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The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - The Gentleman Burglar
A daring and delightful crossover of Sherlock Holmes and his criminal Arsène Lupin, the Gentleman Burglar. These superb sleuths will solve intricate riddles and journey across France and beyond to uncover the long-lost treasure of the House of Bourbon.
Sherlock Holmes and his cousin, Vernier, have been hired by the Baron of Creuse to find the legendary treasure of the kings of France.
Trekking from La Belle Époque Paris to a chateau in the rural center of France, Holmes, Vernier and a new companion must employ all their wit to solve the fiendishly difficult puzzle of the Hollow Needle. After deciphering the meaning of the phrase “ st. s. 138” and decoding a mysterious document, they realize the answer lies to the north in Normandy near the town of Étretat. Together, they follow a long-buried path to an ancient secret, but fresh mysteries and new complications immediately arise.
But other forces are at work, and jealous hands seek to interfere with Holmes’s work. He must team up with the notorious gentleman-burglar, Arsène Lupin, if he is to find the treasure and avert an international disaster at sea.
Sherlock Holmes and his cousin, Vernier, have been hired by the Baron of Creuse to find the legendary treasure of the kings of France.
Trekking from La Belle Époque Paris to a chateau in the rural center of France, Holmes, Vernier and a new companion must employ all their wit to solve the fiendishly difficult puzzle of the Hollow Needle. After deciphering the meaning of the phrase “ st. s. 138” and decoding a mysterious document, they realize the answer lies to the north in Normandy near the town of Étretat. Together, they follow a long-buried path to an ancient secret, but fresh mysteries and new complications immediately arise.
But other forces are at work, and jealous hands seek to interfere with Holmes’s work. He must team up with the notorious gentleman-burglar, Arsène Lupin, if he is to find the treasure and avert an international disaster at sea.
- GenresMystery
320 pages, Paperback
First published May 28, 2024
8 people are currently reading
48 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 8, 2025
I’ve loved Siciliano’s adaptations up to this one. I could’ve done with a different evil villain plot. The addition of Beautrelet’s character was fun though. And I appreciated his usual Francophile style of writing.
June 6, 2024
I'm a big fan of the Sherlock Holmes pastiches written by Sam Siciliano. I've read all of his Titan Publishing works featuring Sherlock's cousin Dr. Henry Vernier as his Boswell - rather than John Watson.
Therefore, I was excited to read this latest entry. And while I enjoyed it, I also would have to say it was my least favorite of Siciliano's pastiches.
Why?
A lot of it had to do with the plot. As you know, I never go deeply into plots in my reviews to avoid spoilers. But here's the jacket summary:
"A daring and delightful crossover of Sherlock Holmes and his criminal Arsène Lupin, the Gentleman Burglar. These superb sleuths will solve intricate riddles and journey across France and beyond to uncover the long-lost treasure of the House of Bourbon.
Sherlock Holmes and his cousin, Vernier, have been hired by the Baron of Creuse to find the legendary treasure of the kings of France.
Trekking from La Belle Époque Paris to a chateau in the rural center of France, Holmes, Vernier and a new companion must employ all their wit to solve the fiendishly difficult puzzle of the Hollow Needle. After deciphering the meaning of the phrase “ st. s. 138” and decoding a mysterious document, they realize the answer lies to the north in Normandy near the town of Étretat. Together, they follow a long-buried path to an ancient secret, but fresh mysteries and new complications immediately arise.
But other forces are at work, and jealous hands seek to interfere with Holmes’s work. He must team up with the notorious gentleman-burglar, Arsène Lupin, if he is to find the treasure and avert an international disaster at sea."
The problem was not the plot per se, it was that it lacked the action and intrigue of Siciliano's other pastiche plots. I typically devour his works in a day; however, this one took me three days to get through. And I found myself more drawn to the nonfiction work I was reading simultaneously with this one because I found this novel to be plodding at times.
On the plus side, I liked the character of Arsène Lupin and thought he partnered well with Holmes. And Siciliano was once again a master of mimicking Arthur Conan Doyle's voice. When I read his pastiches, I absolutely hear Sherlock's voice in the dialogue. And that's a rare occurrence in the pastiches written by other modern writers.
Ultimately, however, I didn't love this novel - I just liked it. Hence, the three stars.
Therefore, I was excited to read this latest entry. And while I enjoyed it, I also would have to say it was my least favorite of Siciliano's pastiches.
Why?
A lot of it had to do with the plot. As you know, I never go deeply into plots in my reviews to avoid spoilers. But here's the jacket summary:
"A daring and delightful crossover of Sherlock Holmes and his criminal Arsène Lupin, the Gentleman Burglar. These superb sleuths will solve intricate riddles and journey across France and beyond to uncover the long-lost treasure of the House of Bourbon.
Sherlock Holmes and his cousin, Vernier, have been hired by the Baron of Creuse to find the legendary treasure of the kings of France.
Trekking from La Belle Époque Paris to a chateau in the rural center of France, Holmes, Vernier and a new companion must employ all their wit to solve the fiendishly difficult puzzle of the Hollow Needle. After deciphering the meaning of the phrase “ st. s. 138” and decoding a mysterious document, they realize the answer lies to the north in Normandy near the town of Étretat. Together, they follow a long-buried path to an ancient secret, but fresh mysteries and new complications immediately arise.
But other forces are at work, and jealous hands seek to interfere with Holmes’s work. He must team up with the notorious gentleman-burglar, Arsène Lupin, if he is to find the treasure and avert an international disaster at sea."
The problem was not the plot per se, it was that it lacked the action and intrigue of Siciliano's other pastiche plots. I typically devour his works in a day; however, this one took me three days to get through. And I found myself more drawn to the nonfiction work I was reading simultaneously with this one because I found this novel to be plodding at times.
On the plus side, I liked the character of Arsène Lupin and thought he partnered well with Holmes. And Siciliano was once again a master of mimicking Arthur Conan Doyle's voice. When I read his pastiches, I absolutely hear Sherlock's voice in the dialogue. And that's a rare occurrence in the pastiches written by other modern writers.
Ultimately, however, I didn't love this novel - I just liked it. Hence, the three stars.
February 2, 2025
More correctly a 2.5
Part of a long-running collection of books related by SH but little else. Some are excellent, a few bad, and some like this one OK.
The story generally tried too hard to thread a bunch of old stories together (Jules Verne sub etc). And far too many puzzles boringly solved (made worse they were in French).
Most memorable thing is as a former farmer I learned of a different French breed of swine and while interesting it is telling of the over detail in this one. Chop 50 pages likely would have helped.
Part of a long-running collection of books related by SH but little else. Some are excellent, a few bad, and some like this one OK.
The story generally tried too hard to thread a bunch of old stories together (Jules Verne sub etc). And far too many puzzles boringly solved (made worse they were in French).
Most memorable thing is as a former farmer I learned of a different French breed of swine and while interesting it is telling of the over detail in this one. Chop 50 pages likely would have helped.
June 8, 2024
I may be reading too many Sherlock Holmes pastiches, but . Anyway, fun story chasing after the treasure of the french kings (and no it wasn't the bloodline this time)
August 30, 2024
The best Siciliano Holmes story I've read
July 14, 2025
I enjoyed the two protagonists working together instead of against each other. A nice take on a classic story.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews