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Sherlock Holmes Adventures #5
Un certain Dr Watson
Médecin militaire en Afghanistan eu 1880, John Walker fuit l'horreur des combats pour se réfugier dans l'alcool. Déshonoré, il est chassé de l'armée et renvoyé en Angleterre. Lors du voyage de retour, il tombe entre les mains d'un mystérieux réseau aux activités troubles. Il découvre bientôt que le chef est le professeur Moriarty, qui le rebaptise Watson et lui confie la mission d'espionner un jeune détective ;dont la réputation ne cesse de croître à Londres, Sherlock Holmes.
Mais Watson et Holmes se lient bientôt d'amitié le docteur s'efforce alors de se défaire de l'emprise de Moriarty entreprise mortelle...
Mais Watson et Holmes se lient bientôt d'amitié le docteur s'efforce alors de se défaire de l'emprise de Moriarty entreprise mortelle...
293 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
63 people are currently reading
3207 people want to read
About the author
David Stuart Davies
183 books139 followersDavid Stuart Davies was a British writer. He worked as a teacher of English before becoming a full-time editor, writer, and playwright. Davies wrote extensively about Sherlock Holmes, both fiction and non-fiction. He was the editor of Red Herrings, the monthly in-house publication of the Crime Writers' Association, and a member of The Baker Street Irregulars and the Detection Club.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
January 9, 2012
Ah, the delightful world of ‘what if’. What if everything we thought we knew about Dr. John H. Watson was a lie? What if Watson wasn’t really Watson? What if the events surrounding the momentous meeting between Holmes and Watson in A Study in Scarlet was all a set-up orchestrated by that criminal mastermind Moriarty? What if David Stuart Davies took the above as a starting point for a new pastiche?
Well, to answer the last ‘what if’, the result is David Stuart Davies first pastiche to be published by a non-Sherlockian press - The Veiled Detective. While Davies is no stranger to Sherlockian pastiche, having thrown Holmes up against the likes of Dracula and into the midst of the Prisoner of Zenda, The Veiled Detective takes Holmes, to say nothing of Watson, along a very different path. Rather than taking the traditional approach of throwing Holmes and Watson into non-traditional stories, Davies instead reimagines the very core of what we know about our heroes. In essence he has taken the traditional Holmes story, in this case mostly using A Study in Scarlet and later The Final Problem, and changed the basic characters populating it. Not in an altogether unpleasing manner either.
Davies begins on a strong note, we find ourselves privy to events in Afghanistan on a fateful night in 1880 that lead to the court martial and disgraced dismissal of Dr. John H. Walker. While heading back to England aboard the Orontes, the despondent Doctor, facing a future with no employment or prospects for income, finds himself being recruited for some enigmatic business concern by a suave fellow who keeps mistakenly calling him Watson. Upon arriving in England, Walker soon finds himself face to face with that great over-used Sherlockian plot-device Professor James Moriarty and here is where the plot begins to thicken. You see, the Professor is concerned about some young upstart named Sherlock Holmes, while he admires Holmes intellect, he also wisely sees the young detective as a potentially serious threat to the well being of his vast criminal organization so wishes to keep an eye on the fellow. Rather than simply have Holmes killed, he enjoys the challenge of playing a game against a comparable intellect too much, so he invests in a plan to put a spy in Holmes’ camp who can report back on any potentially threatening investigations. Walker is of course just the fellow for the job according to Moriarity’s recruiter, but he is an honorable man and wants no part in the plan… until his life is threatened and a handsome monthly payment is dangled before his eyes. Reluctantly Walker is given a new name (Watson) and his background is effectively covered up so that he can begin a new life. He rationalizes his acceptance of the spying job by thinking that he will never have to raise a hand in violence and that all he need do is send written reports to Moriarty if Holmes comes too close to any of the Professor’s machinations. So in short, John H. Walker becomes a half-pay medico called Watson newly returned from Afghanistan looking for lodgings in London. If that isn’t twisted enough for the reader, Davies then really lays on the tough to swallow stuff by having the house in Baker Street set-up by Moriarty, even including a dodgy actress as housekeeper, has pressure applied to Holmes landlord in Montague Street to evict the young lodger, and uses Stamford’s gambling debts to manipulate an introduction between Watson and Holmes that leads to their sharing of rooms. Once the introduction occurs, things settle into mostly familiar territory and a slightly skewed version of the main plot of A Study in Scarlet unfolds. Walker/Watson develops an admiration of the arrogant young detective and a protective friendship develops. Walker/Watson goes so far as to keep very damaging information, the sort that could put Holmes on the gallows, from both Moriarty and the Law. Things move along so well for Walker/Watson through The Sign of Four that Moriarty even allows him to marry and move from Baker Street. Needless to say, sooner or later things start to unravel leading, rather predictably, to a climax that is a variation of events in The Final Problem.
Davies, as usual, demonstrates an engaging style and useful knowledge of the form that is never totally at odds with the Canon. The exception being, of course, that Watson has lied to us. He deftly weaves a world that is both instantly familiar yet radically at odds with our expectations. Unfortunately, the radical start, labyrinthine plotting aside, soon gives way to a sense that Davies is playing it safe after-all. Sure he throws a few curveballs in presenting a warts and all view of Holmes, and an even odder view of brother Mycroft, but one gets the sense that he could have pushed the intriguing premise considerably further. I’m not suggesting the sort of re-imagining that we were given in the television production Sherlock: A Case of Evil but I did feel that having everything settle into the Canonical view post-Reichenbach was something of a let-down. Is it as radical a re-imagining of events as in say Nick Meyer’s Seven Percent Solution? Possibly. Does it transcend the medium of pastiche and will it crossover to a mainstream readership in the same way? Not a chance. Is it as good or will it have the same sort of impact on the Sherlockian reader? Doubtful at best, but perhaps that is the result of 30 years of pastichery that has taken Sherlock Holmes to almost every extreme, dulling our senses to what should be a radical interpretation, that in the end makes this seem like just another well-written and researched ‘what if’ that didn’t quite push the envelope as far as it might have. Whatever the case, it is an entertaining enough variation to make it a worthwhile read and addition to the Sherlockian pastiche bookshelf!
The Bottom Line: Recommended for pastiche enthusiasts who enjoy something off the beaten path, but not recommended for those who prefer the traditional pastiche approach.
Well, to answer the last ‘what if’, the result is David Stuart Davies first pastiche to be published by a non-Sherlockian press - The Veiled Detective. While Davies is no stranger to Sherlockian pastiche, having thrown Holmes up against the likes of Dracula and into the midst of the Prisoner of Zenda, The Veiled Detective takes Holmes, to say nothing of Watson, along a very different path. Rather than taking the traditional approach of throwing Holmes and Watson into non-traditional stories, Davies instead reimagines the very core of what we know about our heroes. In essence he has taken the traditional Holmes story, in this case mostly using A Study in Scarlet and later The Final Problem, and changed the basic characters populating it. Not in an altogether unpleasing manner either.
Davies begins on a strong note, we find ourselves privy to events in Afghanistan on a fateful night in 1880 that lead to the court martial and disgraced dismissal of Dr. John H. Walker. While heading back to England aboard the Orontes, the despondent Doctor, facing a future with no employment or prospects for income, finds himself being recruited for some enigmatic business concern by a suave fellow who keeps mistakenly calling him Watson. Upon arriving in England, Walker soon finds himself face to face with that great over-used Sherlockian plot-device Professor James Moriarty and here is where the plot begins to thicken. You see, the Professor is concerned about some young upstart named Sherlock Holmes, while he admires Holmes intellect, he also wisely sees the young detective as a potentially serious threat to the well being of his vast criminal organization so wishes to keep an eye on the fellow. Rather than simply have Holmes killed, he enjoys the challenge of playing a game against a comparable intellect too much, so he invests in a plan to put a spy in Holmes’ camp who can report back on any potentially threatening investigations. Walker is of course just the fellow for the job according to Moriarity’s recruiter, but he is an honorable man and wants no part in the plan… until his life is threatened and a handsome monthly payment is dangled before his eyes. Reluctantly Walker is given a new name (Watson) and his background is effectively covered up so that he can begin a new life. He rationalizes his acceptance of the spying job by thinking that he will never have to raise a hand in violence and that all he need do is send written reports to Moriarty if Holmes comes too close to any of the Professor’s machinations. So in short, John H. Walker becomes a half-pay medico called Watson newly returned from Afghanistan looking for lodgings in London. If that isn’t twisted enough for the reader, Davies then really lays on the tough to swallow stuff by having the house in Baker Street set-up by Moriarty, even including a dodgy actress as housekeeper, has pressure applied to Holmes landlord in Montague Street to evict the young lodger, and uses Stamford’s gambling debts to manipulate an introduction between Watson and Holmes that leads to their sharing of rooms. Once the introduction occurs, things settle into mostly familiar territory and a slightly skewed version of the main plot of A Study in Scarlet unfolds. Walker/Watson develops an admiration of the arrogant young detective and a protective friendship develops. Walker/Watson goes so far as to keep very damaging information, the sort that could put Holmes on the gallows, from both Moriarty and the Law. Things move along so well for Walker/Watson through The Sign of Four that Moriarty even allows him to marry and move from Baker Street. Needless to say, sooner or later things start to unravel leading, rather predictably, to a climax that is a variation of events in The Final Problem.
Davies, as usual, demonstrates an engaging style and useful knowledge of the form that is never totally at odds with the Canon. The exception being, of course, that Watson has lied to us. He deftly weaves a world that is both instantly familiar yet radically at odds with our expectations. Unfortunately, the radical start, labyrinthine plotting aside, soon gives way to a sense that Davies is playing it safe after-all. Sure he throws a few curveballs in presenting a warts and all view of Holmes, and an even odder view of brother Mycroft, but one gets the sense that he could have pushed the intriguing premise considerably further. I’m not suggesting the sort of re-imagining that we were given in the television production Sherlock: A Case of Evil but I did feel that having everything settle into the Canonical view post-Reichenbach was something of a let-down. Is it as radical a re-imagining of events as in say Nick Meyer’s Seven Percent Solution? Possibly. Does it transcend the medium of pastiche and will it crossover to a mainstream readership in the same way? Not a chance. Is it as good or will it have the same sort of impact on the Sherlockian reader? Doubtful at best, but perhaps that is the result of 30 years of pastichery that has taken Sherlock Holmes to almost every extreme, dulling our senses to what should be a radical interpretation, that in the end makes this seem like just another well-written and researched ‘what if’ that didn’t quite push the envelope as far as it might have. Whatever the case, it is an entertaining enough variation to make it a worthwhile read and addition to the Sherlockian pastiche bookshelf!
The Bottom Line: Recommended for pastiche enthusiasts who enjoy something off the beaten path, but not recommended for those who prefer the traditional pastiche approach.
July 22, 2012
I loved the concept, but I felt the execution was lacking. It seems like Davies pulled his punches. As a result, it doesn't make anyone very happy, not purists or people accepting of a non-traditional Holmes story. But it's not bad... just boring, in a way. In fact, I lost most of my interest in the middle of the book, when it became a pretty straightforward retelling of A Study in Scarlet. Which, if I wanted to read, I would just... read. It's a good thing I got through it, because it does pick up at the end but by that time it was too little, too late.
May 5, 2012
Bad writing plus unoriginal plot elements equals Fan-fiction at its worst. First I will tackle the bad writing. Constant P O V shifts between first and third person, omniscient head hopping and more telling than showing. All rookie mistakes that I admit I am guilty of myself. The difference is that I do not have a published novel.
The only unique element in this book that Watson is really working for Moriarty. The professor hired ex Army doctor, John Walker, to spy on an up and coming young mind named Sherlock Holmes. There is no mystery in here just plot twists that the reader can see coming pages in advance. Variations on many classic Holmes Tales make it necessary for the reader to be familiar with the canon before picking up this Fan-fiction novel.
The only unique element in this book that Watson is really working for Moriarty. The professor hired ex Army doctor, John Walker, to spy on an up and coming young mind named Sherlock Holmes. There is no mystery in here just plot twists that the reader can see coming pages in advance. Variations on many classic Holmes Tales make it necessary for the reader to be familiar with the canon before picking up this Fan-fiction novel.
March 5, 2012
I didn't much care for Davies' Holmes vs. Dracula novel, 'The Tangled Skein'. This one, however, was pretty good. It's a daring and plausible take on the Baker Street sleuth and his supporting cast, one in which Moriarty's network of associates include a disgraced army Doctor back from Afghanistan, a middle-aged actress named Kitty Hudson and a burly gent who frequents the Diogenes Club...
The mark of good Holmes pastiche is that it makes you look at the canon with new eyes, at least for a while, instead of simply adding slavish imitations to the list of cases solved, or gratuitously flinging Holmes into far-fetched situations for novelty value, and this novel passes that test.
The mark of good Holmes pastiche is that it makes you look at the canon with new eyes, at least for a while, instead of simply adding slavish imitations to the list of cases solved, or gratuitously flinging Holmes into far-fetched situations for novelty value, and this novel passes that test.
April 26, 2025
ترجمة رائعة، قصة رائعة، حبكة موازية لعالم السير الراحل، العظيم آرثر كونان دويل... إن هذا العمل بمثابة جوهرة لمحبي شيرلوك.
July 29, 2012
A very good Sherlock Holmes pastiche. A what-if scenario. What if John Watson wasn't John Watson but John Walker? What if he was dishonorably discharged? What if he was recruited by James Moriarty to spy on Sherlock Holmes?
What an intriguing idea! And the first third of the book is excellent, the set-up, Moriarty pulling all the threads together, weaving a net around Sherlock Holmes. I read it with a bated breath, curious about what would happen next. Unfortunately, Davies then tackles "A Study in Scarlet" in great detail and with that the story falls apart a bit.
"A Study in Scarlet" is, in my humble opinion, the weakest of all Doyle's Sherlock Holmes works. And Davies' version isn't any better. The second third is basically about Holmes and Watson's first case and Watson's courtship of Mary Morstan. Both of which the reader knows by heart, so the book starts to feel tedious.
The last third then leads to Reichenbach - where Holmes' encounter with Moriarty ends in a different way than in Doyle's books. During the last third you also finally start seeing and feeling the friendship between Holmes and Watson. Yet it cannot erase the boring middle.
This is the second book by David Stuart Davies that I read and I'm starting to notice a pattern - he knows how to write a strong beginning and an emotional ending but he flounders terribly in the middle. It's too bad. I would've loved to give the book more stars for the sake of his wonderful idea alone!
What an intriguing idea! And the first third of the book is excellent, the set-up, Moriarty pulling all the threads together, weaving a net around Sherlock Holmes. I read it with a bated breath, curious about what would happen next. Unfortunately, Davies then tackles "A Study in Scarlet" in great detail and with that the story falls apart a bit.
"A Study in Scarlet" is, in my humble opinion, the weakest of all Doyle's Sherlock Holmes works. And Davies' version isn't any better. The second third is basically about Holmes and Watson's first case and Watson's courtship of Mary Morstan. Both of which the reader knows by heart, so the book starts to feel tedious.
The last third then leads to Reichenbach - where Holmes' encounter with Moriarty ends in a different way than in Doyle's books. During the last third you also finally start seeing and feeling the friendship between Holmes and Watson. Yet it cannot erase the boring middle.
This is the second book by David Stuart Davies that I read and I'm starting to notice a pattern - he knows how to write a strong beginning and an emotional ending but he flounders terribly in the middle. It's too bad. I would've loved to give the book more stars for the sake of his wonderful idea alone!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 20, 2019
Ever wondered what a pastiche would look like if someone tries to cram all Sherlock Holmes clichés, myths and characters into one story? Then you have come to the right place! This book includes - but is not limited to - such gems as [MINOR SPOILERS]: An exaggerated drug habit, Holmes murdering people for justice, Moriarty and Mycroft in league with each other, awkward and open conversations about sex (which feel kinda out of place in a novel set in victorian times by the way), Watson lying in his stories to hide the truth - and more! If that's your sort of thing, then you probably will enjoy this novel. Otherwise... well, you'll give it 2 stars. But only because somehow you kept on reading till the end - hoping for a plot-twist, which would reveal that this book is really a Sherlock Holmes parody rather than a 'Further Adventure'. Unfortunately the 'twist' is the lame thing you've seen coming from the beginning...
December 25, 2018
It's not very different from what Arthur wrote.. the books tells the events from the first encounter between Sherlock and Watson
To Reichenbach Falls
Only one thing is different.. Watson and Sherlock's meet wasn't an accident.
To Reichenbach Falls
Only one thing is different.. Watson and Sherlock's meet wasn't an accident.
August 7, 2024
It is kinda of Sherlock Holmes retelling I was so entertained and shocked all the book
June 29, 2012
I thought this book started off pretty bland and the extensive passages copied from Study In Scarlet, The Final Problem were frankly the highlight of the book... It seems a bit like cheating to be able to do so and change a bit of here and there to make it into a sort of alternate universe fan fiction.
But it was the clear intention of the author to make all characters darker than the canon made them, which served to make me intrigued and curious enough to finish it and see where it would lead.
John Walker, later John Watson, is hired by Moriarty who takes advantage of his dishonorable discharge from the army, to befriend Sherlock Holmes, spy on him and report back to him. Walker reluctantly agrees, largely in fear of his life and because he is virtually an outcast. That much for 'It is my greatest joy and privilege to help you.' Apparently Moriarty is aware of the threat Holmes poses but at the same time is entertained enough by his genius so similar to his own that he doesn't want to kill him just yet but doesn't want him meddling too much in his affairs either. Walker / Watson accepts all this a bit too quietly and quickly, for a man whose high moral standards are above all else (well at least if you go about the canon). Cue some unrealistic chain of events which serve to bring Holmes and Watson together living at 221B, in which it becomes apparent that Stamford, Mrs Hudson and Holmes' former landlord are all part of Moriarty's chain. The events of Study in Scarlet begin to unfold, with a twist at the end. Unbelievable as it may have seemed at the start, Holmes and Watson do befriend each other, Watson's reports to Moriarty reflect his loyalty to Holmes and there is even a nice passage where Watson reflects he must be his friend's protector, from Moriarty but mostly from himself.
As events continue to unfold towards the inevitable outcome of 'The Final Problem', the author suddenly realizes that everyone has been too nice for too many pages and decides to make Mycroft part of Moriarty's organization too....with just as little motivation as Mrs Hudson or Stamford....well, maybe even *less* of a motivation, really - Mycroft being so much cleverer than them. This was seriously too silly for words.
On the whole, the high point of this book was the friendship between H&W, but I doubt that the author's twists from the canon reached their apparent purpose to bring these two even closer and more motivated to fight Moriarty than the original stories did.
Despite its obvious flaws, I was interested enough to keep reading and curious how it was going to progress so it can't have been that bad.
Memorable quotes: "Man’s law is ephemeral and arbitrary. It shifts and alters on the tide of changing perceptions of society. Believe me, Watson, it is no measure by which to judge. True, refined, objective justice is timeless."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 26, 2012
Just as a warning: This is full of spoilers.
This is a deer in the headlights book. A watching an accident and just can't take your eyes off of it book. I hated it but just could not stop reading it. It sucked me in and kept me there, watching all sorts of absolutely WRONG things happening to some very beloved characters. So---I'm supposed to believe that just about everybody of importance in the Sherlock Holmes stories was in Moriarty's pay or connected to his diabolical organization in some way??? That Watson and Mrs. Hudson and MYCROFT are all on the Professor's payroll? That Moriarty OWNS 221 B Baker Street? Right. Yeah, I'm swallowing that one (or three or however many impossible things I'm supposed to believe--before or after breakfast). And, yet, I could not put the thing down. I finished it off in one afternoon. I suppose so I could have the dreadful thing done and off my hands. If you want a book you can't put down, then this may be the book for you. If you're looking for a good Holmes and Watson story that works well with what you know of the canon, not so much.
This review was first posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
This is a deer in the headlights book. A watching an accident and just can't take your eyes off of it book. I hated it but just could not stop reading it. It sucked me in and kept me there, watching all sorts of absolutely WRONG things happening to some very beloved characters. So---I'm supposed to believe that just about everybody of importance in the Sherlock Holmes stories was in Moriarty's pay or connected to his diabolical organization in some way??? That Watson and Mrs. Hudson and MYCROFT are all on the Professor's payroll? That Moriarty OWNS 221 B Baker Street? Right. Yeah, I'm swallowing that one (or three or however many impossible things I'm supposed to believe--before or after breakfast). And, yet, I could not put the thing down. I finished it off in one afternoon. I suppose so I could have the dreadful thing done and off my hands. If you want a book you can't put down, then this may be the book for you. If you're looking for a good Holmes and Watson story that works well with what you know of the canon, not so much.
This review was first posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 20, 2016
I really wanted to like this, but I just really can't :(
Our precious doctor is working for Moriarty after a dishonorable discharge from the army. Strike 1. No matter what gender or race Watson is, Watson is always good. (However, go read A Study in Emerald for a good AU. Waaayyyy better than this. Also only like 12 pages and FREE!) Yet Davies has one of the most honorable men in literature and completely changes what we know about him. This just hurt. A lot. It frankly left me feeling empty.
It pulls a canon divergence halfway through the timeline of A Study in Scarlet. Like, go big or go homes please. (See A Study in Emerald ^)
Finally, MYCROFT FREAKING HOLMES AND JAMES MORIARTY SEEMINGLY WORKING TOGETHER. STOP. DO NOT PASS GO AND DO NOT COLLECT $200. NO. #IBelieveInMycroftHolmes
Two good things did come out of this. 1) Sherlock decks Watson and it. Is. BEAUTIFUL.
2) More Watson/Mary scenes. They are the cutest.
Recommended 13+ for drinking, violence, language, and murder.
Our precious doctor is working for Moriarty after a dishonorable discharge from the army. Strike 1. No matter what gender or race Watson is, Watson is always good. (However, go read A Study in Emerald for a good AU. Waaayyyy better than this. Also only like 12 pages and FREE!) Yet Davies has one of the most honorable men in literature and completely changes what we know about him. This just hurt. A lot. It frankly left me feeling empty.
It pulls a canon divergence halfway through the timeline of A Study in Scarlet. Like, go big or go homes please. (See A Study in Emerald ^)
Finally, MYCROFT FREAKING HOLMES AND JAMES MORIARTY SEEMINGLY WORKING TOGETHER. STOP. DO NOT PASS GO AND DO NOT COLLECT $200. NO. #IBelieveInMycroftHolmes
Two good things did come out of this. 1) Sherlock decks Watson and it. Is. BEAUTIFUL.
2) More Watson/Mary scenes. They are the cutest.
Recommended 13+ for drinking, violence, language, and murder.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 25, 2020
** SPOILERS AHEAD **
An alternate version of the Canon starting with A Study in Scarlet with bits of The Sign of Four and ending with The Final Problem.
Started off great, but lost steam in the middle. Some of the characters were forgotten and some have been reserved for an obvious sequel (?), that never happened to the best of my knowledge. Disappointed to say the least...
Interestingly, I found that some of the plot lines were referenced or touched upon in BBC Sherlock. I will leave it to the readers to discover these for themselves.
Only recommended to completists or readers with both time and money to expend.
An alternate version of the Canon starting with A Study in Scarlet with bits of The Sign of Four and ending with The Final Problem.
Started off great, but lost steam in the middle. Some of the characters were forgotten and some have been reserved for an obvious sequel (?), that never happened to the best of my knowledge. Disappointed to say the least...
Interestingly, I found that some of the plot lines were referenced or touched upon in BBC Sherlock. I will leave it to the readers to discover these for themselves.
Only recommended to completists or readers with both time and money to expend.
September 24, 2012
This pastiche novel makes for a swift read. It starts with a bang: without giving you major spoilers –that you can read on other’s reviews anyway- everything we read in “A study in scarlet” was a setup by the very own Moriarty to follow up the steps of our consulting detective.
The novel lags in the middle but still the author manages to keep us turning the pages to find out what is next. Some may find annoying the change of the POV from first to third person but I find it a valid narrative resource.
As recommendable as fast food fare for the weekend.
The novel lags in the middle but still the author manages to keep us turning the pages to find out what is next. Some may find annoying the change of the POV from first to third person but I find it a valid narrative resource.
As recommendable as fast food fare for the weekend.
July 27, 2015
This was probably the least engaging Sherlock Holmes pastiche that I've ever come across, the premise itself seemed so preposterous at first that it took me sometime to get used to it, but in the end I was left disappointed. The story completely lacks Doyle's signature style of writing, that sense of intrigue and suspense which makes a good Sherlock Holmes adventure, this novel basically provides a sort of backstory to the Sherlock Holmes and Watson characters albeit not a very convincing one.
I would definitely not recommend this one to mystery lovers not even Sherlock enthusiasts.
I would definitely not recommend this one to mystery lovers not even Sherlock enthusiasts.
January 11, 2013
This is one of my absolute favourite book adaptations of Sherlock Holmes. It's written very well, and draws you in and keeps you focused. The relationship between Holmes and Watson is especially interesting in this book, as it differs greatly in some ways from canon, but not in an absurd or unbelievable manner. I'd recommend this book to everybody, especially those who enjoy Sherlock Holmes stories and mysteries.
December 5, 2011
Davies re-writes the origins of the Holmes/Watson/Mrs Hudson relationship and even throws in a curve ball about Mycroft. While generally, I prefer that pastiches merely add to the Holmes casebook and not redefine the characters, I did find the book enjoyable.
I only gave the book three stars as I was just a little disappointed with the re-working of several major Holmes events.
I only gave the book three stars as I was just a little disappointed with the re-working of several major Holmes events.
October 17, 2018
now i am hooked. This was such a great, easy and creative book. i was hooked after the first page.
The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.
i would highly recommend this author and this book.
The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.
i would highly recommend this author and this book.
December 12, 2017
I guess I just was not as interested as I thought I would be in Watson trying to cover up his past enough to finish this one.
Watson working for Moriarty WTF?? I left after that.
Watson working for Moriarty WTF?? I left after that.
November 20, 2012
Although Doyle’s original stories and novels bear up well under repeated readings, with nuances that–as with all the best literature–appear and change with the reader’s own experience, Holmesian fiction allows writers to explore aspects of 221B of which Doyle afforded us only the barest glimpse. We get to ask, “What was it like?” “What if?” And, thanks to Watson’s notorious lack of attention to the proper details (ladies’ dresses lovingly described, dates mangled beyond recognition), we also can speculate as to what really happened.
The Veiled Detective tackles each of these questions–most particularly the last.
The book starts off with a shock. To the reader. It’s Afghanistan, it’s Maiwand, and here’s British Army surgeon, John Walker, emerging from his tent, exhausted and traumatized by all of the…
Yes. I said “Walker.”
Even at that early stage of my acquaintance with Holmes’ Boswell, I read that–and no doubt re-read it–with a sense of indignation. “That’s not his name. Honestly, people, get it right, it’s….” You get the picture.
But I read on, and guess what? That is his name. Or was, and it’s the name his Captain calls him when he rouses him from the drunken stupor he’s lying in, under the dead tree which gives him refuge from the dying men he can no longer face. Brandy is the best medicine for guilt, he thinks, but it also turns out to be the liquid road to court martial, and—
That’s right. Court martial. Drunk on duty. No jezail bullet, anywhere. Three months in a Kandahar gaol, no enteric fever. Drummed out. No army pension. Still no kith nor kin in England, though. Absolutely nothing at all.
No worries about Holmes, though. Holmes is the same. He’s younger, living on Montague Street, trying to make a go of the whole “consulting detective” thing. Here he is, foiling a safe-cracking team by tricking them into hiring him as a “lookout.” Scotland Yard doesn’t pay, unfortunately, nor is he getting the challenges his mind requires, but at least he’s got enough for the cocaine bottle. He suggests to Lestrade that the criminals he’s bringing in are just minor operatives in a larger enterprise, but Lestrade doesn’t believe him. He believes him even less when Holmes says he suspects someone is toying with him, testing him, targeting him in particular. It makes the detective’s work more interesting, however, and he’s excited to (finally!) find the occasional case which stretches his skills. The letter-writer takes snuff and wears a large ring, he tells his client. He is a much better cracksman than one might think.
Moriarty appreciates that skill, and the note. In return, he manipulates Holmes into a new flat, complete with landlady and flatmate.
Back on the steamship Orontes, John Walker finds his court-martial has made the papers and everyone knows who he is and what he has done. They treat him accordingly. He contemplates going overboard more than once, and is only saved by the appearance of the well-dressed, sympathetic Alexander Reed, who confides to Walker that he, too, was once in the exact same position, but now has a happy, prosperous life. This, and (again) brandy, is all it takes for Walker to unburden himself to the former Captain for hours in the ship’s bar, and by the time the Orontes docks, the doctor hopes his confidante might help him secure employment. Reed does occasional “recruiting;” there just might be a special position for Walker within his firm.
Reed’s boss agrees. He’s been looking for a man like Walker, so he offers him a simple proposition: take the job, stay alive.
So it is that Walker, cloaked in a new name and heroic backstory, finds himself at the Criterion Bar, meeting an old Bart’s colleague, Stamford, who will be able to pay off his most recent gambling debts after he introduces Walker/Watson to the odd duck who beats corpses and devises tests for haemoglobin in the lab. The man should be looking for lodgings instead, seeing as his Montague street landlord has unaccountably evicted him. Holmes’ situation is desperate enough that he’s happy to take the rooms Stamford suggested, with the wounded veteran the suddenly handy Stamford just happened to run into; after all, the man has normal bachelor vices and is all right with the violin, as long as it isn’t played badly. Now he has a nice set of rooms, a sounding-board, and Watson…well, Watson has someone fascinating to observe and follow around on cases and write about….
In detailed reports, which he posts regularly to Professor James Moriarty, in consideration of which he receives £100 per month, and his heartbeat.
The lonely genius Moriarty, for his part, now has both a worthy opponent and someone in the enemy camp. With the right jerks on the strings, he can even make Watson perform acts of sabotage and (further) betrayal if necessary. It’s the perfect arrangement, really. What could possibly go wrong?
David Stuart Davies has taken the stories we know so well and turned them, displaying them from another, slightly skewed, angle. Davies presents theses “true” versions of Watson’s stories so tightly that I really couldn’t find any holes. If anything, The Veiled Detective answers the question of how some of the most confusing problems with Watson’s writings came about. During SIGN, for instance, the doctor admits that he was so besotted with Mary Morstan that he can barely remember anything else about the case, and ended up making up most of what we've read out of wholecloth. Other stories, Watson says, were embellished to make them longer and more interesting. All that Alkali plains drama, for instance. Another, in particular, was changed to protect Holmes from prosecution for something rather more complex than breaking and entering. The detective’s willingness to overstep the law in search of justice, we find, was always a part of his makeup.
Davies does a wonderful job of reimagining Holmes’ and Watson’s adventures in this slightly bent world, but he does an even more masterful job with the people in it. Moriarty, Moran, Reed, and the redoubtable Scoular (with whom Holmes actually has the brilliant exchange Watson gives Moriarty in FINA) are fascinating, in the way of all poisonous snakes. You won’t be able to look away. Minor characters, such as Mrs. Hudson (who is not exactly as you remember her), Mary, Stamford, and Lestrade are handled with depth, sensitivity, and occasional humor, yet are not permitted to clutter the stage.
As for Holmes and Watson themselves…. Where Doyle only allows hints of their inner lives to show through, Davies pokes at these hidden fires, making them blaze brilliantly through the grate. The Veiled Detective is written as an omniscient third-person/Walker’s journal combination, which allows the author to compensate for the doctor’s narrative deficiencies, and the fact that he cannot be in two places at once. Watson is the loyal, responsible, emotional romantic we love from canon, albeit a little more perceptive and less admiring than he portrays himself in the stories. Unfortunately, the same virtues which make him the most faithful friend in literature also lead him to a moment of moral failure which ultimately so compromises him that he cannot even live under his own name. Yet Walker never allows his circumstances to change his core decency. If, at the end of the book, he feels transformed, the reader knows that he’s really just been refined.
Readers who love a glimpse of the younger Sherlock Holmes will appreciate Davies’ portrayal. In his late twenties, Holmes is on the threshold. He’s not always aware of how he appears or sounds to others. He goes to extremes in his efforts to achieve total self-control. While he’s confident in his deductive powers, almost to the point of arrogance, he’s actually a man who makes snap character judgments and lets those judgments steer his actions–again, to extremes. In Davies’ retelling of STUD, for instance, Holmes doesn’t yet have the experience to see how Jefferson Hope’s bitterness has led him into madness. Another snap judgment, however, this one on the character of the apparently uninjured “invalided” Army doctor standing before him amidst the test tubes, leads him to a friend who, indeed, “sticks closer than a brother.”
I’m struck again by how layered this story is, and how much more I got out of a second reading than I did the first. It takes skill to take a conceit that changes a familiar, much-loved world–”what if John Watson were not who he claimed to be?”–and then to use that statement, with all that logically follows, to illuminate that world instead.
The Veiled Detective tackles each of these questions–most particularly the last.
The book starts off with a shock. To the reader. It’s Afghanistan, it’s Maiwand, and here’s British Army surgeon, John Walker, emerging from his tent, exhausted and traumatized by all of the…
Yes. I said “Walker.”
Even at that early stage of my acquaintance with Holmes’ Boswell, I read that–and no doubt re-read it–with a sense of indignation. “That’s not his name. Honestly, people, get it right, it’s….” You get the picture.
But I read on, and guess what? That is his name. Or was, and it’s the name his Captain calls him when he rouses him from the drunken stupor he’s lying in, under the dead tree which gives him refuge from the dying men he can no longer face. Brandy is the best medicine for guilt, he thinks, but it also turns out to be the liquid road to court martial, and—
That’s right. Court martial. Drunk on duty. No jezail bullet, anywhere. Three months in a Kandahar gaol, no enteric fever. Drummed out. No army pension. Still no kith nor kin in England, though. Absolutely nothing at all.
No worries about Holmes, though. Holmes is the same. He’s younger, living on Montague Street, trying to make a go of the whole “consulting detective” thing. Here he is, foiling a safe-cracking team by tricking them into hiring him as a “lookout.” Scotland Yard doesn’t pay, unfortunately, nor is he getting the challenges his mind requires, but at least he’s got enough for the cocaine bottle. He suggests to Lestrade that the criminals he’s bringing in are just minor operatives in a larger enterprise, but Lestrade doesn’t believe him. He believes him even less when Holmes says he suspects someone is toying with him, testing him, targeting him in particular. It makes the detective’s work more interesting, however, and he’s excited to (finally!) find the occasional case which stretches his skills. The letter-writer takes snuff and wears a large ring, he tells his client. He is a much better cracksman than one might think.
Moriarty appreciates that skill, and the note. In return, he manipulates Holmes into a new flat, complete with landlady and flatmate.
Back on the steamship Orontes, John Walker finds his court-martial has made the papers and everyone knows who he is and what he has done. They treat him accordingly. He contemplates going overboard more than once, and is only saved by the appearance of the well-dressed, sympathetic Alexander Reed, who confides to Walker that he, too, was once in the exact same position, but now has a happy, prosperous life. This, and (again) brandy, is all it takes for Walker to unburden himself to the former Captain for hours in the ship’s bar, and by the time the Orontes docks, the doctor hopes his confidante might help him secure employment. Reed does occasional “recruiting;” there just might be a special position for Walker within his firm.
Reed’s boss agrees. He’s been looking for a man like Walker, so he offers him a simple proposition: take the job, stay alive.
So it is that Walker, cloaked in a new name and heroic backstory, finds himself at the Criterion Bar, meeting an old Bart’s colleague, Stamford, who will be able to pay off his most recent gambling debts after he introduces Walker/Watson to the odd duck who beats corpses and devises tests for haemoglobin in the lab. The man should be looking for lodgings instead, seeing as his Montague street landlord has unaccountably evicted him. Holmes’ situation is desperate enough that he’s happy to take the rooms Stamford suggested, with the wounded veteran the suddenly handy Stamford just happened to run into; after all, the man has normal bachelor vices and is all right with the violin, as long as it isn’t played badly. Now he has a nice set of rooms, a sounding-board, and Watson…well, Watson has someone fascinating to observe and follow around on cases and write about….
In detailed reports, which he posts regularly to Professor James Moriarty, in consideration of which he receives £100 per month, and his heartbeat.
The lonely genius Moriarty, for his part, now has both a worthy opponent and someone in the enemy camp. With the right jerks on the strings, he can even make Watson perform acts of sabotage and (further) betrayal if necessary. It’s the perfect arrangement, really. What could possibly go wrong?
David Stuart Davies has taken the stories we know so well and turned them, displaying them from another, slightly skewed, angle. Davies presents theses “true” versions of Watson’s stories so tightly that I really couldn’t find any holes. If anything, The Veiled Detective answers the question of how some of the most confusing problems with Watson’s writings came about. During SIGN, for instance, the doctor admits that he was so besotted with Mary Morstan that he can barely remember anything else about the case, and ended up making up most of what we've read out of wholecloth. Other stories, Watson says, were embellished to make them longer and more interesting. All that Alkali plains drama, for instance. Another, in particular, was changed to protect Holmes from prosecution for something rather more complex than breaking and entering. The detective’s willingness to overstep the law in search of justice, we find, was always a part of his makeup.
Davies does a wonderful job of reimagining Holmes’ and Watson’s adventures in this slightly bent world, but he does an even more masterful job with the people in it. Moriarty, Moran, Reed, and the redoubtable Scoular (with whom Holmes actually has the brilliant exchange Watson gives Moriarty in FINA) are fascinating, in the way of all poisonous snakes. You won’t be able to look away. Minor characters, such as Mrs. Hudson (who is not exactly as you remember her), Mary, Stamford, and Lestrade are handled with depth, sensitivity, and occasional humor, yet are not permitted to clutter the stage.
As for Holmes and Watson themselves…. Where Doyle only allows hints of their inner lives to show through, Davies pokes at these hidden fires, making them blaze brilliantly through the grate. The Veiled Detective is written as an omniscient third-person/Walker’s journal combination, which allows the author to compensate for the doctor’s narrative deficiencies, and the fact that he cannot be in two places at once. Watson is the loyal, responsible, emotional romantic we love from canon, albeit a little more perceptive and less admiring than he portrays himself in the stories. Unfortunately, the same virtues which make him the most faithful friend in literature also lead him to a moment of moral failure which ultimately so compromises him that he cannot even live under his own name. Yet Walker never allows his circumstances to change his core decency. If, at the end of the book, he feels transformed, the reader knows that he’s really just been refined.
Readers who love a glimpse of the younger Sherlock Holmes will appreciate Davies’ portrayal. In his late twenties, Holmes is on the threshold. He’s not always aware of how he appears or sounds to others. He goes to extremes in his efforts to achieve total self-control. While he’s confident in his deductive powers, almost to the point of arrogance, he’s actually a man who makes snap character judgments and lets those judgments steer his actions–again, to extremes. In Davies’ retelling of STUD, for instance, Holmes doesn’t yet have the experience to see how Jefferson Hope’s bitterness has led him into madness. Another snap judgment, however, this one on the character of the apparently uninjured “invalided” Army doctor standing before him amidst the test tubes, leads him to a friend who, indeed, “sticks closer than a brother.”
I’m struck again by how layered this story is, and how much more I got out of a second reading than I did the first. It takes skill to take a conceit that changes a familiar, much-loved world–”what if John Watson were not who he claimed to be?”–and then to use that statement, with all that logically follows, to illuminate that world instead.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 23, 2023
As I've mentioned in numerous reviews, I'm a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes - both the original Arthur Conan Doyle canon and the numerous pastiches that have been written by other authors over the years. That includes the Titan Books "Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" series, of which this is one.
The reality is that some of the pastiches I read are so good they easily could pass as one of Conan Doyle's creations. Others, however, just don't capture the voice, feel, plot, setting, etc. of the original canon works.
I previously reviewed David Stuart Davis' "Revenge From the Grave," which, unfortunately, was closer to the latter. (I gave it two stars.) However, this effort by Davis clearly falls in the former. In fact, it's one of my favorite pastiches ever. (This was a reread for me.)
As you know, I never go deeply into plot details in these reviews to avoid spoilers. But I will say that the premise of this pastiche is absolutely fascinating. It basically presents an entirely different background story for the Watson/Holmes partnership - one that is both creative and well-executed. Again, I don't want to go into more details on the plot to avoid spoilers, but fans of the original canon will enjoy it, especially since Davis incorporates long stretches of ACD's original writing in the novel.
But it wasn't only the plot that made me give this Davis work such a higher rating than I did "Revenge." Unlike that work, this novel's dialogue - especially between Holmes and Watson - sounds authentic and natural. Perhaps that's because Davis drew so much on ACD's original exchanges. But even in the original sections, the voices ring true.
The only reason I didn't give this work five stars is that I thought the second half of the book was rushed in comparison to the first half. Still, it's a great pastiche, one I highly recommend to fans of the great detective.
The reality is that some of the pastiches I read are so good they easily could pass as one of Conan Doyle's creations. Others, however, just don't capture the voice, feel, plot, setting, etc. of the original canon works.
I previously reviewed David Stuart Davis' "Revenge From the Grave," which, unfortunately, was closer to the latter. (I gave it two stars.) However, this effort by Davis clearly falls in the former. In fact, it's one of my favorite pastiches ever. (This was a reread for me.)
As you know, I never go deeply into plot details in these reviews to avoid spoilers. But I will say that the premise of this pastiche is absolutely fascinating. It basically presents an entirely different background story for the Watson/Holmes partnership - one that is both creative and well-executed. Again, I don't want to go into more details on the plot to avoid spoilers, but fans of the original canon will enjoy it, especially since Davis incorporates long stretches of ACD's original writing in the novel.
But it wasn't only the plot that made me give this Davis work such a higher rating than I did "Revenge." Unlike that work, this novel's dialogue - especially between Holmes and Watson - sounds authentic and natural. Perhaps that's because Davis drew so much on ACD's original exchanges. But even in the original sections, the voices ring true.
The only reason I didn't give this work five stars is that I thought the second half of the book was rushed in comparison to the first half. Still, it's a great pastiche, one I highly recommend to fans of the great detective.
Read
April 18, 2020By popcornbooksblog.com
At first I was sceptical, not quite sure what to expect from a Sherlock not written by Conan A. Doyle.
When I started reading my perplexity disappeared as I was getting more and more involved with the discovery of the international plot revealed page after page.
Once again I was walking the streets of a Victorian London with Watson as my guide, once again trying to guess the complex and unfathomable way of thinking of Sherlock Holmes.
Dealing with street urchins, powerful villains, complex government figures and historical mysteries, trying to discovery the truth about a missing officer and to give peace to a grieving mother.
Dr Watson’s character felt, to me, better highlighted than in most of the other adventures and, somehow, I felt this made Sherlock’s character more easily readable, less distant and less bizarre somehow.
The adventure per se it is revealed slowly and with a lot of research mixed with bits of action, even fights. The tone of the novel becomes more and more complicated, taking an investigation over a military matter to another level, the discovery of a political conspiracy (involving even people on the front pages of the political scenario of that time).
“So you divined a secret battle and an international conspiracy, simply because you were looking for a missing sailor.”
At first I was sceptical, not quite sure what to expect from a Sherlock not written by Conan A. Doyle.
When I started reading my perplexity disappeared as I was getting more and more involved with the discovery of the international plot revealed page after page.
Once again I was walking the streets of a Victorian London with Watson as my guide, once again trying to guess the complex and unfathomable way of thinking of Sherlock Holmes.
Dealing with street urchins, powerful villains, complex government figures and historical mysteries, trying to discovery the truth about a missing officer and to give peace to a grieving mother.
Dr Watson’s character felt, to me, better highlighted than in most of the other adventures and, somehow, I felt this made Sherlock’s character more easily readable, less distant and less bizarre somehow.
The adventure per se it is revealed slowly and with a lot of research mixed with bits of action, even fights. The tone of the novel becomes more and more complicated, taking an investigation over a military matter to another level, the discovery of a political conspiracy (involving even people on the front pages of the political scenario of that time).
“So you divined a secret battle and an international conspiracy, simply because you were looking for a missing sailor.”
June 24, 2025
This tome pulls the rug from under Baker Street itself!
The Veiled Detective by David Stuart Davies isn’t just a Holmes pastiche — it’s a straight-up mindbend. If most pastiches feel like tribute bands, this one’s like a secret bootleg track from the original — but with a twist so wild, it’ll have you questioning everything you thought you knew about Holmes and Watson.
The Veiled Detective didn’t just surprise me — it shook me. What if Dr. Watson wasn't the loyal chronicler we always believed him to be?
What if the man beside Holmes carried a veiled allegiance, a secret script written not in ink, but in betrayal?
David Stuart Davies takes one of literature’s most iconic friendships and slips a dagger of doubt into its spine. This is still fog-laced London, still ticking clocks and mysterious murders — but now the game isn't just afoot, it's unraveling. The brilliance lies not just in the mystery, but in the moral ambiguity.
Holmes remains enigmatic, but it's Watson — or should I say someone else? — who steals the show. Reading this felt like staring at a portrait too long, only to see the eyes blink. It's disorienting, daring, and deliciously unsettling. If you thought you knew the detective and his doctor, prepare to un-know everything.
The Veiled Detective by David Stuart Davies isn’t just a Holmes pastiche — it’s a straight-up mindbend. If most pastiches feel like tribute bands, this one’s like a secret bootleg track from the original — but with a twist so wild, it’ll have you questioning everything you thought you knew about Holmes and Watson.
The Veiled Detective didn’t just surprise me — it shook me. What if Dr. Watson wasn't the loyal chronicler we always believed him to be?
What if the man beside Holmes carried a veiled allegiance, a secret script written not in ink, but in betrayal?
David Stuart Davies takes one of literature’s most iconic friendships and slips a dagger of doubt into its spine. This is still fog-laced London, still ticking clocks and mysterious murders — but now the game isn't just afoot, it's unraveling. The brilliance lies not just in the mystery, but in the moral ambiguity.
Holmes remains enigmatic, but it's Watson — or should I say someone else? — who steals the show. Reading this felt like staring at a portrait too long, only to see the eyes blink. It's disorienting, daring, and deliciously unsettling. If you thought you knew the detective and his doctor, prepare to un-know everything.
August 21, 2025
This is a tough one to rate. The whole idea of it is both asinine and interesting. So lets break it down into sections.
This is a retelling of the Sherlock & Watson origin story, and incorporates A Study in Scarlet, The Sign of Four, and The Final Problem into the tale. Overall, this is a well-written and perfectly paced book. If I was new to the mythology of Sherlock Holmes, I might say it's a fun read. The problem is the twist.
SPOILERS AHEAD -
You figure the "twist" out pretty quick before the writer spells it out, and honestly, it's so dumb and against everything that we know about Dr. Watson. Watson isn't injured in the war but has been dishonorably discharged. First WTF? He then agrees to work for Moriarty to spy on Sherlock and report back. Second WTF? This goes against everything we know about the good doctor's character. At the end, the writer tries to try it up by having Sherlock(who knew all the time) say he knew Watson was a man of honor ... you know except for all the dishonorable actions done throughout the book.
So, I think if you're a fan of Sherlock, this book is worth reading. Hell, if you're new to Sherlock, it might be one of your favorites. Just know this is a nonsense take, even if it's well written.
This is a retelling of the Sherlock & Watson origin story, and incorporates A Study in Scarlet, The Sign of Four, and The Final Problem into the tale. Overall, this is a well-written and perfectly paced book. If I was new to the mythology of Sherlock Holmes, I might say it's a fun read. The problem is the twist.
SPOILERS AHEAD -
You figure the "twist" out pretty quick before the writer spells it out, and honestly, it's so dumb and against everything that we know about Dr. Watson. Watson isn't injured in the war but has been dishonorably discharged. First WTF? He then agrees to work for Moriarty to spy on Sherlock and report back. Second WTF? This goes against everything we know about the good doctor's character. At the end, the writer tries to try it up by having Sherlock(who knew all the time) say he knew Watson was a man of honor ... you know except for all the dishonorable actions done throughout the book.
So, I think if you're a fan of Sherlock, this book is worth reading. Hell, if you're new to Sherlock, it might be one of your favorites. Just know this is a nonsense take, even if it's well written.
August 23, 2019
There is no way I can review The Veiled Detective without committing spoilers, so I am going to warn you, Constant Reader, that this review is going to be the most spoileriffic review ever. SPOILERS BEGIN NOW: The entire premise of The Veiled Detective is offensive-Watson is not really Watson, but Walker an army medic drummed out of the military for drunkenness and dereliction of duty. He becomes Sherlock Holmes' roommate and biographer due to the machinations of Moriarty, who sets him to spy upon a young Holmes as Holmes is becoming a danger to him. 221B Baker Street, Mrs Hudson-all further set-ups promulgated by the Napoleon of Crime. END SPOILERS!!! This is not quite as offensive as The Last Sherlock Holmes Story by Michael Dibdin but it is a close second. Moriarty is really an idiot here, despite his Machiavellian string pulling. I feel this book is insulting to the classic characters it portrays and to any dedicated Sherlockian. I do not need Holmes and company to have a "secret origin" as the one already in place is perfectly fine.
June 29, 2017
As I consider myself such a fan of the Sherlock canon and of Anthony Horowitz's Moriarty and The House of Silk I was eager to read David Stuart Davies' interpretation of my favorite character.
Having just closed the covers I can say with confidence that I was not disappointed in any sense. Davies has crafted an entirely unique take on the chronological plot of Sherlock, from Watson's arrival in A Study in Scarlet up to the conclusion of The Final Problem while at the same time using a style of writing reminiscent of Doyle's and dialogue lifted from the canon and grafted seamlessly into this new tale of deception and adventure. As a reader of the original 19th century stories I was almost giddy when I discovered these familiar phrases and yet I felt as though I was reliving it for the first time. This double sense of consciousness, of knowing what was going on and also being surprised by deeper secrets and new twists was - in a word - delightful.
Having just closed the covers I can say with confidence that I was not disappointed in any sense. Davies has crafted an entirely unique take on the chronological plot of Sherlock, from Watson's arrival in A Study in Scarlet up to the conclusion of The Final Problem while at the same time using a style of writing reminiscent of Doyle's and dialogue lifted from the canon and grafted seamlessly into this new tale of deception and adventure. As a reader of the original 19th century stories I was almost giddy when I discovered these familiar phrases and yet I felt as though I was reliving it for the first time. This double sense of consciousness, of knowing what was going on and also being surprised by deeper secrets and new twists was - in a word - delightful.
April 27, 2020
Renowned Sherlock Holmes aficionado David Stuart Davies re-imagines Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective in some ways that work and others that don’t. The jacket bills this as a “secret origin,” and it does supply the set-up missing in Doyle’s work: how Holmes and Watson meet, how they set up shop on Baker Street, and so on. Unfortunately, Davies also twists the characters around in ways that aren’t always in keeping with the original stories. For example, Watson begins the tale as John Walker, a disgraced army officer who falls under the sway of Professor Moriarty. He associates with Holmes for the purpose of spying on him. To be sure, the author has some fun with “behind-the-scenes” looks at three or four of the original stories. And this is nowhere near as gut-wrenching a rework as what J.J. Abrams did to Star Trek. Still, I don’t think I would have taken the characters in some of the directions pursued here. I preferred them the way they were.
May 15, 2025
The Veiled Detective by David Stuart Davies is a pastiche of Sherlock Holmes. It tells a unique tale that differs from the canon of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Canon Doyle. Despite this it is an interesting investigation into the "What if...". Overall this story is very creative, interesting and engaging. I found the first half of the book to be better paced, more unique and interesting that the latter half of the novel. The stories touched upon in this novel were the Study in Scarlet, The Sign of Four and the Final Problem. A unique twist on the Doyle story, this novel was decently enjoyable. 3 stars.
July 11, 2017
I adored Davies's Holmes pastiche "The Ripper Legacy," and I thought the premise of this one was a fascinating idea.
But it just didn't come together for me. I found myself reflecting on James Lovegrove's "Shadwell Shadows" -- another book which operates under the premise that Dr. Watson wrote an abbreviated version of the truth in his original accounts of Sherlock Holmes's adventures. But while Lovegrove took it upon himself to write a wholly new mystery, with only a few elements and references borrowed from the original stories -- Davies told the old mysteries, with only a few tweaks to personalities and events. The result was that I was bored, because I knew exactly where everything was headed, all the time.
I did like -- but, for once, that wasn't enough to save the read for me. Sorry, Mr. Davies!
But it just didn't come together for me. I found myself reflecting on James Lovegrove's "Shadwell Shadows" -- another book which operates under the premise that Dr. Watson wrote an abbreviated version of the truth in his original accounts of Sherlock Holmes's adventures. But while Lovegrove took it upon himself to write a wholly new mystery, with only a few elements and references borrowed from the original stories -- Davies told the old mysteries, with only a few tweaks to personalities and events. The result was that I was bored, because I knew exactly where everything was headed, all the time.
I did like -- but, for once, that wasn't enough to save the read for me. Sorry, Mr. Davies!
May 30, 2018
Rarely have I read a book with so many typos. It seemed as if I had entered a lovely, promising, garden, that featured some exotic and unusual plantings. To discover I must walk very carefully to avoid all the metaphorical dog s***. There is one glaring factual error. "Narc" did not enter common idiom until the 1960's; in the USA. Usage is "narc" not "nark"; British author or no.
I imagine Mr. Davies writes with a manual, carriage-return, typewriter; probably a Royal Safari or Imperial Good Companion 6 . His Shift- capital I key sticks to some others especially: w, a, e, and d. Consequently there are dozens of: Iwas and Idid. Further, I believe Mr. Davies' editor dumps finished pages into a scanner and relies on the OCR application to render the work digitally. And I do mean render. If I were David Stuart Davies I believe I would fire my proofreader on a basis of incompetence and/or sheer laziness.
I imagine Mr. Davies writes with a manual, carriage-return, typewriter; probably a Royal Safari or Imperial Good Companion 6 . His Shift- capital I key sticks to some others especially: w, a, e, and d. Consequently there are dozens of: Iwas and Idid. Further, I believe Mr. Davies' editor dumps finished pages into a scanner and relies on the OCR application to render the work digitally. And I do mean render. If I were David Stuart Davies I believe I would fire my proofreader on a basis of incompetence and/or sheer laziness.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews