes up manacled to a hospital bed to find that his old rooms had been set ablaze, the mutilated corpse of the man he found there has been discovered in the wreckage, and Inspector Lestrade believes that Sherlock Holmes's old friend has committed a foul and dastardly crime. With Holmes dead (or at the very least out of reach somewhere unknown), Watson decides to write for help to Colonel Harry Resmo, an American who had visited the rooms in Baker Street and who seemed to possess a logical mind second only to Sherlock's. The main portion of the story consists of Watson's letter to Colonel Harry and the twelve clues--it's up to the reader to clear up the mystery and clear the good doctor's name. We have to figure out what the front page of a newspaper from Thousand Oaks, California; a catalog of Victorian merchandise; an empty matchbook with cryptic handwritten notes; a theater ticket; an arrest report; a railroad timetable and more have to do with Watson's predicament.

Well...this was a pleasant way to spend an evening, though the motive behind it all is a little thin and the writing doesn't try at all to follow the familiar patterns of Watson. But, I guess we can allow that the doctor might be put off his game a bit--after all he is languishing in prison when it's written. It's fun to examine the clues and try to piece the solution together (I didn't and was glad of the sealed solution to give me all the facts). I will say one thing--the surprise twist at the very end of the solution has a hole in it big enough to sail the Titanic through if everything we've been told previously is true. But, then again, maybe it's not.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.

[Irene · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book when I was much younger and was going through a Sherlock Holmes phase - and revisiting as an adult, it was still very much a fun read. The mystery is a bit clunky, with a lot of red herrings and requiring a lot of background knowledge or leaps of logic (though I may just be saying that because I couldn’t solve it any of the times I read it). I also didn’t really see the point of creating an “American Sherlock Holmes” to solve the mystery (even though it ends up being Sherlock Holmes anyway, I believe?) or giving the clues an American background - it might have been to appeal to a global audience, but for me personally, a lot of the fun that comes with Sherlock for me is the London/English setting.

Regardless, I can’t fault how fun it was to interact with the clues. I actually picked this up again to give me inspiration for a murder mystery game I was writing, and though I didn’t get around to reading it in time, it certainly has given me some ideas for my next game.

[Greg · Rating 2 out of 5]

The real crime here is the one that the author perpetrated on the readers, and more importantly, on the production team that put together this attractive and engaging package of materials. The author's disappointing solution and underuse of the clues failed to measure up to the high quality of the supporting materials. Lost opportunity.

[Lea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would call this book an elaborately bound short story, having clues included in envelopes or glued on the pages of the book. It had the feeling of a fancy fan fiction piece. I found it an enjoyable way to spend a few hours.

[Alma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Revisionist history! Nah humbug. Lol. Kiddin’ about being upset tho it is a bit revisionist. Fun tho. The puzzles are a bit tough, but still fun. If you watched the Sherlock BBC series the twist is not too wild for ya.

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sort of an odd ending that was a huge twist, but loved the interactive nature and mystery! Loved how all the pieces tied together as well.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love books like this! I figured out the solution pretty early on, but it was still fun. I do wish there had been more in the conclusion about [redacted]'s motives.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun opportunity to play Sherlock

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was interesting and the props fun. I can't say the mystery made any sense, but I couldn't figure out the clues, despite, for once, making the effort. Though I deduced the criminal by rights of narrative casualty.

And the book is beautiful. Lots of illustrations, and the props really are well done. However, the newspaper had a story printed on the cover and inside, and that was apparently not a clue.

The alternate interpretation of "The Adventure of the Empty House" is a version of a others I've seen before so it didn't take me too much by surprise, though it seemed perhaps a little far fetched.

As there was such attention to detail however, I rather wish the introduction, which took place in modern day, wasn't given the same treatment as the "original" letters from the modern day when they're talking about emails and things.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so much fun. Sherlock Holmes is on his Great Hiatus. Dr. Watson is in prison, accused of arson, torture, and murder. Can the reader solve the mystery and clear his name? Throughout the book are clues, removable reproductions of things like newspapers, matchbooks, a torn page from a novel, a catalog of Victorian marital aids (my personal fave). I love the solution to the mystery, too, which is sealed in the back of the book. My only minor complaint is that a couple of the characters have voices which seem perhaps not quite authentic. I read this book in around 75 minutes. I could have cut that down to an hour, but I reread "The Final Problem," which is reproduced in this book. I can't not read a Holmes story if it's just right there in front of me.

[Sem · Rating 3 out of 5]

The highlight was this passage from the introduction:

"You honestly believe this letter is from Dr. Watson? As in, the heterosexual life partner of one Sherlock Holmes? With all due respect, Mr. Boxer..."

Cheeky sod. Apart from one glaring anachronism -- I'm sure there were more but I read it very late in the evening with one eye on the clock (and the other up the chimney) -- this was nicely put together, enjoyable for those of us who love removing oddments from envelopes and generally playing with books, and it smells wonderful. Seriously. Put your nose to the page.

[Melody · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading all of the Griffin and Sabine books years ago, I felt like this book was too heavily relying on the old gimmick of opening envelopes, etc. I did not particularly enjoy the mystery which the reader is supposed to solve by examining the "clues" in the book. One additional warning to anyone who might read it: The examination of clues and other items presented in this already bulky hardbound book makes for rather cumbersome bed-time reading

[Noora · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this book. I got a little thrill with each page I turned, each envelope I opened. I loved the little details, and trying to figure out the mystery of it. I'm not sure if you can get the whole thing completely as is, but I do have to credit myself that I did get at least some of it right (there was one bit of it which was really obvious but won't go into detail, because I don't want to be spoilery!).

[lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was weird. i love interactive books, but i couldn't figure out the intended age for this (i thought it was middlegrade/early YA, but there is a pamphlet for victorian sex toys in there, so...) and then the end was the worst. of COURSE mary was the bad guy! because she gets in the way of watson and holmes' totally heterosexual love! so naturally she hires someone to burn down 221b instead of just telling her husband to stop mooning over his poor dead ex. ugh.

[A. Nixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now this one was fun. It's got all sorts of "primary evidence" in the form of matchbooks and included newspapers and telegrams, which just makes me happy. I love this sort of thing!

I'm not too sure that the mystery is that mysterious - I pieced some of it together based on the clues, but it's a fun read all-round, because of the "interactive" nature of the book itself. I think I bridges the gap post-Reichenbach quite nicely.