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Lost Sherlock #1
The Secret Cases of Sherlock Holmes
Narrated as always by friend and companion Dr Watson, Holmes investigates alleged bigamy of King George V, theft of the Irish Crown Jewels in 1907, suspicious death of President Faure of France after the Dreyfus affair, and four notorious murder trials from files kept secret till now for national security.
A Letter to Posterity from John H. Watson, MD
1 The Ghost in the Machine
The Case of the:
2 Crown Jewels
3 Unseen Hand
4 Blood Royal
5 Camden Town Murder
6 Missing Rifleman
7 Yokohama Club
Author's Note
A Letter to Posterity from John H. Watson, MD
1 The Ghost in the Machine
The Case of the:
2 Crown Jewels
3 Unseen Hand
4 Blood Royal
5 Camden Town Murder
6 Missing Rifleman
7 Yokohama Club
Author's Note
343 pages, Hardcover
First published May 23, 1997
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2093 people want to read
About the author
Donald Serrell Thomas
62 books33 followersaka Francis Selwyn
Donald Serrell Thomas is an English author of (primarily) Victorian-era historical, crime and detective fiction, as well as books on factual crime and criminals, in particular several academic books on the history of crime in London. He has written a number of biographies, two volumes of poetry, and has also edited volumes of poetry by John Dryden and the Pre-Raphaelites.
Donald Serrell Thomas is an English author of (primarily) Victorian-era historical, crime and detective fiction, as well as books on factual crime and criminals, in particular several academic books on the history of crime in London. He has written a number of biographies, two volumes of poetry, and has also edited volumes of poetry by John Dryden and the Pre-Raphaelites.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
August 28, 2014
Donald Thomas has written a wonderful Sherlock Holmes pastiche. A pastiche is always a pastiche but sometimes on very rare occasions it can be as good as or even better than the genuine item. Thomas has achieved parity with Conan Doyle.
My view had so far been that Nicholas Meyer's "The Seven-Per-Cent Solution: Being a Reprint from the Reminiscences of John H. Watson, M.D." from 1974 was and would remain the gold standard for Holmes pastiches but I must say that I like Thomas' stories better.
This book has seven adventures each of which is based on historical events as explained by the author in his Note. All stories have an excellent plot and bring the character of the illustrious consulting detective to life.
In the last adventure Holmes ventures all the way to Yokohama and Thomas manages in a very economical but effective to paint a very rich picture of life in a remote British outpost and the people who inhabit it.
The Case of the Blood Royal precedes the events that led to the fateful fight at the Reichenbach Falls with Professor Moriarty. The arch criminal Moriarty makes a short but chilling appearance when he visits Holmes with an offer that turns into an ultimatum that Holmes turns down. The rest is history as they say.
My favorite adventure is the Case of the Unseen Hand where the Dreyfus affair provides the backdrop for our heroes as they help the French government. This is a very atmospheric story that very well manages to capture the terrible injustice that was done to Dreyfus.
This is a highly recommendable book for lovers of Sherlock Holmes in particular but also to those who like a good mystery.
My view had so far been that Nicholas Meyer's "The Seven-Per-Cent Solution: Being a Reprint from the Reminiscences of John H. Watson, M.D." from 1974 was and would remain the gold standard for Holmes pastiches but I must say that I like Thomas' stories better.
This book has seven adventures each of which is based on historical events as explained by the author in his Note. All stories have an excellent plot and bring the character of the illustrious consulting detective to life.
In the last adventure Holmes ventures all the way to Yokohama and Thomas manages in a very economical but effective to paint a very rich picture of life in a remote British outpost and the people who inhabit it.
The Case of the Blood Royal precedes the events that led to the fateful fight at the Reichenbach Falls with Professor Moriarty. The arch criminal Moriarty makes a short but chilling appearance when he visits Holmes with an offer that turns into an ultimatum that Holmes turns down. The rest is history as they say.
My favorite adventure is the Case of the Unseen Hand where the Dreyfus affair provides the backdrop for our heroes as they help the French government. This is a very atmospheric story that very well manages to capture the terrible injustice that was done to Dreyfus.
This is a highly recommendable book for lovers of Sherlock Holmes in particular but also to those who like a good mystery.
August 8, 2025
This is the second collection of Thomas's Holmes pastiches that I've read and it will be the last. Though not terrible, I do find his stories far too dull and dry for my liking.
May 26, 2013
Audiobook read by John Telfer
There seems to be a fascination with providing new stories for Holmes and Watson, and although I prefer Anthony Horowitz, this isn't bad
There seems to be a fascination with providing new stories for Holmes and Watson, and although I prefer Anthony Horowitz, this isn't bad
April 19, 2011
This is Mr. Thomas’ first collection of stories using the characters created by Conan Doyle (although I read it last), written in 1997. For this collection he crafted a longish “framing story” allegedly written by Watson as he prepares the tales for publication. This is a common device used by many authors; in some cases a person finds an old manuscript and purports to be its editor. In his later collections, he dispenses with it entirely. I found his version to be refreshingly different.
Each of the cases that are included is a factual, historical crime or event. The author rewrites them with Holmes and Watson as leading figures and some (as he notes) minor changes to provide a better narrative. In general, they read pretty well and seem in keeping with the main line of Doyle’s own stories.
Where they depart is in Holmes giving up retirement (at least part time) and re-engaging the Baker Street rooms, although Thomas never says if Mrs. Hudson travels back and forth with Holmes, also. In the “official canon” she travels down to Sussex to be his housekeeper in retirement. It’s a minor point, but one that would add more verisimilitude to his “universe”.
The style and skill of an author evolves over time, as do readers tastes. This book confirms that Mr. Thomas, as an established author long before taking pen to Sherlock Holmes’ legacy, had a literary style that was pretty well set. Except for some unusual (one might argue, wild) tales in his latest collections, the style is very factual with less emotion than Doyle, but with dollops of “classic” SH dropped into the text in places. It’s an okay technique but it makes the mood swing in-and-out of where I expect a Holmes story to be. I’m just not a gigantic fan of the method.
The other comment I have on these tales has to do with how Holmes and Watson enter and exit from the stage of history. Because the author is trying to hold to the factual record, the stories are stilted in a way that makes his “retiring” from the conclusion of a case (where the real person must take the final bow) less than satisfying. True, Holmes often kept out of the limelight and let Lestrade and others take public credit for a case, but here the writing puts a further buffer between Holmes and the case. Sometimes it is “natural” in other examples less so (the legal excuse for not staying with in the case of the “Missing Rifleman” once of the more egregious.).
All-in-all, I am giving this book the same rating that I have given all of his SH books so far: “3” when it probably should get “3.5”, but not a “4”. I wish that the next collection of stories might be a) all original crimes and b) a better blending of these special characters and the plots. So, far the one collection of what I think were original tales hasn’t met this goal, but “hope springs eternal”!
Each of the cases that are included is a factual, historical crime or event. The author rewrites them with Holmes and Watson as leading figures and some (as he notes) minor changes to provide a better narrative. In general, they read pretty well and seem in keeping with the main line of Doyle’s own stories.
Where they depart is in Holmes giving up retirement (at least part time) and re-engaging the Baker Street rooms, although Thomas never says if Mrs. Hudson travels back and forth with Holmes, also. In the “official canon” she travels down to Sussex to be his housekeeper in retirement. It’s a minor point, but one that would add more verisimilitude to his “universe”.
The style and skill of an author evolves over time, as do readers tastes. This book confirms that Mr. Thomas, as an established author long before taking pen to Sherlock Holmes’ legacy, had a literary style that was pretty well set. Except for some unusual (one might argue, wild) tales in his latest collections, the style is very factual with less emotion than Doyle, but with dollops of “classic” SH dropped into the text in places. It’s an okay technique but it makes the mood swing in-and-out of where I expect a Holmes story to be. I’m just not a gigantic fan of the method.
The other comment I have on these tales has to do with how Holmes and Watson enter and exit from the stage of history. Because the author is trying to hold to the factual record, the stories are stilted in a way that makes his “retiring” from the conclusion of a case (where the real person must take the final bow) less than satisfying. True, Holmes often kept out of the limelight and let Lestrade and others take public credit for a case, but here the writing puts a further buffer between Holmes and the case. Sometimes it is “natural” in other examples less so (the legal excuse for not staying with in the case of the “Missing Rifleman” once of the more egregious.).
All-in-all, I am giving this book the same rating that I have given all of his SH books so far: “3” when it probably should get “3.5”, but not a “4”. I wish that the next collection of stories might be a) all original crimes and b) a better blending of these special characters and the plots. So, far the one collection of what I think were original tales hasn’t met this goal, but “hope springs eternal”!
February 17, 2017
http://www.b00kr3vi3ws.in/2014/04/Sec...
This is supposed to be the first collection of ‘Sherlock Holmes’ Cases by Donald Thomas. Unfortunately for me, I have read the later books first – but that is only because I like to read books in order. These books can very well be read in any order and also treated as standalones.
This particular book narrates certain cases that are based on true stories from Edwardian Era. Sherlock Holmes, instead of retiring and retreating to Sussex to entertain his hobby of bee-keeping, remained at Baker Street to perform his duties of a consulting detective to solve these actual cases. The cases ranged from the alleged bigamy, to the death of a president, to the theft of the Crown Jewels, to the four of England's most notorious murder trials. The authors take on these cases are really interesting and entertaining, but his delivery of Sherlock Holmes’s handling these cases were perhaps a bit disappointing.
The one thing that is constant in all the Donald Thomas books about Sherlock Holmes is the dynamics between the great detective and Dr.Watson. I am starting to believe that it has been done intentionally – to keep some distinctions from the original works. I cannot say I enjoy this new shade of their relationship as much as the original. However, when judged as an independent book, free from any comparisons, this book can stand tall on its own. Donald Thomas does a great job of narrating the mysteries and the thrills and I can’t help but think that I would have rated these books higher if he had written these as original series of a character created by him than instead of stories of Sherlock Holmes.
This is supposed to be the first collection of ‘Sherlock Holmes’ Cases by Donald Thomas. Unfortunately for me, I have read the later books first – but that is only because I like to read books in order. These books can very well be read in any order and also treated as standalones.
This particular book narrates certain cases that are based on true stories from Edwardian Era. Sherlock Holmes, instead of retiring and retreating to Sussex to entertain his hobby of bee-keeping, remained at Baker Street to perform his duties of a consulting detective to solve these actual cases. The cases ranged from the alleged bigamy, to the death of a president, to the theft of the Crown Jewels, to the four of England's most notorious murder trials. The authors take on these cases are really interesting and entertaining, but his delivery of Sherlock Holmes’s handling these cases were perhaps a bit disappointing.
The one thing that is constant in all the Donald Thomas books about Sherlock Holmes is the dynamics between the great detective and Dr.Watson. I am starting to believe that it has been done intentionally – to keep some distinctions from the original works. I cannot say I enjoy this new shade of their relationship as much as the original. However, when judged as an independent book, free from any comparisons, this book can stand tall on its own. Donald Thomas does a great job of narrating the mysteries and the thrills and I can’t help but think that I would have rated these books higher if he had written these as original series of a character created by him than instead of stories of Sherlock Holmes.
December 21, 2017
Donald Thomas did a wonderful job of writing stories about Sherlock Holmes that match the style of Conan-Doyle. I think anyone who enjoys a good mystery and/or Sherlock Holmes stories will enjoy this book.
January 14, 2017
Very good book about individual cases prefomed by Sherlock Holmes, but by a different writer than the original.
February 10, 2017
I love Sherlock Holmes!
March 5, 2018
Pleasantly surprised as a lot of these takeoffs are not all that good. I liked that the author used actual events to weave the stories around.
October 30, 2023
This is a collection of tales putting Holmes in real life cases. They happened in real life just like they do in the book only with Holmes as the chief detective. Some of these were slogs, the author in his zeal for historical accuracy, forgot that he was actually supposed to write an entertaining tale. A couple do work quite well saving the collection overall, but unfortunately the better part of them just don't.
Can't recommend, again a couple of the tales work quite well (the first and last) but the others are quite weak and uninteresting.
Can't recommend, again a couple of the tales work quite well (the first and last) but the others are quite weak and uninteresting.
March 2, 2021
Unimpressed. These weren't proper Holmes stories, so much as historical mysteries into which Holmes is awkwardly inserted, Forrest Gump style. There's very little actual detection, it's just a retelling of the events, and a theory of what might have happened, which was, in every case, totally obvious to Holmes from the very first instant. I did enjoy spending time finding out about the actual events, though.
September 22, 2023
A plausible patische captures that captures Watson’s retelling voice of former cases of Holmes. The time frame is around Holmes’ retirement prior to WWI.
The cases are built around historical events, which is interesting; however, there seems to be more solution presenting than case solving found in Doyle’s writing.
Overall, Thomas presents a nearly satisfactory fix for those needing more Sherlock Holmes.
The cases are built around historical events, which is interesting; however, there seems to be more solution presenting than case solving found in Doyle’s writing.
Overall, Thomas presents a nearly satisfactory fix for those needing more Sherlock Holmes.
April 10, 2022
An interesting way of presenting Holmes stories.
Thomas takes minor historical events and weaves an untraceable presence of Sherlock .
Seven stories that hold the interest and can mostly be read in one sitting.
Have a clearer understanding of many incidents that happened during those times. Especially enjoyed about the Dreyfus Affair and the Yokohama murder.
Thomas takes minor historical events and weaves an untraceable presence of Sherlock .
Seven stories that hold the interest and can mostly be read in one sitting.
Have a clearer understanding of many incidents that happened during those times. Especially enjoyed about the Dreyfus Affair and the Yokohama murder.
October 14, 2017
Disappointed. Having read the entire Arthur Conan Doyle - Vol 1 & 2 I found some of what I had read there in this book.
March 19, 2018
Some reasonably good short stories
Read
October 29, 2020I read the first two stories of this book in the broader collection Lost Cases of Sherlock Holmes. They were rather ho hum. Neither the plot, characters or writing was compelling.
March 7, 2022
Three and a half star.
November 20, 2023
I am always looking for books about Sherlock Holmes or tie-ins. This volume revealed stories I had never read or heard of before.
February 9, 2025
Real life cases that added Sherlock Holmes. Interesting cases. An average read
March 15, 2024
Brilliant ! A must read. Seven tales of Sherlock Holmes, deftly woven seamlessly around real crimes that make great reading. This is one of the best SH pastiche authors to date, worthy of Doyle's mantel, and is a great loss to the noble art of the wordsmith.
January 23, 2013
Well. Slightly better than Sherlock Holmes and the Ghosts of Bly. The stories in The Secret Cases of Sherlock Holmes was mostly just boring rather than being hideous.
I only managed to read the first four (out of the seven) stories before giving up on the book in boredom. I think "The Ghost in the Machine" was the best of the bunch. It included a decent mystery with a clear resolution.
I found the story "The Case of the Unseen Hand" to be very confusing. Doyle's stories always had a clearly defined mystery, but I couldn't tell you what, if any, mystery was included in "The Case of the Unseen Hand".
I only managed to read the first four (out of the seven) stories before giving up on the book in boredom. I think "The Ghost in the Machine" was the best of the bunch. It included a decent mystery with a clear resolution.
I found the story "The Case of the Unseen Hand" to be very confusing. Doyle's stories always had a clearly defined mystery, but I couldn't tell you what, if any, mystery was included in "The Case of the Unseen Hand".
July 8, 2012
The book is based on a supposition that if Sherlock Holmes had not retired in 1903, he would have investigated a number of England's most infamous crimes. The supposed crimes are the alleged bigamy of George V, the theft of the Irish Crown Jewels, the death of President Faure of France, and four of England's most notorious murder trials. Of course, the cases are told by Dr. Watson. Not the best of the secret cases of Holmes I have read, but worthwhile.
August 10, 2015
Finally! an excellent addition to the Sherlock Holmes mysteries! Well done! Only one tiny editing error in the whole book that I picked up on--I'm not nit-picking--it was a time that provided an alibi, so the detail was crucial. Especially well done considering the historical placement and attention to actual historical facts and details.
Read
November 7, 2013I started reading this because I thought the idea was clever, but I kept forgetting I was reading it and found the notes on the actual crimes more interesting. Eventually I ran out of renewals at the library and just gave up on it.
May 30, 2014
The original review of this book is posted on my blog...
To read the original review of this book, click here...
October 2, 2016
I enjoyed the premise of inserting Holmes and Watson into historical events involving crimes. They felt like homes and Watson; however, in some instances, the sequence of events was hard to follow and Holmes' involvement felt awkward. Overall, a fun book, but not one I'll reread.
June 2, 2018
Enjoyable pastiche. Thomas inserts Holmes into real cases, the reader learns some history along with solving mysteries. One result is that the crimes often go officially unsolved, as they did in real life, but Conan Doyle also ended a number of stories this way.
April 2, 2010
i found this in a thrift store and haven't read all the cases yet but what I have read is superb.
June 24, 2015
Certainly written in the manner of Doyle, but I found the stories slow moving and some a little predictable.
July 30, 2015
Not as great as the original but in some cases more awesome and in some not as much :D
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews