Sherlock Holmes and the Egyptian Hall Adventure (Adventures of Sherlock Holmes) by Val Andrews

Sherlock Holmes #3

by Val Andrews

The Egyptian Hall, Maskelyne's theatre of mystery, forms the perfect backdrop for this the most exciting and unusual adventure ever embarked upon by the famous sleuth Sherlock Holmes and his faithful Boswell, Dr Watson. The loss of an article of great value - the property of a titled lady - by a conjurer during the course of a stage trick is but the prelude to intrigue, mystery, and murder most foul...

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction

Paperback

First published November 1, 1995

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Val Andrews was a music hall artist, ventriloquist and writer.
Andrews was born in Hove, Sussex, England a few hours after Valentine's Day, hence his name. Son of an architect, he was introduced to magic by his father. Andrews was a prolific writer on magic, having published over 1000 books and booklets from 1952. He also authored Sherlock Holmes pastiches and Houdini's novels. He lived for a number of years in Brighton, then in London (from 1943 onwards) where he joined the London Society of Magicians.

Reviews

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sherlock Holmes and his partner Dr. Watson have been asked to investigate the theft of a missing ring. When they arrive at the theater they discover that their client has been brutally murdered. I enjoyed this mystery which was quick and easy to read.

[Ken B · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 STARS

[Bonnye Reed]

Endeavor Media Sherlock Holmes Advent Calender 99

[Dale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not Andrews at his best...

Sherlock Holmes and the Egyptian Hall Adventure Val Andrews

The year is 1898. Watson says that this case is referred to in his notes as “The Randolph Case.” Mr. Cyril Randolph, billed as “Cyrano, a conjurer, comes to 221B Baker Street with a tale of woe. He works at the Egyptian Hall where he has been using a trick that involves him borrowing jewelry from the audience, visibly smashing it, loading it into a gun, and firing the gun into a box his assistant, Madame Patricia.

The box is opened to show a nest of boxes and the restored ring is in the innermost box. But recently a borrowed ring failed to reappear. The ring is a very famous piece, Lady Windrush’s valuable diamond ring. The Lady in question of course wants it back. Cyrano wants Holmes to figure out where the ring went. It turns out that the whole thing was a setup for publicity. The ring would be stolen, lost, and then returned. Someone stole the ring and pawned it.

Cyrano gives Holmes and Watson tickets to his next performance. Among the many marvels of this vaudeville type show is a automatan of a typist, created by the hall’s owner J.N. Maskelyne. During Cyrano’s act, he produces an amazing illusion. A small box expands into a very large box that contains Madame Patricia. But a man in the audience creates a disturbance, claiming that Cyrano stole the illusion from him.

The manager of the theater, David Devant asks for a doctor. It seems Cyrano has been killed, strangled and his neck broken. It would have taken someone with enormous strength to handle Cyrano this way.
Devant reports to Holmes that he knew about the ring business. He doesn’t know who stole it, as that wasn’t part of the plan. So he doesn’t know where it was pawned. Holmes traces the ring, with Watson’s help, to return to Lady Windrush. Devant is strictly forbidden to use the publicity.

The Hall hires Buatier De Kolta, the French Illusionist who was the man who accused Cyrano of stealing his illusion. It is put down to the known eccentricities of the hall’s owner J.N. Maskelyne.

The discovery is made that Cyrano was killed by the caliper that the owner’s son uses to wind the amazing automation typist. Yet there is no way to hide the strong hand it would have taken to kill Cyrano…

This was a good story, but not the best. Unfortunately, this trick is too well known to present that much of a mystery. Still, it is presented well, and the buildup isn’t bad. I give it three stars…

Quoth the Raven…

[Read1000books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mr. Andrews, the author, was both a very prolific and popular crafter of Sherlockian pastiches. Although aware of him for quite some time, only recently did one of his works come into my possession. The "voices" of the characters were largely correct, the plot was adequate, and, without unnecessary padding, the 105-page tale was of satisfactory length. All that said, there are one or two others by this writer that are now on my to-read list.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cyrano the conjurer asks for Sherlock's help. A valuable ring has been stolen during his act. SH and Dr. Watson go to his show to investigate and the conjurer himself is discovered dead. They have to uncover the motive and means of the murder.

Pretty good pastiche. Written like the original SH stories. If you are fan, you will like it.

[Jc · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of Andrew’s earliest Holmes short novels (of which there are ~20), this is an entertaining and fairly well assembled Sherlockian pastiche set in the days of Doyle’s Holmes (many SH pastiches are not). A decent adventure, an interesting setting (the Victorian London magician scene), and written well enough to attract me to reading more of them.

[Christa Saccullo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok

I liked the story, though rather difficult to follow due to editing. During scenes when the characters are conversing, everything is squooshed together. On several points, when I thought Holmes was still talking, it was actually a different person.
And I don't think Lestrade ever whined so much...
Otherwise, an entertaining read that pits Holmes against magicians.

Christa

[curleduptoes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was delighted to find another of Holmes adventures, even if its not by Sir Authur Conan Doyle.

This was an interesting mystery, the writer did fault at a couple of places but apart from that I enjoyed this one a lot.

[Gus Scholtz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started out good then kind of dragged. Some of the clues changed. Also buy the way it was written had a hard time figuring out who was talking at the time.
Story is good . The mystery good. Kept mixing the 3 magicians up. I like it cause it was short.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

1898 What starts out as an investigation by Holmes and Watson into a robbery, of a valuable ring during the act of Cyril Randolph aka as Cyrano, turns into murder. Can Holmes solve the case.
An enjoyable mystery

[Bernadette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful


Very well written. I felt like I was right beside Holmes as he was writing. How can a mystery buff not like Sherlock

[P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent read, if disjointed; the denouement a bit of a pig in the poke. Nicely written.

[Guy Lawfull · Rating 4 out of 5]

really enjoyed this romp through vaudeville. really good fun

[Even · Rating 3 out of 5]

l

[Keith Pratt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Sherlock at his best. Great deductions, very good story. John Watson can write very well and describes in detail what happened

[Nancy Oakes · Rating 3 out of 5]

The game is afoot once again when Holmes and Watson take on the Egyptian Hall Adventure. They receive a visit one evening from a famous conjurer, currently playing at the Egyptian Hall theater. It seems that one of his tricks went awry .... a titled woman's ring was given to him to use in a trick whereby the conjurer would smash it up, then reproduce it a couple of minutes later attached to a nosegay. But in this case, the ring did not magically reappear and the woman's not really happy about it. So enter Holmes and Watson, off to the Egyptian Hall theater. As they're watching the conjuror's performance, the show is interrupted, the conjuror goes off the stage, and soon there's a call for a doctor in the house. I won't say any more about the plot.

I'm a big fan of Sherlock Holmes pastiches; some are better than others and yet none match the quality of the original stories. So I do not judge the pastiches against the originals ... that would just be wrong. This one is much better than many I've read, as far as the story goes.

I'd recommend it to people who enjoy these kinds of stories, or to those who have read the originals and want something a little different. It's a very small book, but the story will keep you entertained.

[Torah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been a Holmes fan for the last 10+ years and will read any pastiche that I can get my hands on. This pastiche was a fun read; Watson and Holmes seemed mostly in character, though there were some turns of phrases that were used and seemed anachronistic or out of place. There was an amusing bit with a piece of "new technology" that became part of the dramatic reveal at the end. Overall, it was a nice addition to the list of Holmes pastiches that I've read.

[Outlander · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read quite a few of these short novels by Val Andrews and they are all the work of a wordsmith who takes the characters into the correct period, has the dialogue with the correct feel of the era and is less prone to pad out the tale as other authors are prone to do. This one is another theatrical adventure, perhaps his SH is a little less brusque and his Watson a little more touchy, but it is an interesting addition to my collection.

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and lacking

I haven't read books by this author before and don't know if he always portrays Sherlock as such a jerk. He was far more rude than usual to Dr Watson. The book is short and as a result, the plot is thin.

[Michael P. · Rating 2 out of 5]

A minor and unimportant Sherlock Holmes pastiche. There are better way to spend your time.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent but a bit runny

Very well thought out plot. My only problem is that at times it can run away a bit from the main plot.

[Bonnie Dale Keck · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kindle Unlimited One of several Sherlock Holmes stories by an assorted group of authors, wanted to go through them all. Liked it, just didn't love it, sort of the right style and all but....