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Dr. Watson Mysteries #1
The Monster of St. Marylebone
From the never-before-published journals of Sherlock Holmes's companion and chronicles, Dr. John Watson...
...a tale of nefarious doings that nearly brought down London's wealthiest woman -- and made its most famous sleuth Scotland Yard's most wanted
272 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 1999
About the author
Wayne Worcester
7 books4 followersWayne Worcester is an American journalist and author. He grew up in New Hampshire and was graduated from the University of New Hampshire and Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. After working as a reporter and magazine writer, in 1981 he became a journalism professor at the University of Connecticut. He is the author of a series of Sherlock Holmes novels.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 4, 2019
What a terrific riff off of the original Holmes stories! Wayne Worcester has the perfect voice of Dr. Watson as he spins a tale of horror and retribution. I look forward to reading more of the author's tales.
July 17, 2020
I am quite glad that I took a chance on purchasing this book, in spite of some very low ratings by other readers. Wayne Worcester has crafted an overall excellent Holmesian pastiche, which I found very satisfying.
Worcester begins the novel at a very dramatic point in an on-going case: the pursuit of a fiendish murderer styled by the London press as the "Monster of St. Marylebone". Sherlock Holmes is missing and Watson fears the worst: that his friend might be the latest victim. The "monster" has killed two men already in a particularly vicious and grisly fashion, revealing a sick and twisted mind that must be stopped at all cost.
That is very nearly the case; Watson's fears are realized. Holmes is found bound upright, severely beaten and mutilated, comatose and nearly at the point of death in an East End Mews. With him is one of his Irregulars, beaten even more severely, and killed by decapitation, his head on gruesome display at the great detective's feet.
Holmes is rushed to hospital, where the only thing standing between him and death is an eminent medical specialist and his staff nurse.
One of the more minor criticisms of the book is that Holmes is in a coma, then slowly and painfully recoverng for fully half the book. That much is true, however unlike other pastiches I have read that use a similar device, in Worcester's novel Holmes is not off the canvas for the duration. Rather, having started his narrative in the middle, narrator Watson uses the long weeks of Holmes's recovery to restart the story at its proper beginning, going back to the emergence of the case and recounting the steps taken in the investigation. The author interweaves the earlier events with scenes of Holmes's recovery very deftly. The action therefore never lags, building up to more murders and an action packed conclusion.
Other readers have found Holmes and Watson out of character to the point of rejecting the book entirely. I am a Sherlockian of over 50 years standing, and quite catholic in my taste in pastiches, of which I have read hundreds. Worcester may stretch Holmes slightly, but never fatally.
This book has small romantic element with a female who seems too good to be true; but it is a minor point of irritation in my estimation and is largely essential to the plot in the end. I may be a woman, but I firmly reject romance in general when it comes to Sherlock Holmes. The so called romantic complication never overwhelms the case itself, nor warps Holmes beyond recognition, or Watson either for that matter. And few vocal Sherlockians can deny they accept and even promulgate the idea that Holmes was in love with Irene Adler, when Doyle firmly established nothing of the kind, and Ms. Adler was already referred to as the "late" by Watson in the opening lines of "The Scandal in Bohemia".
All in all, I found "The Monster of St Marylebone" to be one of the better pastiches I have read in five decades of following The Great Detective. I am so glad that I did decide to judge the book for myself and not take bad reviews at face value.
Worcester begins the novel at a very dramatic point in an on-going case: the pursuit of a fiendish murderer styled by the London press as the "Monster of St. Marylebone". Sherlock Holmes is missing and Watson fears the worst: that his friend might be the latest victim. The "monster" has killed two men already in a particularly vicious and grisly fashion, revealing a sick and twisted mind that must be stopped at all cost.
That is very nearly the case; Watson's fears are realized. Holmes is found bound upright, severely beaten and mutilated, comatose and nearly at the point of death in an East End Mews. With him is one of his Irregulars, beaten even more severely, and killed by decapitation, his head on gruesome display at the great detective's feet.
Holmes is rushed to hospital, where the only thing standing between him and death is an eminent medical specialist and his staff nurse.
One of the more minor criticisms of the book is that Holmes is in a coma, then slowly and painfully recoverng for fully half the book. That much is true, however unlike other pastiches I have read that use a similar device, in Worcester's novel Holmes is not off the canvas for the duration. Rather, having started his narrative in the middle, narrator Watson uses the long weeks of Holmes's recovery to restart the story at its proper beginning, going back to the emergence of the case and recounting the steps taken in the investigation. The author interweaves the earlier events with scenes of Holmes's recovery very deftly. The action therefore never lags, building up to more murders and an action packed conclusion.
Other readers have found Holmes and Watson out of character to the point of rejecting the book entirely. I am a Sherlockian of over 50 years standing, and quite catholic in my taste in pastiches, of which I have read hundreds. Worcester may stretch Holmes slightly, but never fatally.
This book has small romantic element with a female who seems too good to be true; but it is a minor point of irritation in my estimation and is largely essential to the plot in the end. I may be a woman, but I firmly reject romance in general when it comes to Sherlock Holmes. The so called romantic complication never overwhelms the case itself, nor warps Holmes beyond recognition, or Watson either for that matter. And few vocal Sherlockians can deny they accept and even promulgate the idea that Holmes was in love with Irene Adler, when Doyle firmly established nothing of the kind, and Ms. Adler was already referred to as the "late" by Watson in the opening lines of "The Scandal in Bohemia".
All in all, I found "The Monster of St Marylebone" to be one of the better pastiches I have read in five decades of following The Great Detective. I am so glad that I did decide to judge the book for myself and not take bad reviews at face value.
September 8, 2007
This is a Sherlock Holmes book. Holmes is up against a grisly serial killer and nearly loses his own life as well.
I wasn't that crazy about this one. It was really violent, and gruesome with it. Then it introduced this sort of romance for Holmes that I found a little hard to take. I'm not opposed to the very idea, but the was it was done was not convincing.
I hope someone else will like it better than I did. The best part was when they went to Ireland. I found the setting really evocative then.
I wasn't that crazy about this one. It was really violent, and gruesome with it. Then it introduced this sort of romance for Holmes that I found a little hard to take. I'm not opposed to the very idea, but the was it was done was not convincing.
I hope someone else will like it better than I did. The best part was when they went to Ireland. I found the setting really evocative then.
January 9, 2012
Wayne Worcester has completely missed the Sherlockian boat I'm afraid. Yes the book features two characters familiarly named Holmes and Watson, but neither of these fellows behave anything like Conan Doyle's timeless creations. We are treated to rather bizarre political and sexual views that paint our heroes in poor light. This tasteless excuse for Sherlockiana is quite likely the worst thing I've read since the abysmally bad Samba for Sherlock. Do yourself a favour if you are a Holmes fan...give this one a miss!
April 12, 2016
Many writers today turn to writing books about Sherlock Holmes as an easy way to get published.
I don't care if a legendary character like Sherlock Holmes is used by other authors as long as he is well used by the author. Wayne Worcester has taken Holmes and miss used him and by changing the very
basic traits of Sherlock Holmes character. He has made Holmes more of a romantic character than he has ever been previously which doesn't fit him. The book writing is disjointed and not up to my standards.
I don't care if a legendary character like Sherlock Holmes is used by other authors as long as he is well used by the author. Wayne Worcester has taken Holmes and miss used him and by changing the very
basic traits of Sherlock Holmes character. He has made Holmes more of a romantic character than he has ever been previously which doesn't fit him. The book writing is disjointed and not up to my standards.
October 20, 2009
Knock off Sherlock Holmes which was a little too gory for my taste. I suspect ACD is rolling over in his grave.
November 20, 2014
Pretty engagingly told tale, good characterization of both Holmes and Watson. A bit brutal in places, but that is the subject matter. Held me turning the pages to the end.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews