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Irregular Detective Mysteries #2
The Mummy of Mayfair
Private investigators Timothy Badger and Benjamin Watson take on another unusual and baffling case in Victorian London when a mummy unwrapping party takes a chilling turn.
London, 1895. Although their last high-profile case was a huge success, private detectives Tim Badger and Benjamin Watson know they can't afford to turn down any work, despite financial assistance from their mentor, Sherlock Holmes.
So when the eminent Doctor Enoch Sawyer of St Bart's Hospital asks Badger if the duo will provide security for a mummy unwrapping party he is hosting, Badger doesn't hesitate to take the job. After all, how hard can guarding the doctor's bizarre Egyptian artifacts be? But with Doctor Sawyer running late for his own party, the 'genuine' ancient sarcophagus of Runihura Saa is unraveled to reveal the remains of . . . Doctor Sawyer! Suddenly, the pair are drawn into a case that's stranger and twistier than they could ever have imagined.
London, 1895. Although their last high-profile case was a huge success, private detectives Tim Badger and Benjamin Watson know they can't afford to turn down any work, despite financial assistance from their mentor, Sherlock Holmes.
So when the eminent Doctor Enoch Sawyer of St Bart's Hospital asks Badger if the duo will provide security for a mummy unwrapping party he is hosting, Badger doesn't hesitate to take the job. After all, how hard can guarding the doctor's bizarre Egyptian artifacts be? But with Doctor Sawyer running late for his own party, the 'genuine' ancient sarcophagus of Runihura Saa is unraveled to reveal the remains of . . . Doctor Sawyer! Suddenly, the pair are drawn into a case that's stranger and twistier than they could ever have imagined.
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Published February 11, 2025
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About the author
Jeri Westerson
51 books430 followersLos Angeles native JERI WESTERSON currently writes two new series: a Tudor mystery series, the King’s Fool Mysteries, with Henry VIII’s real court jester Will Somers as the sleuth and a Sherlockian pastiche series called An Irregular Detective Mystery, with one of Holmes’ former Baker Street Irregulars opening his own detective agency. She’s also written fifteen Crispin Guest Medieval Noir Mysteries, a series nominated for thirteen awards from the Agatha, to the Macavity, to the Shamus. She’s written several paranormal series (including a gaslamp-steampunk fantasy series), standalone historical novels, and had stories in several anthologies, the latest of which was included in SOUTH CENTRAL NOIR, an Akashic Noir anthology. She has served as president of the SoCal Chapter of Mystery Writers of America, president and vice president for two chapters of Sisters in Crime (Orange County and Los Angeles), and is also a founding member of the SoCal chapter of the Historical Novel Society. See JeriWesterson.com for discussion guides, book trailers, and more.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
May 23, 2025
Book 2 of the Irregular Detectives, featuring Tim Badger and Ben Watson, is a giant leap forward in this series. The book is set in the 1890's Victorian London and deals with the Egyptomania Craze as it was known, Our intrepid detectives are hired to as security at a Mummy Unwrapping! Yes, this was a real entertainment party for high class Brits, as they obtain (Illegally?) an Egyptian mummy, then invite all their posh friends to a party as the host unwraps the mummy. In this story the host does not show up but his business partner begins the unwrapping only to discover the host has died, is wrapped as a mummy and is in he sarcophagus! And despite Scotland Yard coming onto the scene, Badger and Watson are hired by the business partner to find the killer and figure out what happened. And so our youngish detectives are on the case, followed ever so closely by Society girl turned Newspaper reporter Ellsie Littleton and they wind their way through London, from hospitals, to parties, to asylums, meeting a wide assortment of people, all the while giving us much more details as to their backstories, as Badger used to be one of Sherlock Holmes Baker Street Irregulars, and Sherlock appears now and then throughout the book to keep Badger and Watson moving on the right path, It really is a very fine romp and I can envision this becoming a long term series for author Jeri Westerson an accomplished author of numerous series. Top Notch effort Jeri - 4.5****
June 25, 2024
The Mummy of Mayfair is the second volume in Jeri Westerson's Irregular Detectives historical mysteries series.Who are these detectives and why are they irregular? They're among the now-adult members of Sherlock Holmes' Baker Street Irregulars, the street urchins Holmes used to gather information across large swathes of London. Children, especially poor children, draw little attention in Victorian London. They can observe without being observed and can easily find their way into unusual or risky locations.
The Irregulars introduced in the first volume of the series are Timothy Badger and Benjamin Watson (no relation to Holmes' long-time investigative partner). Badger was part of the Irregulars as a boy, looking up to Holmes and to Wiggins, the slightly older street child who led the Irregulars. Badger has, with the help of Holmes and in partnership with Benjamin Watson, established the Irregular Detective Agency.
Watson [unless I state otherwise, when I mention "Watson," I'm referring to this younger individual] has fought hard to support himself and his mother. He's done a variety of jobs, but the one that most impacted him was his time as a chemist's assistant. He's remarkably bright, and he used his time working with the chemist to give himself a medical education of sorts, staying up late to study the volumes in the chemist's medical library. When the chemist found out what Watson was doing, he fired Watson. Why? Watson is Black. And the chemist (and much of London) believe a young, Black man has no right to try to rise above his station.
One of the treats of this volume is that Wiggins of the original Irregulars makes an appearance. Like Badger and Watson, he's has a difficult time making a living as an adult and is working as a sort of dog's body for a group of doctors as one of London's hospitals.
The mystery in The Mummy of Mayfair engages readers right away. Badger and Watson have been hired as security for a party at the home of one of Wiggins' well-heeled doctors. Dr. Sawyer, like a significant swathe of London's upper classes has been caught up in Egyptomania. He's a collector of all things ancient and Egyptian. The party for which he's hired Badger and Watson is to be a mummy unwrapping. Such parties did happen among the Victorian elite who could afford to purchase a mummy and were willing to destroy it for the sake of public spectacle.
In this instance, when the mummy's sarcophagus is opened, guests find not a mummy, but the body of the doctor hosting the unwrapping. A colleague of the murdered doctor (it is murder, of course; who accidentally dies and is placed in a multi-tonne stone sarcophagus?) hires Badger and Watson to discover who is behind the murder and how it is accomplished.
The Irregular Detective Agency and its detectives are still a bit rough about the edges, both in terms of their activities in the book and their depiction by author Westerson. I'd been wondering if this second volume of the series would be the last one I sought out to read. Let me say that right now I'm sold on sticking with the series. The level of complexity in this new mystery—and the introduction of Wiggins—make it impossible for me to walk away. I *need* to know what will happen next.
I received a free electronic review copy of The Mummy of Mayfair from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.
The Irregulars introduced in the first volume of the series are Timothy Badger and Benjamin Watson (no relation to Holmes' long-time investigative partner). Badger was part of the Irregulars as a boy, looking up to Holmes and to Wiggins, the slightly older street child who led the Irregulars. Badger has, with the help of Holmes and in partnership with Benjamin Watson, established the Irregular Detective Agency.
Watson [unless I state otherwise, when I mention "Watson," I'm referring to this younger individual] has fought hard to support himself and his mother. He's done a variety of jobs, but the one that most impacted him was his time as a chemist's assistant. He's remarkably bright, and he used his time working with the chemist to give himself a medical education of sorts, staying up late to study the volumes in the chemist's medical library. When the chemist found out what Watson was doing, he fired Watson. Why? Watson is Black. And the chemist (and much of London) believe a young, Black man has no right to try to rise above his station.
One of the treats of this volume is that Wiggins of the original Irregulars makes an appearance. Like Badger and Watson, he's has a difficult time making a living as an adult and is working as a sort of dog's body for a group of doctors as one of London's hospitals.
The mystery in The Mummy of Mayfair engages readers right away. Badger and Watson have been hired as security for a party at the home of one of Wiggins' well-heeled doctors. Dr. Sawyer, like a significant swathe of London's upper classes has been caught up in Egyptomania. He's a collector of all things ancient and Egyptian. The party for which he's hired Badger and Watson is to be a mummy unwrapping. Such parties did happen among the Victorian elite who could afford to purchase a mummy and were willing to destroy it for the sake of public spectacle.
In this instance, when the mummy's sarcophagus is opened, guests find not a mummy, but the body of the doctor hosting the unwrapping. A colleague of the murdered doctor (it is murder, of course; who accidentally dies and is placed in a multi-tonne stone sarcophagus?) hires Badger and Watson to discover who is behind the murder and how it is accomplished.
The Irregular Detective Agency and its detectives are still a bit rough about the edges, both in terms of their activities in the book and their depiction by author Westerson. I'd been wondering if this second volume of the series would be the last one I sought out to read. Let me say that right now I'm sold on sticking with the series. The level of complexity in this new mystery—and the introduction of Wiggins—make it impossible for me to walk away. I *need* to know what will happen next.
I received a free electronic review copy of The Mummy of Mayfair from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.
July 1, 2024
Curses and magic!
Eygptmania and mummy unwrapping parties is sweeping the drawing rooms of London.
Everyone is into it. All want a little bit of the exotic, or to be delightfully horrified by the rumours of curses. I was rather repulsed by the information from one Mayfair darling that,
“after the uwrapping they ground the poor fellow into powder. It was supposed to have magical and medicinal properties. [She kept the ground remains]in a little bottle on [her] dressing table. They have absorbed the sunshine and starlight of a different world than ours, when magic was tangible.” As another guest stated, “a little macabre!”
Detectives Timothy Badger and Benjamin Watson, former Baker Street Irregulars, now protégées of the famous man himself, Sherlock Holmes, have been hired Doctor Enoch Sawyer as Security at his unwrapping party. However Sawyer is late and his partner Doctor Cornelius Archer commences the unwrapping procedure
The event takes a shocking turn when their missing employer and party host is found dead within the wrappings.
That’s the end of their employment. Not so! Dr. Archer hires them to continue their investigations.
Those uncover a raft of wrongdoings. Bodies being taken from hospitals for students to dissect, cocaine missing, and embezzlement. The trail leads into the heart of respectability—Mayfair!
Not only that, missing Egyptian statues and other artefacts purloined from Egypt and smuggled into England have since been removed from their current owners.
All this has Badger and Watson questioning previous innocent deaths that many put down to the result of a mummy’s curse.
They’re ably joined by reporter Miss Ellsie Moria Littleton whom Badger has hidden feelings for.
Another ex-irregular joins the fray. Things become exceedingly dicey. The pair faithfully use the Method (as promoted by their mentor Holmes) but run into various roadblocks. Sometimes they must rely on leaps of intuition.
Another fabulous story told with Westerson’s usual brilliant writing. A tale that moves along right snappily. I’m in!
A Severn House ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change
Eygptmania and mummy unwrapping parties is sweeping the drawing rooms of London.
Everyone is into it. All want a little bit of the exotic, or to be delightfully horrified by the rumours of curses. I was rather repulsed by the information from one Mayfair darling that,
“after the uwrapping they ground the poor fellow into powder. It was supposed to have magical and medicinal properties. [She kept the ground remains]in a little bottle on [her] dressing table. They have absorbed the sunshine and starlight of a different world than ours, when magic was tangible.” As another guest stated, “a little macabre!”
Detectives Timothy Badger and Benjamin Watson, former Baker Street Irregulars, now protégées of the famous man himself, Sherlock Holmes, have been hired Doctor Enoch Sawyer as Security at his unwrapping party. However Sawyer is late and his partner Doctor Cornelius Archer commences the unwrapping procedure
The event takes a shocking turn when their missing employer and party host is found dead within the wrappings.
That’s the end of their employment. Not so! Dr. Archer hires them to continue their investigations.
Those uncover a raft of wrongdoings. Bodies being taken from hospitals for students to dissect, cocaine missing, and embezzlement. The trail leads into the heart of respectability—Mayfair!
Not only that, missing Egyptian statues and other artefacts purloined from Egypt and smuggled into England have since been removed from their current owners.
All this has Badger and Watson questioning previous innocent deaths that many put down to the result of a mummy’s curse.
They’re ably joined by reporter Miss Ellsie Moria Littleton whom Badger has hidden feelings for.
Another ex-irregular joins the fray. Things become exceedingly dicey. The pair faithfully use the Method (as promoted by their mentor Holmes) but run into various roadblocks. Sometimes they must rely on leaps of intuition.
Another fabulous story told with Westerson’s usual brilliant writing. A tale that moves along right snappily. I’m in!
A Severn House ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change
February 11, 2025
After the success of their previous case and some publicity by newspaper reporter Ellsie Littleton, Badger and Watson have been getting cases. They are invited to attend a mummy unwrapping as security. Things take a turn when the host doesn’t arrive and the mummy isn’t an Egyptian mummy at all. Once again, author Jeri Westerson pulled me in and transported me to 1895 London.
Badger used to be one of the invisible children Holmes used when working cases. They worked the ciy streets gathering information for the detective. After he aged out and met Benjamin Watson, a jack of all trades and man of science the two began working their own cases. Holmes stepped in assist in establish the two. He moved them into a residence in SoHo, that contains a housekeeper and a magical box that refills with coin.
Badger works cases using the Sherlock method, has feelings for a certain fair-haired reporter and loves reading the latest Penny Dreadful. Watson is smitten with their housekeeper and prefers to read the latest scientific journal. The two play well of each other as they work the case of the Mayfair Mummy.
The case was an exciting one and showcased both of the detectives skillsets. Of course they confide in Elise and Sherlock, both provide direction for the young detectives. Danger, unspeakable practices and the looting of Egyptian artifacts kept me listening into the wee hours.
Westerson is a masterful storytelling weaving in both period history and examining social norms of the time, as these young detectives put their mark on the world. I truly cannot wait for their next case.
If you are a fan of Sherlock Holmes, I am sure you’ll enjoy the Irregular Detectives Mysteries. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook narration performed by Noah James Butler. He skillfully captures the accents and mannerisms of Badger who comes from the lower East end and Watson, an intelligent man limited by the color of his skin. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
Badger used to be one of the invisible children Holmes used when working cases. They worked the ciy streets gathering information for the detective. After he aged out and met Benjamin Watson, a jack of all trades and man of science the two began working their own cases. Holmes stepped in assist in establish the two. He moved them into a residence in SoHo, that contains a housekeeper and a magical box that refills with coin.
Badger works cases using the Sherlock method, has feelings for a certain fair-haired reporter and loves reading the latest Penny Dreadful. Watson is smitten with their housekeeper and prefers to read the latest scientific journal. The two play well of each other as they work the case of the Mayfair Mummy.
The case was an exciting one and showcased both of the detectives skillsets. Of course they confide in Elise and Sherlock, both provide direction for the young detectives. Danger, unspeakable practices and the looting of Egyptian artifacts kept me listening into the wee hours.
Westerson is a masterful storytelling weaving in both period history and examining social norms of the time, as these young detectives put their mark on the world. I truly cannot wait for their next case.
If you are a fan of Sherlock Holmes, I am sure you’ll enjoy the Irregular Detectives Mysteries. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook narration performed by Noah James Butler. He skillfully captures the accents and mannerisms of Badger who comes from the lower East end and Watson, an intelligent man limited by the color of his skin. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
July 12, 2024
The “irregularity” of the Irregular Detective series is in the person of one of its protagonists, Timothy Badger of the Badger and Watson Detecting Agency. Once upon a time, Badger was one of the “invisible” children who operated as Sherlock Holmes’ eyes and ears on the streets of Victorian London. In other words, Tim Badger was one of Holmes’ Baker Street Irregulars.
But when Badger aged out – or grew up – out of the Irregulars, he still needed to make his living. Which is where his partner, jack-of-all-trades Benjamin Watson comes into the picture. Both from the “wrong side of the tracks” in the East End, without a shilling between them, they set up as private detectives in the mode of Badger’s former ‘Guv’, the Great Detective himself.
As seen in the first entry in this series, The Isolated Séance, after five years of struggle to keep body and soul together, Sherlock Holmes himself gave these ‘apprentices’ a bit of a leg up. Their perseverance was rewarded with rooms in Soho – several steps up the economic ladder from their previous lodgings and office – and a seemingly magical refilling box of money for expenses.
They’re doing well for themselves. It’s a lot of hard work and shoe leather – but their successes seem to outnumber their failures. They have as much work as they can handle – and even their own chronicler in the person of newspaper reporter Ellsie Littleton.
Which leads to this second sensational case, The Mummy of Mayfair. A moniker that seems ripped, not from the headlines, but from the titles of the penny dreadful fiction that Badger loves to read. Watson prefers the newspapers and scientific journals.
After all, someone in this partnership needs to keep their feet on the ground, especially with a case that has so much potential to ascend – or perhaps that’s descend – into flights of fantasy and mythology.
It begins with a mummy unwrapping party. An all too common event among the upper crust in the 1890s. It was the heyday of ‘Egyptomania’, with all of the implications of madness the word mania implies.
Badger and Watson were hired by Dr. Enoch Sawyer to provide security for his mummy unwrapping party. A party that takes an even more macabre turn when the mummy is finally unwrapped to reveal that it’s not the mummy of Runihura Saa. It’s the much more recent mummy of Dr. Enoch Sawyer – their client – who is clearly not going to be able to pay them for the job they are about to do on his behalf.
And the game is afoot!
Escape Rating A-: First, I loved this every bit as much as the first book in this series, The Isolated Séance. Second, I need to kick myself for not figuring out that the series title is a pun until now. I sorta/kinda thought the cases were “irregular” and they are that – from a séance in the first book to a mummy in the second. But it’s the DETECTIVES – or at least one of them – that are irregular. As in, the Baker Street Irregulars. 🤦🏻
Now that I’ve got that out of my system, what makes this case so much fun is the way that it blends the real with the fictional.
Mummy unwrapping parties were a very real thing in the 1890s – as shown in a painting by artist Paul Dominique Philippoteaux circa 1890. The scene may seem macabre to 21st century readers, but such parties were all the rage in 1895, when The Mummy of Mayfair takes place.
Rage also being an important factor – at least in this particular case – as the ‘mania’ led people to strange rivalries and illegal behaviors – as humans are wont to do in the throes of a craze, fad, or mania. It still happens now, and humans haven’t changed all that much in just a bit over a century.
As much as the insanity of this particular mania turns out to be the impetus for the actions of the characters, what is making the series work are the characters and the way they manage to fit into – and take off from – the canon of Sherlock Holmes and ITS well-known and loved protagonists.
The best detectives, whether amateur or professional, are outsiders. It’s nearly impossible for humans to set aside their preconceived notions and biases in regards to people they know. A fact which very nearly sends the entire case on a wild goose chase, as one of the possible suspects is one of Badger’s former colleagues in the Irregulars.
But the triumvirate necessary to fill all of the roles that in the original canon were filled by just two changes the structure of the investigation even as it challenges the reader to see Holmes’ Victorian age from a considerably less lofty perspective.
Timothy Badger grew up in the East End, living by his wits and the nimbleness of his fingers. His accent clearly marks him as being of a “lower class” to the toffs among whom he now finds himself – and he has to grow into his role without giving up who he essentially is.
Benjamin Watson is a black man in a white world. The first thing that anyone sees when they meet him is the color of his skin. He has the intelligence and the drive to have been anything within his reach, but his reach in the late Victorian era is circumscribed by his race.
Miss Ellsie Moira Littleton is a woman in a man’s world. Much like Charlotte Sloane in the Regency-set Wrexford and Sloane series, Ellsie has been forced by circumstances to be self-supporting, and is on the outside of the society to which she was born. As an intelligent, educated, woman who needs to make her own way, she is also an outsider but with an entirely different perspective on the society of which she was once a member.
From its sensational beginning, the case is a deeply puzzling mess. Badger and Watson’s preconceived notions about their clients and their former associates, as well as their lack of knowledge of the precise ways the rich spend their time and money and protect their positions frequently send them haring off in the wrong directions – and we follow them eagerly even as they frequently caution each other.
As I’ve said frequently within these pages, I’m a sucker for Sherlock Holmes pastiches, and that’s why I initially started this series. Now I’m hooked! I’m really looking forward to the next book in this series, The Misplaced Physician, where we’ll finally get to meet Sherlock Holmes’ Watson, as Badger and his Watson will be on the case of rescuing him! It’s a good thing that investigative reporter Ellsie Littleton will be on hand to record the adventure, as the original Watson may be too embarrassed – or too injured – to write it up himself.
We’ll certainly see, hopefully this time next year!
Originally published at Reading Reality
But when Badger aged out – or grew up – out of the Irregulars, he still needed to make his living. Which is where his partner, jack-of-all-trades Benjamin Watson comes into the picture. Both from the “wrong side of the tracks” in the East End, without a shilling between them, they set up as private detectives in the mode of Badger’s former ‘Guv’, the Great Detective himself.
As seen in the first entry in this series, The Isolated Séance, after five years of struggle to keep body and soul together, Sherlock Holmes himself gave these ‘apprentices’ a bit of a leg up. Their perseverance was rewarded with rooms in Soho – several steps up the economic ladder from their previous lodgings and office – and a seemingly magical refilling box of money for expenses.
They’re doing well for themselves. It’s a lot of hard work and shoe leather – but their successes seem to outnumber their failures. They have as much work as they can handle – and even their own chronicler in the person of newspaper reporter Ellsie Littleton.
Which leads to this second sensational case, The Mummy of Mayfair. A moniker that seems ripped, not from the headlines, but from the titles of the penny dreadful fiction that Badger loves to read. Watson prefers the newspapers and scientific journals.
After all, someone in this partnership needs to keep their feet on the ground, especially with a case that has so much potential to ascend – or perhaps that’s descend – into flights of fantasy and mythology.
It begins with a mummy unwrapping party. An all too common event among the upper crust in the 1890s. It was the heyday of ‘Egyptomania’, with all of the implications of madness the word mania implies.
Badger and Watson were hired by Dr. Enoch Sawyer to provide security for his mummy unwrapping party. A party that takes an even more macabre turn when the mummy is finally unwrapped to reveal that it’s not the mummy of Runihura Saa. It’s the much more recent mummy of Dr. Enoch Sawyer – their client – who is clearly not going to be able to pay them for the job they are about to do on his behalf.
And the game is afoot!
Escape Rating A-: First, I loved this every bit as much as the first book in this series, The Isolated Séance. Second, I need to kick myself for not figuring out that the series title is a pun until now. I sorta/kinda thought the cases were “irregular” and they are that – from a séance in the first book to a mummy in the second. But it’s the DETECTIVES – or at least one of them – that are irregular. As in, the Baker Street Irregulars. 🤦🏻
Now that I’ve got that out of my system, what makes this case so much fun is the way that it blends the real with the fictional.
Mummy unwrapping parties were a very real thing in the 1890s – as shown in a painting by artist Paul Dominique Philippoteaux circa 1890. The scene may seem macabre to 21st century readers, but such parties were all the rage in 1895, when The Mummy of Mayfair takes place.
Rage also being an important factor – at least in this particular case – as the ‘mania’ led people to strange rivalries and illegal behaviors – as humans are wont to do in the throes of a craze, fad, or mania. It still happens now, and humans haven’t changed all that much in just a bit over a century.
As much as the insanity of this particular mania turns out to be the impetus for the actions of the characters, what is making the series work are the characters and the way they manage to fit into – and take off from – the canon of Sherlock Holmes and ITS well-known and loved protagonists.
The best detectives, whether amateur or professional, are outsiders. It’s nearly impossible for humans to set aside their preconceived notions and biases in regards to people they know. A fact which very nearly sends the entire case on a wild goose chase, as one of the possible suspects is one of Badger’s former colleagues in the Irregulars.
But the triumvirate necessary to fill all of the roles that in the original canon were filled by just two changes the structure of the investigation even as it challenges the reader to see Holmes’ Victorian age from a considerably less lofty perspective.
Timothy Badger grew up in the East End, living by his wits and the nimbleness of his fingers. His accent clearly marks him as being of a “lower class” to the toffs among whom he now finds himself – and he has to grow into his role without giving up who he essentially is.
Benjamin Watson is a black man in a white world. The first thing that anyone sees when they meet him is the color of his skin. He has the intelligence and the drive to have been anything within his reach, but his reach in the late Victorian era is circumscribed by his race.
Miss Ellsie Moira Littleton is a woman in a man’s world. Much like Charlotte Sloane in the Regency-set Wrexford and Sloane series, Ellsie has been forced by circumstances to be self-supporting, and is on the outside of the society to which she was born. As an intelligent, educated, woman who needs to make her own way, she is also an outsider but with an entirely different perspective on the society of which she was once a member.
From its sensational beginning, the case is a deeply puzzling mess. Badger and Watson’s preconceived notions about their clients and their former associates, as well as their lack of knowledge of the precise ways the rich spend their time and money and protect their positions frequently send them haring off in the wrong directions – and we follow them eagerly even as they frequently caution each other.
As I’ve said frequently within these pages, I’m a sucker for Sherlock Holmes pastiches, and that’s why I initially started this series. Now I’m hooked! I’m really looking forward to the next book in this series, The Misplaced Physician, where we’ll finally get to meet Sherlock Holmes’ Watson, as Badger and his Watson will be on the case of rescuing him! It’s a good thing that investigative reporter Ellsie Littleton will be on hand to record the adventure, as the original Watson may be too embarrassed – or too injured – to write it up himself.
We’ll certainly see, hopefully this time next year!
Originally published at Reading Reality
July 26, 2024
I haven't read the first book in this series however I would say you don't need to, I didn't feel as if I was missing out on anything (however you may be tempted to return to the first after reading this). This is a Victorian mystery inspired by Sherlock Holmes Irregulars, Tim Badger was an irregular and Holmes spotted something in the boy to encourage him to set up a detective agency using 'the method', Tim finds a partner in Ben Watson who supplies the scientific knowledge in the partnership and finally there's newspaper reporter Ellsie Littleton who reports on the pairs' exploits.
The Mummy of Mayfair deals with the Victorian's obsession with Egyptology and the mummy unwrapping parties the wealthy attended. At one such party a Dr is found dead in a sarcophagus and our intrepid pair are hired to hunt for the murderer. An entertaining read packed full of detail.
The Mummy of Mayfair deals with the Victorian's obsession with Egyptology and the mummy unwrapping parties the wealthy attended. At one such party a Dr is found dead in a sarcophagus and our intrepid pair are hired to hunt for the murderer. An entertaining read packed full of detail.
Read
April 16, 2024tl;dr
A fun mystery that builds on all the promise of the first book, while also forging new ground for two budding detectives.
Thoughts
Timothy Badger and Benjamin Watson are back. This time, they've been hired for a simple job - protect a few Egyptian artifacts from going missing during a fancy party. But when one of the hosts turns up dead, it's up to them to discover if the killer is the curse of the mummy, or something closer to home. I was incredibly neutral about the first book, but it showed enough promise that I wanted to give the second one a go. Well, here we are a year later, and sure enough, that promise is fulfilled. This one reads a lot better! My biggest hangup with the first book was that it seemed very little detective work was happening. Our charming heroes were simply lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time to overhear all the big reveals. This time around, they are fully in it - collecting clues, following leads, interviewing suspects, and unraveling the mystery by their own wits and deductions. They spend a lot of time discussing the "method," the manner in which Sherlock seems to magically conjure up solutions. It's always been a bit of sleight of hand in the canon: hidden clues, conclusions a reader couldn't possibly hope to obtain, and solutions featuring players hidden from view until the last minute. This book diverges from the Conan Doyle formula for the better, giving us all the same information our heroes get so we can solve along with the boys. The book also diverges from the canon by including a Very Victorian romance, replete with longing gazes, wistful sighs, and the constant reminder that these characters come from different classes. The historical setting is well-researched, with plenty of immersive details and flourishes. Overall it's a very strong historical mystery, and I look forward to the next one with great anticipation.
Thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for an advance copy. All thoughts in this review are my own!
A fun mystery that builds on all the promise of the first book, while also forging new ground for two budding detectives.
Thoughts
Timothy Badger and Benjamin Watson are back. This time, they've been hired for a simple job - protect a few Egyptian artifacts from going missing during a fancy party. But when one of the hosts turns up dead, it's up to them to discover if the killer is the curse of the mummy, or something closer to home. I was incredibly neutral about the first book, but it showed enough promise that I wanted to give the second one a go. Well, here we are a year later, and sure enough, that promise is fulfilled. This one reads a lot better! My biggest hangup with the first book was that it seemed very little detective work was happening. Our charming heroes were simply lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time to overhear all the big reveals. This time around, they are fully in it - collecting clues, following leads, interviewing suspects, and unraveling the mystery by their own wits and deductions. They spend a lot of time discussing the "method," the manner in which Sherlock seems to magically conjure up solutions. It's always been a bit of sleight of hand in the canon: hidden clues, conclusions a reader couldn't possibly hope to obtain, and solutions featuring players hidden from view until the last minute. This book diverges from the Conan Doyle formula for the better, giving us all the same information our heroes get so we can solve along with the boys. The book also diverges from the canon by including a Very Victorian romance, replete with longing gazes, wistful sighs, and the constant reminder that these characters come from different classes. The historical setting is well-researched, with plenty of immersive details and flourishes. Overall it's a very strong historical mystery, and I look forward to the next one with great anticipation.
Thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for an advance copy. All thoughts in this review are my own!
March 9, 2025
This is a terrific fresh new Sherlock Holmes-related mystery series. I love it! One of the Baker St irregulars grows up and applies what he has learned from SH - with is own Watson as a colleague. They are a terrific pair, open and honest and fun! Great mystery too, with a touch of romance for the detectives as well. I can[t wait for the next in the series.
I loved the audiobook version - wonderfully read!
I loved the audiobook version - wonderfully read!
September 10, 2024
Probably 4 1/2 stars but rounded up.
May 27, 2024
1895. Timothy Badger and Benjamin Watson are hired as guards by Dr Sawyer as he intends to open the sarcophagus of Runibura Saa to invited guests, but the reveal exposes the body of Sawyer. They are employed by colleague Dr Archer to investigate.
An entertaining and well-written historical mystery with its interesting main characters.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
An entertaining and well-written historical mystery with its interesting main characters.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
May 4, 2024
Thanks to Severn House and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. I am a huge Sherlock Holmes fan and I very much enjoyed this Holmes spin off, at least I think that is the proper term. The two main characters are Timothy Badger, a former member of Sherlock Holmes’ Irregulars, and Benjamin Watson, a young black man who was a former chemist’s assistant and a self taught chemist in his own right. The two of them have formed the Badger and Watson Private Detective Agency, through the sponsorship of Holmes himself.
It’s a bit like getting a glimpse of a young and inexperienced, but learning, Sherlock Holmes. Badger and Watson attempt to employ the Holmes method, but rather than an infallible genius, they are much more easy to relate too, as they make mistakes and doubt themselves at times. It was really quite refreshing.
The author was well researched on the time period and I enjoyed the glimpses of some of the details of how life in Victorian London actually worked, both for the posh classes as well as the lower classes. She mixed in real people and locations among the characters and places and used actual street names and trolley and omnibus lines to ground the story in reality.
The story is set in London of 1895. An eminent doctor has asked Badger and Watson to provide security for his mummy unwrapping party. There was an actual fad at the time among the wealthy classes involving the study of and collecting Egyptian antiquities. But imagine the shock when the mummy is unwrapped only to reveal the body of the doctor who hired them!
The detectives are hired by the doctor’s colleague to find the killer and they work with Inspector Hopkins of Scotland Yard and with newspaper reporter Ellsie Littleton to track down the killer. Ellsie is also their Dr. Watson and shares their adventures with her readers. This was book two of a series and I cannot wait to go back and read book one and any future volumes in the series. I highly recommend this to all Sherlock Holmes fans and fans of other Victorian mysteries, as well as those of Agatha Christie.
It’s a bit like getting a glimpse of a young and inexperienced, but learning, Sherlock Holmes. Badger and Watson attempt to employ the Holmes method, but rather than an infallible genius, they are much more easy to relate too, as they make mistakes and doubt themselves at times. It was really quite refreshing.
The author was well researched on the time period and I enjoyed the glimpses of some of the details of how life in Victorian London actually worked, both for the posh classes as well as the lower classes. She mixed in real people and locations among the characters and places and used actual street names and trolley and omnibus lines to ground the story in reality.
The story is set in London of 1895. An eminent doctor has asked Badger and Watson to provide security for his mummy unwrapping party. There was an actual fad at the time among the wealthy classes involving the study of and collecting Egyptian antiquities. But imagine the shock when the mummy is unwrapped only to reveal the body of the doctor who hired them!
The detectives are hired by the doctor’s colleague to find the killer and they work with Inspector Hopkins of Scotland Yard and with newspaper reporter Ellsie Littleton to track down the killer. Ellsie is also their Dr. Watson and shares their adventures with her readers. This was book two of a series and I cannot wait to go back and read book one and any future volumes in the series. I highly recommend this to all Sherlock Holmes fans and fans of other Victorian mysteries, as well as those of Agatha Christie.
August 9, 2024
If, like me, you haven’t yet had the pleasure of reading the first book in the series, don’t be put off reaching for this entertaining historical whodunit. Westerson gives us all the background we need to appreciate where our two plucky private detectives are in their careers – and how Sherlock Holmes fits into the scheme of things.
For those of you who may not be aware – the ‘Irregular’ of the series title alludes to the scruffy gang of street children that Holmes employed to spy on various suspects during his cases, which he named the Baker Street Irregulars. One of our detectives, Tim Badger, used to be part of Holmes’ gang until he grew too old. As Holmes used to say – children loitering on street corners were mostly ignored by adults, so were ideal for following people. And breaking into houses to hold of vital clues, or incriminating objects.
I like the fact that Tim had a really tough time establishing himself. Victorian England was very class-conscious and though a number of celebrated men – and it was mostly men – managed to break out of their humble origins to go on and have successful, remunerative careers, that number is vanishingly small. Many boasted of being ‘self-made men’, but when you drill down into their backgrounds, they often came from reasonably well-off families who gave them plenty of support in those vital early years. Tim Badger doesn’t have that advantage. His partner, Ben Watson, at least has a loving family. I really like that Westerson has included a black protagonist. If you read historical records, by this time there are a significant number of people from different ethnic origins living in Victorian England, particularly in and around London, though the only time they appear in contemporary fiction is as a villain.
Westerson evokes the period well, even going to the trouble of providing a glossary of terms for those not acquainted with the slang of the times. We get a strong sense of the class divide, as well as the world in which our detectives are working. The craze for all things Egyptian at this time certainly is historically accurate – and mummy-unwrapping parties actually took place. This is a wonderful backdrop for a murder. As Tim and Ben are on the spot as hired security to prevent the expensive Egyptian artefacts being stolen, they end up being right in the middle of this shocking case.
I liked the appearance of Holmes, particularly as his famous ‘method’ proves to have severe limitations. I’ve seen this story described as a cosy mystery – I’m not so sure. While it certainly doesn’t go into lots of gritty, or gratuitous gore, neither does it give a particularly rosy glow to Victorian society. I certainly came away feeling very relieved that I hadn’t been born in this period.
All in all, this is a joy and the only reason why it isn’t a five-star read, is because the actual whodunit isn’t particularly difficult to unravel – I’d decided on the culprit quite early on in the story. And I was right. That said, it isn’t the dealbreaker it might be in a tale peopled with less entertaining characters inhabiting a flatter, less vividly depicted world. Recommended for fans of historical murder mysteries, particularly if you’ve enjoyed Sherlock Holmes and John Watson’s adventures. While I obtained an arc of The Mummy of Mayfair from the publishers via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
8/10
For those of you who may not be aware – the ‘Irregular’ of the series title alludes to the scruffy gang of street children that Holmes employed to spy on various suspects during his cases, which he named the Baker Street Irregulars. One of our detectives, Tim Badger, used to be part of Holmes’ gang until he grew too old. As Holmes used to say – children loitering on street corners were mostly ignored by adults, so were ideal for following people. And breaking into houses to hold of vital clues, or incriminating objects.
I like the fact that Tim had a really tough time establishing himself. Victorian England was very class-conscious and though a number of celebrated men – and it was mostly men – managed to break out of their humble origins to go on and have successful, remunerative careers, that number is vanishingly small. Many boasted of being ‘self-made men’, but when you drill down into their backgrounds, they often came from reasonably well-off families who gave them plenty of support in those vital early years. Tim Badger doesn’t have that advantage. His partner, Ben Watson, at least has a loving family. I really like that Westerson has included a black protagonist. If you read historical records, by this time there are a significant number of people from different ethnic origins living in Victorian England, particularly in and around London, though the only time they appear in contemporary fiction is as a villain.
Westerson evokes the period well, even going to the trouble of providing a glossary of terms for those not acquainted with the slang of the times. We get a strong sense of the class divide, as well as the world in which our detectives are working. The craze for all things Egyptian at this time certainly is historically accurate – and mummy-unwrapping parties actually took place. This is a wonderful backdrop for a murder. As Tim and Ben are on the spot as hired security to prevent the expensive Egyptian artefacts being stolen, they end up being right in the middle of this shocking case.
I liked the appearance of Holmes, particularly as his famous ‘method’ proves to have severe limitations. I’ve seen this story described as a cosy mystery – I’m not so sure. While it certainly doesn’t go into lots of gritty, or gratuitous gore, neither does it give a particularly rosy glow to Victorian society. I certainly came away feeling very relieved that I hadn’t been born in this period.
All in all, this is a joy and the only reason why it isn’t a five-star read, is because the actual whodunit isn’t particularly difficult to unravel – I’d decided on the culprit quite early on in the story. And I was right. That said, it isn’t the dealbreaker it might be in a tale peopled with less entertaining characters inhabiting a flatter, less vividly depicted world. Recommended for fans of historical murder mysteries, particularly if you’ve enjoyed Sherlock Holmes and John Watson’s adventures. While I obtained an arc of The Mummy of Mayfair from the publishers via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
8/10
August 13, 2025
2.5 stars
I read this book for a challenge where I needed to read a book with a mummy on the cover. I actually didn't realize it was the second book in a series, so I didn't read the first novel. I don't think it really impacted my opinion that much, as in, I don't think my opinion would change if I read the first book before I read this one. Westerson does a good job of filling you in on important details from the first book without it feeling like a "previously on" segment. I never felt lost in the story due to coming in on a later book. Since that's exactly how I feel about the original Sherlock Holmes stories, I think Westerson was really successful there.
We follow Timothy Badger and Benjamin Watson (no relation to Dr John Watson), two lower/working class men in Sherlock's London who have opened their own private detective agency using Holmes' "method". Badger used to be one of Holmes' "Baker Street Irregulars", street kids that he used for information/spying, and now has Holmes' patronage and mentorship. Due to their media relationship with high-society-lady-turned-reporter Ellsie Littleton and her sensational stories about their capers, Badger and Watson are on the up and up. They are hired to be private security for a mummy unwrapping party for Doctor Sawyer of St Bart's Hospital. Sadly, the sarcophagus is opened to reveal....a dead Doctor Sawyer. Now Badger and Watson are on the case, infiltrating the high class world of hospital governors and Egyptomania.
There are definitely aspects I enjoyed: Watson's struggle with being a black man in London, Badger trying to come to terms with fitting in with the upper class, and the actual mystery itself was fun. But the layout of the story was very confusing and jumbled, and not in an interesting way. I found the narration needlessly wordy, and the constant use of Badger's cockney accent took me out (I understand the use of it, it just started feeling like I was reading a version of Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins, it was so prevalent). I also found the romantic subplots to be uninteresting, particularly with Badger and Ellsie - they didn't have any chemistry to me. I overall liked Watson's sections more than Badger's.
However, I really liked Westerson's depiction of Holmes himself, which I think can be tricky when people use the character in their original work where he has a different role to play than in Conan Doyle's stories. In this version, Westerson has him as a mentor to our main characters, which could be iffy considering that canon Holmes is pretty standoffish, self centered, and not very socially oriented. But Westerson has him keep his Holmes-yness while utilizing the character for what she needs, never sacrificing or drastically changing his personality to fit her needs.
If you're looking for a fun, lighthearted, Holmes-ish mystery, this will likely fit the bill. I don't think I'll come back to this series, though I am intrigued by Westerson's work about Henry VIII's fool Will Sommers.
I read this book for a challenge where I needed to read a book with a mummy on the cover. I actually didn't realize it was the second book in a series, so I didn't read the first novel. I don't think it really impacted my opinion that much, as in, I don't think my opinion would change if I read the first book before I read this one. Westerson does a good job of filling you in on important details from the first book without it feeling like a "previously on" segment. I never felt lost in the story due to coming in on a later book. Since that's exactly how I feel about the original Sherlock Holmes stories, I think Westerson was really successful there.
We follow Timothy Badger and Benjamin Watson (no relation to Dr John Watson), two lower/working class men in Sherlock's London who have opened their own private detective agency using Holmes' "method". Badger used to be one of Holmes' "Baker Street Irregulars", street kids that he used for information/spying, and now has Holmes' patronage and mentorship. Due to their media relationship with high-society-lady-turned-reporter Ellsie Littleton and her sensational stories about their capers, Badger and Watson are on the up and up. They are hired to be private security for a mummy unwrapping party for Doctor Sawyer of St Bart's Hospital. Sadly, the sarcophagus is opened to reveal....a dead Doctor Sawyer. Now Badger and Watson are on the case, infiltrating the high class world of hospital governors and Egyptomania.
There are definitely aspects I enjoyed: Watson's struggle with being a black man in London, Badger trying to come to terms with fitting in with the upper class, and the actual mystery itself was fun. But the layout of the story was very confusing and jumbled, and not in an interesting way. I found the narration needlessly wordy, and the constant use of Badger's cockney accent took me out (I understand the use of it, it just started feeling like I was reading a version of Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins, it was so prevalent). I also found the romantic subplots to be uninteresting, particularly with Badger and Ellsie - they didn't have any chemistry to me. I overall liked Watson's sections more than Badger's.
However, I really liked Westerson's depiction of Holmes himself, which I think can be tricky when people use the character in their original work where he has a different role to play than in Conan Doyle's stories. In this version, Westerson has him as a mentor to our main characters, which could be iffy considering that canon Holmes is pretty standoffish, self centered, and not very socially oriented. But Westerson has him keep his Holmes-yness while utilizing the character for what she needs, never sacrificing or drastically changing his personality to fit her needs.
If you're looking for a fun, lighthearted, Holmes-ish mystery, this will likely fit the bill. I don't think I'll come back to this series, though I am intrigued by Westerson's work about Henry VIII's fool Will Sommers.
July 16, 2024
Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
The Mummy of Mayfair is a cozy historical mystery and the second to feature the irregular detectives by Jeri Westerson. Released 2nd July 2024 by Severn House, it's 224 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links.
This is a pastiche novel set in 1895 featuring a pair of private investigators, one of whom was a former "Baker St. Irregular" street urchin in service to Sherlock Holmes. He's a young adult at this point, and doing fairly well as a private enquiry agent. His partner (coincidentally named Watson) is a brilliant young black man with a keen scientific mind. Much of the character driven plot is provided in the banter and interactions between the two young men.
It's a cozy, so the violence occurs off-page. There are some inevitable instances of open racism, given Watson's ethnicity, but they're not totally overpowering, and they're handled sensitively. There's quite a lot of plot which turns on Victorian England's obsession with (and looting of) Egyptian artifacts at the time, but specific details are easily gleaned from context.
The author does a pretty good job with the dialogue and vernacular of the time period, and has included a helpful glossary for modern readers who might not be familiar with the street slang. It's unquestionably a modern cozy for modern readers, but it's diverting, light, and fun.
There's even a forbidden undeniable attraction between the daughter of an upper class scion and a former street urchin with lots of winsome glances and heavy sighs. The romance aspect doesn't overpower the story, but it is present.
Four stars. It's not canonical, and real Conan Doyle afficionados won't be fooled for a minute, but for everyone else, it's fun and engaging.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
#CampNetGalley #BookishScavengerHunt #BookishPhotoChallenge #NetGalley #SummerPhotoChallenge
The Mummy of Mayfair is a cozy historical mystery and the second to feature the irregular detectives by Jeri Westerson. Released 2nd July 2024 by Severn House, it's 224 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links.
This is a pastiche novel set in 1895 featuring a pair of private investigators, one of whom was a former "Baker St. Irregular" street urchin in service to Sherlock Holmes. He's a young adult at this point, and doing fairly well as a private enquiry agent. His partner (coincidentally named Watson) is a brilliant young black man with a keen scientific mind. Much of the character driven plot is provided in the banter and interactions between the two young men.
It's a cozy, so the violence occurs off-page. There are some inevitable instances of open racism, given Watson's ethnicity, but they're not totally overpowering, and they're handled sensitively. There's quite a lot of plot which turns on Victorian England's obsession with (and looting of) Egyptian artifacts at the time, but specific details are easily gleaned from context.
The author does a pretty good job with the dialogue and vernacular of the time period, and has included a helpful glossary for modern readers who might not be familiar with the street slang. It's unquestionably a modern cozy for modern readers, but it's diverting, light, and fun.
There's even a forbidden undeniable attraction between the daughter of an upper class scion and a former street urchin with lots of winsome glances and heavy sighs. The romance aspect doesn't overpower the story, but it is present.
Four stars. It's not canonical, and real Conan Doyle afficionados won't be fooled for a minute, but for everyone else, it's fun and engaging.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
#CampNetGalley #BookishScavengerHunt #BookishPhotoChallenge #NetGalley #SummerPhotoChallenge
July 7, 2024
A fun airplane or beach book…
I tend to think of Jeri Westerson as an author of historical mysteries set in medieval England, since I’ve read and enjoyed many books in her Crispin Guest and Will Somers series. But I’m aware that she writes in other genres too, and was interested to learn that she has recently started a Sherlock Holmes pastiche-ish series. So I was happy to receive a review copy of the second and most recent book in that series, The Mummy of Mayfair. (I’m also a fan of ancient Egyptian history, having taken an Ancient Egyptian Civilization class at UCLA Extension many (!!!) years ago, so the mummy connection was a nice bonus.)
The Mummy of Mayfair turned out to be more of a mystery with Sherlock Holmes, Mrs Hudson, and even Jimmy Wiggins making appearances, than a true pastiche. But it was still a quick and enjoyable read. The two protagonists, Tim Badger, who had been a member of the Baker Street Irregulars, and Ben Watson, have recently opened a Detecting Agency together. But funds are still tight, so when they are offered the chance to provide security for a “mummy unwrapping” party, they take the job. Unfortunately, Dr Enoch Sawyer, who was going to do the unwrapping, instead turns up dead in the mummy’s cartonnage himself. Luckily, our detectives are hired by one of Sawyer’s colleagues to investigate, and things proceed from there.
Westerson provides lots of fun details about Egyptian antiquities, curses, dangerous poisons and other things along the way, and there’s a hint of romance in the air as well. The only thing I wish were different about the book would be for Ben Watson’s last name to be anything but “Watson”. That would eliminate my confusion – especially in the early chapters - between Ben himself and Holmes’ own Dr Watson. But all-in-all, The Mummy of Mayfair was a fun book that would make a good airplane or beach read. And finally, my thanks to Severn House and NetGalley for the review copy!
I tend to think of Jeri Westerson as an author of historical mysteries set in medieval England, since I’ve read and enjoyed many books in her Crispin Guest and Will Somers series. But I’m aware that she writes in other genres too, and was interested to learn that she has recently started a Sherlock Holmes pastiche-ish series. So I was happy to receive a review copy of the second and most recent book in that series, The Mummy of Mayfair. (I’m also a fan of ancient Egyptian history, having taken an Ancient Egyptian Civilization class at UCLA Extension many (!!!) years ago, so the mummy connection was a nice bonus.)
The Mummy of Mayfair turned out to be more of a mystery with Sherlock Holmes, Mrs Hudson, and even Jimmy Wiggins making appearances, than a true pastiche. But it was still a quick and enjoyable read. The two protagonists, Tim Badger, who had been a member of the Baker Street Irregulars, and Ben Watson, have recently opened a Detecting Agency together. But funds are still tight, so when they are offered the chance to provide security for a “mummy unwrapping” party, they take the job. Unfortunately, Dr Enoch Sawyer, who was going to do the unwrapping, instead turns up dead in the mummy’s cartonnage himself. Luckily, our detectives are hired by one of Sawyer’s colleagues to investigate, and things proceed from there.
Westerson provides lots of fun details about Egyptian antiquities, curses, dangerous poisons and other things along the way, and there’s a hint of romance in the air as well. The only thing I wish were different about the book would be for Ben Watson’s last name to be anything but “Watson”. That would eliminate my confusion – especially in the early chapters - between Ben himself and Holmes’ own Dr Watson. But all-in-all, The Mummy of Mayfair was a fun book that would make a good airplane or beach read. And finally, my thanks to Severn House and NetGalley for the review copy!
June 28, 2024
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Jeri Westerson for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Mummy of Mayfair coming out July 2, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.
London, 1895. Although their last high-profile case was a huge success, private detectives Tim Badger and Benjamin Watson know they can’t afford to turn down any work, despite financial assistance from their mentor, Sherlock Holmes.
So when the eminent Doctor Enoch Sawyer of St Bart’s Hospital asks Badger if the duo will provide security for a mummy unwrapping party he is hosting, Badger doesn’t hesitate to take the job.
After all, how hard can guarding the doctor’s bizarre Egyptian artifacts be? But with Doctor Sawyer running late for his own party, the ‘genuine’ ancient sarcophagus of Runihura Saa is unravelled to reveal the remains of . . . Doctor Sawyer! Suddenly, the pair are drawn into a case that’s stranger and twistier than they could ever have imagined.
I haven’t read the first book in the series. But I can’t resist Mummy mysteries. Ancient Egypt is such a fascinating topic to me, so I was really excited about reading this book! I love the characters. I thought it was very Holmes and Watson. I loved that it actually featured Holmes. I loved that there was some romance involved. I wasn’t expecting that. I think my only thing was that it was a lot about the solving the mystery and I didn’t feel like there were enough Ancient Egypt facts involved. I think it needed more Mummy. There was more at the end, but I would’ve liked to see more of that throughout the book. Overall, I loved it and would check out another book!
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Sherlock Holmes mysteries!
London, 1895. Although their last high-profile case was a huge success, private detectives Tim Badger and Benjamin Watson know they can’t afford to turn down any work, despite financial assistance from their mentor, Sherlock Holmes.
So when the eminent Doctor Enoch Sawyer of St Bart’s Hospital asks Badger if the duo will provide security for a mummy unwrapping party he is hosting, Badger doesn’t hesitate to take the job.
After all, how hard can guarding the doctor’s bizarre Egyptian artifacts be? But with Doctor Sawyer running late for his own party, the ‘genuine’ ancient sarcophagus of Runihura Saa is unravelled to reveal the remains of . . . Doctor Sawyer! Suddenly, the pair are drawn into a case that’s stranger and twistier than they could ever have imagined.
I haven’t read the first book in the series. But I can’t resist Mummy mysteries. Ancient Egypt is such a fascinating topic to me, so I was really excited about reading this book! I love the characters. I thought it was very Holmes and Watson. I loved that it actually featured Holmes. I loved that there was some romance involved. I wasn’t expecting that. I think my only thing was that it was a lot about the solving the mystery and I didn’t feel like there were enough Ancient Egypt facts involved. I think it needed more Mummy. There was more at the end, but I would’ve liked to see more of that throughout the book. Overall, I loved it and would check out another book!
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Sherlock Holmes mysteries!
June 15, 2024
The Mummy of Mayfair was my first dive into historical mysteries, and I loved it! The setting was immersive and I enjoyed the language, dialogue and historical references throughout. I went into this book having not read the first in the series, and I’m happy to report that it works great as a standalone. Westerson includes just enough backstory that I quickly became familiar with the characters, and never felt lost or confused about what was happening. I also wasn’t given too much information to the point that reading the first book afterward would feel redundant.
This book is set in the Sherlock Holmes universe, and the famous detective is referenced a lot as Tim and Ben’s former mentor. I only have a superficial knowledge of Holmes, and thankfully you really don’t need to know who he is to enjoy this book (although I think it would have made the book even more entertaining). The big difference between Sherlock Holmes and our two detectives was I felt like I was a detective solving the crime alongside the main characters, whereas with Holmes I feel more like an observer.
Tim and Ben are quirky detectives and polar opposites. I really enjoyed getting to know both of them! Even the supporting characters are so unique and well fleshed out, which really helped keep me invested even during slower parts of the book. There’s emphasis on the class and race hierarchies of the time, which added depth to the characters and their thoughts/actions.
Overall, I enjoyed this read and am interested in reading more in the series!
Big thanks to the author, NetGalley, and Severn House for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
This book is set in the Sherlock Holmes universe, and the famous detective is referenced a lot as Tim and Ben’s former mentor. I only have a superficial knowledge of Holmes, and thankfully you really don’t need to know who he is to enjoy this book (although I think it would have made the book even more entertaining). The big difference between Sherlock Holmes and our two detectives was I felt like I was a detective solving the crime alongside the main characters, whereas with Holmes I feel more like an observer.
Tim and Ben are quirky detectives and polar opposites. I really enjoyed getting to know both of them! Even the supporting characters are so unique and well fleshed out, which really helped keep me invested even during slower parts of the book. There’s emphasis on the class and race hierarchies of the time, which added depth to the characters and their thoughts/actions.
Overall, I enjoyed this read and am interested in reading more in the series!
Big thanks to the author, NetGalley, and Severn House for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
August 27, 2024
London 1895. Egyptomania is sweeping across England and Detectives Tim Badger, once a member of the Baker Street Irregulars, and his partner, Ben Watson, have been hired to act as guards at a mummy unwrapping party. When the host, Dr Sawyer, doesn’t show, another guest, Dr Archer, takes his place to do the unwrapping but, when he cuts away the bandages, to his shock, he discovers Dr Sawyer’s body. After the police are finished examining the crime scene, Dr Archer hires Badger and Watson to investigate. They are glad for the work as business has been a bit slow but it proves more complicated than expected. They uncover possible links to blackmail, embezzlement, the illegal antiquities trade and maybe even to St Bartholomew’s Hospital aka Bedlam.
I will admit I am a huge fan of anything even tangentially linked to Sherlock Holmes and The Mummy of Mayfair by author Jeri Westerson definitely fits the bill. It is a well-plotted, well-written historical cozy mystery that satisfied my love of all things Holmesian and kept me glued to the page throughout. I always enjoy finding real history in historical fiction and Westerson really applies the actual Egyptomania of the time to great advantage here. Badger and Watson make a very likeable pair of detectives as they try to apply Holmes’ methods to varying degrees of success but, with a few little nudges from the Great Detective himself, they get there in the end. This is the first book I have read in this series but it definitely will not be the last.
I will admit I am a huge fan of anything even tangentially linked to Sherlock Holmes and The Mummy of Mayfair by author Jeri Westerson definitely fits the bill. It is a well-plotted, well-written historical cozy mystery that satisfied my love of all things Holmesian and kept me glued to the page throughout. I always enjoy finding real history in historical fiction and Westerson really applies the actual Egyptomania of the time to great advantage here. Badger and Watson make a very likeable pair of detectives as they try to apply Holmes’ methods to varying degrees of success but, with a few little nudges from the Great Detective himself, they get there in the end. This is the first book I have read in this series but it definitely will not be the last.
May 8, 2024
I have been a life-time fan of Sherlock Holmes and mystery stories. This new series is a wonderful way to pay tribute to that genre, as well as a continuation of the series. Tim Badger was once a member of the Baker Street Irregulars, but when he aged out of practical use for Sherlock, he put his skills to use, along with his own Watson (Ben) and established a detective service. His fortitude impressed Sherlock so much that Sherlock continued a mentorship with them, helping with counsel, finances, new digs and even a landlady and maid. This is the second book in the series, and even though I did not read the first, it stands on its own merits, and you quickly become familiar with the main characters, their strengths and morals. In their current assignment, they are to act as guards for an Egyptian mummy unwrapping party, but unfortunately the host is found dead in the sarcophagus. They are then hired to discover his murderer...a case which takes them down many false leads, and even brings them into contact with another of the former Baker Street Irregulars. I loved this series, and the clues and deductions are fondly reminiscent of the original Holmes series. There is mystery, murder, deceit, science, deductions via "The Method," Egyptology, and even a bit of romance, all wrapped up in this story. I am looking forward to more books in this series. Disclosure: I am voluntarily reviewing this book received through NetGalley, and all opinions are strictly my own.
July 27, 2024
I have always loved Sherlock Holmes and am fascinated with anceint Egypt. Combine the two and I was a fan already and this did not disappoint. Badger and Watson are excellent characters, both having come up in the world and are fighting to make a name for themselves as detectives, in the footsteps of Badger's mentor, Sherlock Holmes. I find them relatable, and very engaging characters that are so well-written that I feel like I know them more and more as the book progresses.
When it comes to her writing, there are no static characters with the author. Even the smaller secondary characters always have growth and there are no static characters. For me, it makes it even more compelling to read because there is always more layers we discover about the characters.
I usually mention world-building more in terms of science fiction/fantasy but it applies here as well. I feel immersed and at home in the London of 1895, even though it is markedly different from the modern world because of all the small details in the background that give us a full insight into the London of that time.
The story was excellent, with great pacing, and I admit it was hard to put this down.
When it comes to her writing, there are no static characters with the author. Even the smaller secondary characters always have growth and there are no static characters. For me, it makes it even more compelling to read because there is always more layers we discover about the characters.
I usually mention world-building more in terms of science fiction/fantasy but it applies here as well. I feel immersed and at home in the London of 1895, even though it is markedly different from the modern world because of all the small details in the background that give us a full insight into the London of that time.
The story was excellent, with great pacing, and I admit it was hard to put this down.
May 14, 2024
Thank you Net Galley for a sending me a copy of the arc (release date: 2 July 2024)
This book mainly focuses on the exhibition of Egyptian artifacts and mummies. It’s interesting how they tie the history surrounding that with a murder mystery.
I don’t really read a lot of mystery/thriller because often times I can’t handle the suspense, however this book was so fun to read. I really liked how it focused on the detectives, Watson and Badger and them collecting evidence by talking to different suspects. The mystery was so fun, it was like watching one of those movies like Knives Out or Murder on the Orient Express (I know that this is also a book) but in book form.
However it did get a little boring half way through. It felt like it was too focused on the romance rather than the mystery. There was also no suspense surrounding the suspects and the revelation of the perpetrator.
It was still a really fun to be to read though and I really enjoyed it.
This book mainly focuses on the exhibition of Egyptian artifacts and mummies. It’s interesting how they tie the history surrounding that with a murder mystery.
I don’t really read a lot of mystery/thriller because often times I can’t handle the suspense, however this book was so fun to read. I really liked how it focused on the detectives, Watson and Badger and them collecting evidence by talking to different suspects. The mystery was so fun, it was like watching one of those movies like Knives Out or Murder on the Orient Express (I know that this is also a book) but in book form.
However it did get a little boring half way through. It felt like it was too focused on the romance rather than the mystery. There was also no suspense surrounding the suspects and the revelation of the perpetrator.
It was still a really fun to be to read though and I really enjoyed it.
September 18, 2024
First off, a disclaimer: I am not a Holmes fan. Arthur Conan Doyle does not "play fair" with the reader (or with Dr. Watson). That said, I do enjoy some of the "Holmes-adjacent" novels.
Tim Badger was a Baker Street Irregular, until he aged out. He teamed up with Ben Watson to open his own detective agency. Unlike Holmes's Watson, Ben is a full partner. The two have different talents and even outlooks on life, which combine to help them in their cases. While working as security at a mummy unwrapping, the host, who hired them, fails to show up. Until, that is, the mummy is unwrapped, revealing the missing man. Naturally the two want to investigate, and convince a colleague of the deceased to hire them. Their investigation leads not only to the solution of the murder, but the discover of other nefarious dealings in Victorian London.
Tim Badger was a Baker Street Irregular, until he aged out. He teamed up with Ben Watson to open his own detective agency. Unlike Holmes's Watson, Ben is a full partner. The two have different talents and even outlooks on life, which combine to help them in their cases. While working as security at a mummy unwrapping, the host, who hired them, fails to show up. Until, that is, the mummy is unwrapped, revealing the missing man. Naturally the two want to investigate, and convince a colleague of the deceased to hire them. Their investigation leads not only to the solution of the murder, but the discover of other nefarious dealings in Victorian London.
June 28, 2024
The Mummy of Mayfair is an entertaining and twisty Victorian whodunit that kept me engaged.
Initially, I found it challenging to reconcile the presence of two separate characters with the surname Watson, but this soon became a non-issue as the story unfolded. The plot, centred around the fascinating theme of Egyptomania, is cleverly woven with allusions to Sherlock Holmes' "method.".
Westerson masterfully balances the use of familiar literary characters with her original creations, ensuring that preconceived notions do not overshadow the fresh and intriguing narrative. The mystery is well-paced, with twists and turns that kept me guessing until the end.
Overall, The Mummy of Mayfair is a satisfying and enjoyable read, offering a merry ride through a richly detailed Victorian London. The story ties up all loose ends neatly, providing a gratifying conclusion.
Initially, I found it challenging to reconcile the presence of two separate characters with the surname Watson, but this soon became a non-issue as the story unfolded. The plot, centred around the fascinating theme of Egyptomania, is cleverly woven with allusions to Sherlock Holmes' "method.".
Westerson masterfully balances the use of familiar literary characters with her original creations, ensuring that preconceived notions do not overshadow the fresh and intriguing narrative. The mystery is well-paced, with twists and turns that kept me guessing until the end.
Overall, The Mummy of Mayfair is a satisfying and enjoyable read, offering a merry ride through a richly detailed Victorian London. The story ties up all loose ends neatly, providing a gratifying conclusion.
September 3, 2024
And I was so pleased to get my mitts on the second in this delightful series, because it's that rare thing, a second book that's better than the decent first. Tim Badger and Benjamin Watson are slowly improving their game as their detective agency aims for more cases, this one amongst the academic elites of London. Who doesn't love a good Egyptomania-themed adventure? Except for Ben, whose well-reasoned suspicions of the toffs, helps rein in Tim's enthusiasm for diving into the investigation full-on. ,Miss Elsie the intrepid lady journalist, still has Tim's eye on her but she wins some grudging respect from Ben and helps to solve the case. And of course Sherlock Holmes is there as "the method's" guiding spirit as the Irregulars run about London getting into London. And there's Mrs. Hudson - and Wiggins! Jolly good stuff and the third is about to come out, good for Westerson.
April 30, 2024
I really enjoyed this book.
I’ve not read the previous outing of this detective pair but it didn’t matter as enough information was given about the characters to make me feel like I hadn’t missed anything crucial. However I also didn’t feel like anything was rehashed to the point where I wouldn’t want to read the first book - there was enough intrigue.
I felt the characters were quite well rounded & I wanted to read more about them. I especially liked the appearances of Sherlock Holmes - I felt that the author caught the essence of him.
The plot was interesting & something I’d not thought of before & it was lovely & easy to read. I’d recommend.
Thanks to the author, publishers & NetGalley for access to this arc in return for an honest review.
I’ve not read the previous outing of this detective pair but it didn’t matter as enough information was given about the characters to make me feel like I hadn’t missed anything crucial. However I also didn’t feel like anything was rehashed to the point where I wouldn’t want to read the first book - there was enough intrigue.
I felt the characters were quite well rounded & I wanted to read more about them. I especially liked the appearances of Sherlock Holmes - I felt that the author caught the essence of him.
The plot was interesting & something I’d not thought of before & it was lovely & easy to read. I’d recommend.
Thanks to the author, publishers & NetGalley for access to this arc in return for an honest review.
April 20, 2024
I had not read this author before and this the second book in the series., the irregular detectives. Timothy Badger is a former Baker street irregular and Benjamin Watson are private detectives, somehow being supported by Sherlock Holmes. When the dead body of a man who had hired them is found in a mummy sarcophagus, they are off to solve another mystery, with occasional hints and direction from the great detective himself. The story started out slow but the characters pulled me in. I would definitely consider reading the next book in this series.
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a review.
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a review.
July 2, 2024
The second Irregular Detectives mystery finds Badger and Watson investigating the murder of a doctor who was found wrapped up as a mummy in a sarcophagus.
I enjoyed this one! I hadn’t read the first one (and couldn’t find it easily available) so I was worried I would be lost. Thankfully, while it alludes to things from the first book vaguely, reading that one is not necessary for enjoyment of this one. I really like this premise of the kids who did jobs from Holmes’ stories growing up and one of them is now one of the protagonists. I think it did go on a bit long for the mystery, but overall I enjoyed it!
I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed this one! I hadn’t read the first one (and couldn’t find it easily available) so I was worried I would be lost. Thankfully, while it alludes to things from the first book vaguely, reading that one is not necessary for enjoyment of this one. I really like this premise of the kids who did jobs from Holmes’ stories growing up and one of them is now one of the protagonists. I think it did go on a bit long for the mystery, but overall I enjoyed it!
I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 4, 2024
"Mummy" is Sherlock Holmes adjacent. Although it is set in the period of the master, and features brief cameo appearances by Holmes and Mrs Hudson, this is really a new direction. It stars Tim Badger, a former Baker Street Irregular and now protegé of Holmes, and his partner Ben Watson. Watson is no relational to the more famous doctor, and he plays a much more central role in the Badger and Watson partnership.
Egyptology, unknown poisons, and newly established scientific methods all play roles in this charming second novel in a new series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Egyptology, unknown poisons, and newly established scientific methods all play roles in this charming second novel in a new series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
July 21, 2024
An entertaining, fun and well-written historical mystery with some interesting main characters who are based on the irregulars of Sherlock Holmes fame and in fact, he helps them set up their private detective agency.. I would described this as a cosy mystery as most of the violence happens out of view but the plot is complex as Badger and Watson uncover a lot of dodgy goings on. .There are stolen Egyptian artefacts, embezzlement. and the misuse of corpses for dissection. All in all a very enjoyable and engaging story and I look forward to more. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
August 12, 2024
I first encountered Jeri Westerson as a Medieval fiction author, so I wondered if she could turn her hand to more recent fiction set in late 19th-century London. I was not disappointed. Her characterisation of Badger and Watson the main characters is perfect, as is how other aspects of London life from poverty, colour and how the well-to-do lived are painted.
She weaves Sherlock Holmes into the story, not as a continuation novel but more to set the context and build on links in the reader's mind. Her Glossary and Afterword demonstrate her diligent research.
It did not matter, not having read the first book in the series, but now I will be waiting for more to come.
She weaves Sherlock Holmes into the story, not as a continuation novel but more to set the context and build on links in the reader's mind. Her Glossary and Afterword demonstrate her diligent research.
It did not matter, not having read the first book in the series, but now I will be waiting for more to come.
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