The Gospel of Sheba

by Lyndsay Faye

A librarian is tormented by a lethal volume of black magic.

When A. Davenport Lomax’s young daughter asks him whether spirits and faeries are real, the Edwardian librarian just pats the little darling on the head. But when a desperate man emerges from the winding passages of the library muttering about demonology, he gets Lomax’s attention. Theodore Grange is a member of the Brotherhood of Solomon, a secret society dedicated to unraveling the mysteries of black magic, and he believes he has found a book written by the Queen of Sheba herself. Said to hold the answers to one thousand demonic mysteries, the tome will poison any man who dares read it.
 
The next time Lomax sees him, Grange is at death’s door. To uncover the truth about The Gospel of Sheba, Lomax agrees to accompany Grange to a meeting of the brotherhood, where he will encounter darkness that threatens his life, his family, and his soul.

The Bibliomysteries are a series of short tales about deadly books, by top mystery authors.

Genres: Mystery, Short Stories, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Novella

81 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a pretty big fan of Lyndsay Faye's Timothy Wilde series (though I tend to dislike Timothy? Go figure), so that I enjoy this isn't much of a surprise. It's a short 68 page story, written mostly in diary format, about a librarian's experiences concerning the mysterious Gospel of Sheba, an ancient mystical text that supposedly causes illness in those who read it while unworthy. Along the way we are also treated to letters from the protagonist's opera singer wife, who is currently travelling, and from their young daughter Grace, from time to time.

The writing is excellent, the story interesting, and the pacing good. All expected. What I didn't expect was for Sherlock Holmes and Watson to briefly appear. This is in no way their book, and while I normally have a healthy fear of Holmes in stories not by Doyle (he's a very difficult character to write), I was very happy with the treatment of both Holmes and Watson, and their interactions between each other. So much so that I am moving Faye's works that involve the pair higher on my to-read list.

My main caveat in recommending this has nothing to do with the story at all, but with the pricing. The Bibliomysteries is a special series of short works over at The Mysterious Bookstore. As such, they are fairly expensive for their length. So I would say that if you are new to Lyndsay Faye, start with the full length Gods of Gotham instead of this. Or pick this up during an ebook sale. But, if, like me, you're already a fan, and are just after another story by the author (perhaps even one of the signed limited edition copies if that's your bag), you won't be disappointed in The Gospel of Sheba.

Actually, scratch that whole last bit about pricing. Just realized that the ebook is only $2, and the paperback that is $6 actually comes signed. Mine just happens to not be signed because they sent it along with the lettered HC version so I would have a reading copy. So if your library doesn't have Gods of Gotham, the ebook of this is a good way to see if you enjoy the writing style without committing to her longer works.

[Amy H. Sturgis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Holmesian novella by Lyndsay Faye is set in 1902, after Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Adventure of the Illustrious Client." The protagonist, A. Davenport Lomax, is an earnest sub-librarian whose main concerns are his little daughter, his absent wife, and his books. Then his world is disrupted when a member of the Brotherhood of Solomon, a secret society dedicated to unraveling the mysteries of black magic, asks him to investigate a book that is supposedly written by the Queen of Sheba herself -- and apparently bringing illness to all who encounter it. It soon seems as if Lomax will be the next victim of The Gospel of Sheba.

The mystery is well drawn, with just the right amount of chills, and Lomax is a sympathetic character. By far the best part of this novella, however, is Lomax's observations of his friend Dr. John Watson and Watson's relationship with Sherlock Holmes. Once again, Faye captures both characters with wonderful insight, respect, and even humor.

Although Faye wraps up the loose ends here quite satisfactorily, I couldn't help but wish this story were longer!

[Alan (the Lone Librarian) Teder · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Game's Afoot! - Bibliomysteries #18
Review of the Mysterious Press/Open Road eBook (November 11, 2014) of the original hardcover (earlier in 2014).

This started off as being quite intriguing. A mysterious book said to be The Gospel of Sheba falls into the hands of a gentleman's club. The book is supposed to have cursed powers due to containing the spells and incantations of the Queen of Sheba who was associated with Solomon the King of Ancient Israel who himself has had magical powers assigned to him. A librarian is consulted about the book which is apparently causing those who read it to sicken.

But what happens is that it all turns into a Sherlock Holmes pastiche when the consulting detective is brought in to investigate. Of course Holmes explains it all with hardly a problem. A side-plot about the librarian's singer wife being off on a concert tour is also resolved but had nothing to do with the main story at all. It all ended up feeling like a bit of a letdown. The whole atmosphere and setting was well done though.

Trivia and Links
Lyndsay Faye (1980?-) is an American author of over 10+ published novels & short story collections, mostly in the crime, mystery and historical fiction genres, several of which use the character of Sherlock Holmes. Her best known novels are in the Timothy Wilde (2012-2015) historical police procedural trilogy. Her most popular book (based on the number of GR ratings and reviews) is the first of that series The Gods of Gotham (2012).

The Bibliomysteries series are short stories commissioned by Otto Penzler's The Mysterious Press to be written around the theme of deadly books. They are individually published in limited edition signed hardcovers followed by paperbacks and ebooks, and periodically collected in anthology editions such as Bibliomysteries (2013, containing stories 1-15) and Bibliomysteries: Volume Two (2018, containing stories 16-30). There does not appear to be a Goodreads Listopia for them, but on Library Thing the current listing (as of early-October 2024) includes 41 short stories Note that there is a double count of #33 and that book #41 isn't numbered yet in that list.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another short story that I really enjoyed from Bibliomysteries, Volume 2, that will lead me to lead me to read more by a newly found author.

[Sarah Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

An epistolary short story with pseudo-Solomonic manuscripts, Sherlock Holmes, an undeniable gothic tone, and a librarian-in-training protagonist? Sign me up

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the Bibliomysteries

I've read about 12 of the Bibliomysteries now and have enjoyed them all. This mystery involves the occult and Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson offer their help. I must admit I figured out the mystery almost immediately, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story.

[Nickleby · Rating 5 out of 5]

A charming, clever, Sherlockian story!
(Which is really no surprise, since Faye is, if not THE best, one of the best spinner of SH tales these days. {in my humble opinion}).
It was nice seeing Holmes & Watson from an entirely different angle.

[pamela boseman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The gospel of sheba

A great quick k read. I wish it had more about Sheba in it and why she may have written the gospel.

[Joe Hegyi 3rd · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating, intricate, but short, mystery. If you enjoy her other books, this one will not leave you disappointed.

[Cathy Cole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although it was nice to meet up again with Holmes and Watson, the plot of this story just would not hold my interest more than a couple of minutes at a time.

[Chrysanthemum · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun little read. Short enough that it doesn't overstay it's welcome, but still gives some interesting bits of mystery and twists.
I enjoyed the read.

[Liette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice short read to kill the lunch break. It’s nice to have a touch of Sherlock Holmes in a story that doesn’t have him at its core.

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short read about a book about spells and incantations.

It sickens everyone who touches it.

Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson also make an appearance to solve the case.

[Ja Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's good to go backwards sometimes. I discovered this earlier short story from Lyndsay Faye and was delighted!

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and a little too sweet for my taste, but does what it says it would do on the tin.

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was not liking this story until Sherlock Holmes entered the scene. Kristi & Abby Tabby Childless Cat Lady

[Avri · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tiny, yet perfectly formed tale guest starring Watson and Holmes.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is under 100 pages and is part of a group of books from The Mysterious Book Shop (which is in NY). Lyndsay is one of my new favorite authors. I was lucky to meet her in KW at the literary seminar.

[☆Dani☆]

Looks interesting.

[Patrick Ewing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well done!

[Jennie Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable

I liked this little nugget of Holmesian fiction. The story was engaging and the characters were both likable and intriguing

[BRT · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short novella wherein a librarian in Victorian times is asked to solve the mystery of an occult book. He solves the mystery but seeks confirmation from Sherlock Holmes.

[Luca · Rating 1 out of 5]

L'ennesimo polpettone con Holmes e Watson...anche basta eh...