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Secret Sherlock Holmes #7
The Secret Archives of Sherlock Holmes
Murder, deception and the long shadow of Moriarty. All in a day's work for the great Sherlock Holmes.
A mysterious veiled lady carries a counterfeit painting into an art dealer's office. A widow with three hands slips out of a church door. A farmer lies dead in a barn, his son accused of his murder. A skeleton with a silver locket is unearthed in a back garden. What do they have in common? The famous resident of 221b Baker Street.
From the gas-lit clamor of London's streets, to the isolated Welsh countryside, the great detective Sherlock Holmes, accompanied as always by his faithful friend and biographer Dr Watson, must solve cases as complex as any he has known before, some of which bring him face to face with old enemies from the past, figures left behind in the mists of the Reichenbach Falls...
A brand new cache of original cases from the brilliant imagination of June Thomson displays the master of the art of deduction at his intriguing best and proves that the game is still very much afoot.
A mysterious veiled lady carries a counterfeit painting into an art dealer's office. A widow with three hands slips out of a church door. A farmer lies dead in a barn, his son accused of his murder. A skeleton with a silver locket is unearthed in a back garden. What do they have in common? The famous resident of 221b Baker Street.
From the gas-lit clamor of London's streets, to the isolated Welsh countryside, the great detective Sherlock Holmes, accompanied as always by his faithful friend and biographer Dr Watson, must solve cases as complex as any he has known before, some of which bring him face to face with old enemies from the past, figures left behind in the mists of the Reichenbach Falls...
A brand new cache of original cases from the brilliant imagination of June Thomson displays the master of the art of deduction at his intriguing best and proves that the game is still very much afoot.
226 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 19, 2014
20 people are currently reading
203 people want to read
About the author
June Thomson
70 books21 followersJune Thomson, a former teacher, has published 24 crime novels, 18 of which feature Detective Chief Inspector Jack Finch and his sergeant, Tom Boyce. She has also written six short story collections of Sherlock Holmes pastiches. Her books have been translated into many languages. She lives in St Albans in Hertfordshire.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
May 18, 2015
I am a Huge fan of Sherlock and Watson.
This book has some good stories and some nice mysteries.
The author has done a good job in capturing the writing style of Doyle.
good description of mystery, Watson all worried, Sherlock planning and revealing the suspense in the end.
I give this book
4/5
Devil D
This book has some good stories and some nice mysteries.
The author has done a good job in capturing the writing style of Doyle.
good description of mystery, Watson all worried, Sherlock planning and revealing the suspense in the end.
I give this book
4/5
Devil D
June 21, 2017
A good attempt at recreating the Sherlock Magic.The start was a tad bit wearying but by the second case the old Sherlock gathered steam.
June 13, 2024
"Holmes, you horrify me!"
So might Watson exclaim at the suggestion that these stories bear any resemblance to his earlier works, as edited by A C Doyle.
I'm always happy to read modern sequels to famous books as long as the characters behave in a manner that is consistent with their behaviour in the original. Unfortunately, this is not the case with Thomson's addition to the Sherlockian canon. I suspect she knows that she hasn't got it quite right, since the foreword consists of an elaborate explanation for the rediscovery of these cases, along with an acknowledgement that there is no 'proof of authenticity' that they were written by Dr Watson.
The biggest flaw in these stories is the unconvincing portrayal of Holmes. For a start, he is a much warmer, friendlier and more emotional character than the original. And while the original Holmes didn't believe in acquiring any non-essential knowledge (often shocking Watson by his ignorance on any areas that were not relevant to his detective work) in these stories, he has a thirst for knowledge of any kind, even attempting to learn Welsh for no apparent reason!
He has also abandoned his belief that one should not theorise in advance of the facts. For example, a lady writes to Holmes asking him to investigate the trustworthiness of her new acquaintances. She has no proof of wrongdoing, only a vague sense of unease, and gives no description of them, yet Holme's 'intuition' immediately tells him that the pair are wanted for fraud and attempted murder. In another story, seeing a man post a letter is apparently cast-iron proof that the man is a 'screever' (professional writer of begging letters). Most of his deductions were so totally without foundation that I wondered if this were going to be some kind of spoof novel, with Holmes constantly getting it wrong, but no, every time, his wild flights of imagination were proven to be correct.
Even setting aside the unlikely changes in Holmes' personality, several of the stories have gaping holes in them. In The Case of the Conk-Singleton Forgery, we are asked to believe that The level of coincidence in 'The Case of the Three Handed Widow' requires the reader to suspend disbelief for the duration. And in The Case of the Missing Belle Fille, not only does Holmes make a huge mystery about
On the positive side, Watson is reasonably well done. But apart from that, the whole thing is a mess.
So might Watson exclaim at the suggestion that these stories bear any resemblance to his earlier works, as edited by A C Doyle.
I'm always happy to read modern sequels to famous books as long as the characters behave in a manner that is consistent with their behaviour in the original. Unfortunately, this is not the case with Thomson's addition to the Sherlockian canon. I suspect she knows that she hasn't got it quite right, since the foreword consists of an elaborate explanation for the rediscovery of these cases, along with an acknowledgement that there is no 'proof of authenticity' that they were written by Dr Watson.
The biggest flaw in these stories is the unconvincing portrayal of Holmes. For a start, he is a much warmer, friendlier and more emotional character than the original. And while the original Holmes didn't believe in acquiring any non-essential knowledge (often shocking Watson by his ignorance on any areas that were not relevant to his detective work) in these stories, he has a thirst for knowledge of any kind, even attempting to learn Welsh for no apparent reason!
He has also abandoned his belief that one should not theorise in advance of the facts. For example, a lady writes to Holmes asking him to investigate the trustworthiness of her new acquaintances. She has no proof of wrongdoing, only a vague sense of unease, and gives no description of them, yet Holme's 'intuition' immediately tells him that the pair are wanted for fraud and attempted murder. In another story, seeing a man post a letter is apparently cast-iron proof that the man is a 'screever' (professional writer of begging letters). Most of his deductions were so totally without foundation that I wondered if this were going to be some kind of spoof novel, with Holmes constantly getting it wrong, but no, every time, his wild flights of imagination were proven to be correct.
Even setting aside the unlikely changes in Holmes' personality, several of the stories have gaping holes in them. In The Case of the Conk-Singleton Forgery, we are asked to believe that The level of coincidence in 'The Case of the Three Handed Widow' requires the reader to suspend disbelief for the duration. And in The Case of the Missing Belle Fille, not only does Holmes make a huge mystery about
On the positive side, Watson is reasonably well done. But apart from that, the whole thing is a mess.
August 10, 2017
I enjoyed the other June Thomson books much better -- start with one of those. The best story here is The Case of the Watchful Waiter, which bring into play story elements that I have never seen in a Sherlock patiche.
January 31, 2018
I didn't really think about it being a book of short stories when I chose it from the library, so because all the stories are the same - Sherlock Holmes solving something - it got boring and,to me, repetitive
February 19, 2019
I don't know if I was suffering from Holmesian overdose or the author was that... repetitious... but I found it boring. I actually FELL ASLEEP over some of the stories, when I'm supposed to be anything but tired! It took me over two weeks (almost three) to finish it!
July 8, 2017
Not as true to the Canon as I would ike
April 17, 2021
I quite enjoyed this, and I thought the author captured Doyle’s writing quite well. It was a fun read. I thought it was clever how the author tried to link their fiction with the original book.
February 22, 2024
Another small collection of seven short Sherlock Holmes stories well worthy of the four stars as all seven were well written, flowed nicely and were true to the Canon - a must read for SH fans.
March 11, 2024
Contains 7 stories that are easy and smooth read. A lot of description in some stories that I found myself scanning down. Glad I read this.
June 4, 2024
en otras noticias “las historias más aburridas y predecibles de sherlock holmes”
April 7, 2013
After the high of the previous collection of pastiches by June Thomson, this one was distinctly unsatisfactory, on the following counts:
1. The plots had neither mystery, nor intrigue, and appeared to be watered down versions of some of the more memorable stories read elsewhere.
2. Holmes was too joyous, too smiling, too accommodating, and simply too positive, and hence didn't appear true to the persona created by ACD.
3. The stories were unnecessarily full of the 'lingo' spoken by the Victorian underworld, and came as a 'patter' trying to distract us from the fact that there was not a single mystery in the whole book.
Disappointing, and definitely not recommended.
1. The plots had neither mystery, nor intrigue, and appeared to be watered down versions of some of the more memorable stories read elsewhere.
2. Holmes was too joyous, too smiling, too accommodating, and simply too positive, and hence didn't appear true to the persona created by ACD.
3. The stories were unnecessarily full of the 'lingo' spoken by the Victorian underworld, and came as a 'patter' trying to distract us from the fact that there was not a single mystery in the whole book.
Disappointing, and definitely not recommended.
August 3, 2014
A decent read but not a brilliant one.
The reasons I have given just a 3 star rTing may seem trivial. But they are...
1 Lestrade's accent annoyed me. I don't recall him ever being such a stereotypical cockney in the past. I may be wrong and I will admit it if I am but I cannot recall him ever calling Holmes "Mr 'Olmes.
2- far too many French phrases I couldn't understand.
3- Holmes seemed far too cheerful and playful.
4- I fail to see why any of these cases would have been locked away rather than published?
I will read more by this author in the future as I have done in the past. I just hope the next book is better.
The reasons I have given just a 3 star rTing may seem trivial. But they are...
1 Lestrade's accent annoyed me. I don't recall him ever being such a stereotypical cockney in the past. I may be wrong and I will admit it if I am but I cannot recall him ever calling Holmes "Mr 'Olmes.
2- far too many French phrases I couldn't understand.
3- Holmes seemed far too cheerful and playful.
4- I fail to see why any of these cases would have been locked away rather than published?
I will read more by this author in the future as I have done in the past. I just hope the next book is better.
July 13, 2014
Another good pastiche of Sherlock Holmes by June Thomson... takes one to almost the level of excitement and thrill as the canonical works by Doyle...
Of particular note are the Conk-Singleton Forgery case, the case of the One-Eyed Colonel and the case of the Missing Belle-Fille...
A good read for fans of Holmes and Watson.
Of particular note are the Conk-Singleton Forgery case, the case of the One-Eyed Colonel and the case of the Missing Belle-Fille...
A good read for fans of Holmes and Watson.
September 11, 2013
Yet another example of an American author writing in a British setting and NOT getting themselves a British editor to handle the Americanisms. This might seem trivial to others, but it's damned distracting to me!
May 7, 2015
Quite good in invoking the ambience- though the stories are a trifle uneven, especially the second last one about the French family where the plot is a little too complicated and worst of all, Lestrade speaks like a Cockney...
Read
August 4, 2013great book for Sherlock fans
March 14, 2014
Generally uninteresting stories supposedly in the similar style to the original stories. Lacking imagination, straightforward detective stories. Best to avoid.
October 8, 2014
She gets really close to the real thing. Could do without the footnotes explaining the background to certain comments.
October 18, 2015
Obviously not Conan Doyle - far too much "lingo" and info that is historically known but that he didn't know. But very enjoyable nonetheless.
August 11, 2019
As lwaus
In my reading June? Thomson writers almost as a modern Doyl. I have read the!m as they are published and enjoyed them all.
In my reading June? Thomson writers almost as a modern Doyl. I have read the!m as they are published and enjoyed them all.
July 31, 2020
They were amazing stories of Sherlock Holmes and Watson by June Thomson.. This is a must read for those who love the detective fiction genre
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews