Sherlock Holmes and The Last Victim of Jack The Ripper

by Petr Macek

Legendary detective Sherlock Holmes and his faithful chronicler Doctor Watson were an inseparable pair from the 1880s until the interwar era of the twentieth century. Now they are back with eight new adventures, in which the good Doctor recounts the most curious investigations he and his friend set out to unravel over the decades, be it the mystery surrounding the construction of the London Underground, the spontaneous combustion of a wealthy entrepreneur, the suicide at a prestigious boarding school for girls, or the return of the most terrifying serial killer of his time - Jack the Ripper. Immerse yourself with Holmes and Watson in the realm of London fog, gas lamps and horse-drawn carriages.

188 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 5, 2024

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sherlock Holmes is back with EIGHT new exciting tales. Get ready to jump back in time, and work with this famous detective, as he works to solve these new cases.

Within "Sherlock Holmes and the Last Victim of Jack the Ripper," get ready for gasps, thrills, chills, and a fantastic and fulfilling case conclusion. You really will not want to miss these fantastic stories.

I truly enjoyed these stories. As I was reading through, there were themes that you could tie back to some of the original Sherlock Holmes stories. But having these told through the eyes of Dr. John Watson brings a new vision to the stories. Being able to view the cases from a medical professional, and one who was friends with Holmes is fun. Watson does not hold punches though, and does at times, show the side of Holmes that people found hard to connect with. Sherlock Holmes always said that he was not socially aware, and often misses cues that others pick up on easily. But, showing these flaws bring a more human side to this great detective.

With all great writing, some of the complaints can be that stories are too short. There were a few in here that I would have loved to see more of. The author has also given some openings for other thoughts to be brought it. As with each new case, there is the ever present police force. It would be nice to see some of the police featured more in the stories, perhaps with a quick-witted bobby, that is fast on the uptake, and able to offer some insights into the crime, or even possible criminals. There are ample openings for some areas of Scotland Yard to make a good showing.

Most stories contained were well written, and thought out. There were a few where the writing felt a bit stilted, perhaps some ideas that could not fully come together. However, they still read well, and able to be understood by the end of the story.

Hopefully the author continues to write, and smooth his style a bit more. I will be interested to see what he comes up with over the next few years.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given a copy of the book to review by MX Publishing.

The book consists of eight short stories:

Death Before Cockcrow;
The Adventure of the Interchanged Key;
The Adventure of the Tulips on Ice;
The Disappearance of the Widow Hamisham;
The Phantom of Yorkshire;
Flames from Nowhere;
The Adventure of the Forgotten Donatello; and
The Last Victim of Jack the Ripper.

All the stories were good, solid reads. If I had to select a favourite, it would be Death Before Cockcrow. This story really stood out for me with its somewhat unusual setting for a Sherlock Holmes story.

Petr Macek has a good hand with the canon characters, and also creates excellent original characters.

All in all, this is an excellent anthology. Highly recommended.