The Web Weaver

by Sam Siciliano

A mysterious gypsy places a cruel curse on the guests at a ball. When terrible misfortunes begin to befall some of those guests, Mr.Donald Wheelwright engages Sherlock Holmes to fin out what really happened that night. With the help of his cousin Dr. Henry Vernier and Henry’s wife Michelle, Holmes endeavors to save Wheelwright and his beautiful wife Violet from the devastating curse.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Historical Mystery, Historical, Detective, 19th Century

394 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Kerem Ozgenel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Watson olmadan Sherlock macerasi okumak ilgincti..yardimci rolleri kolay bulsam da dogru kisiyi bulmak biraz daha zor oldu..hikayenin gereksiz uzatildigini dusunsem de Sherlock Sherlock'tur

[Fred Hughes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting Sherlock story including a crazy Gypsy woman and a rich aristocrat who hired Sherlock.

The main reason for the 3 stars is that throughout the book you are not sure who is talking or who is thinking what as the author switches between the main characters on a constant basis. This is most glaring when you are following along with a male character and then they make a reference from a female perspective and you reread that section and discover there is just a random sentence inserted.

This is throughout the book and definatly is a major distraction

[Eli Yaun · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a great book, it even made me cry at the end (no spoilers but it was good and bad reason), which I rarely do with books

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

A gypsy's curse leads Holmes and Vernier into one of his strangest cases, where the son of a business magnate is threatened with blackmail and exposure over an extra marital affair.

Siciliano's novel this time contains a mystery which, on the face of it promises much. It reads well, the characters are believable and their motivations seem real. However, the mystery barely holds water and the secret antagonist is obvious almost from their first appearance.

[Suica · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is not the Holmes I know. I skipped many pages. The book replaced Watson with 2 annoying busybodies. The dual narrative was unnecessary and confusing. The crime was boring. The writing was clear but repetitive.

[Stephen Robert Collins · Rating 1 out of 5]

Holmes hates chess it is in all of Doyle's stories & other books he said was stupid game yet here he is playing Chess get your facts right.

[TaylanOvski · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.2*/5*

[Philip Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Mr. Siciliano’s second Sherlockian novel. I have already posted my review of his first, “The Angel of the Opera.” This novel is told, in alternate chapters, from the viewpoint of Sherlock’s cousin, Dr. Henry Vernier and that of his cousin’s wife, Dr. Michelle Duodet-Vernier. These two viewpoints give the reader a more balanced view of Victorian English society than is normally afforded in the stories presented by Dr. Watson. The episodes narrated by Michelle are especially enlightening as they point up the absurd position held by women in that ‘civilized society.’

In this book, Sherlock Holmes meets and combats his true intellectual equal, the real ’Moriarty’ that pervades the society of late Nineteenth Century England like a spider spinning a web with tendrils that connect through the highways and byways of life. In addition, we get to see a more human side of Holmes than that presented by Dr. Watson.

Dr. Henry Vernier is visiting Sherlock in October, 1894 when one Mr. Donald Wheelwright comes to call. The case brought by Mr. Wheelwright began at a Pauper’s theme masked ball held in January, 1893 by a society friend. At the ball, Mrs. Wheelwright was cursed by a gypsy intruder and the curse has been reiterated by a note seemingly left at random in their home within the last few days. Sherlock is hired to uncover the person generating this threat and to remove any danger from Mrs. Wheelwright. Please note that Dr. Vernier disputes Watson’s account of The Great Hiatus and Holmes’ absence from London between 1891 and 1894.

The details of the case and its societal implications seem to keep growing as Sherlock investigates. Suicides, perhaps murders, blackmailing, social unrest and conflicts ranging from the ratting parlors and whorehouses to the upper crust of society keep popping up. No common threads are seen, but the victims are connected by their attendance at the masked ball.

The unique flavor of the Watson tales is missing. We do not see “The Great Detective,” with magnifying glass in hand, showing New Scotland Yard the error of their ways. Instead, we see Sherlock in intimate contact with the suffering and vice of the Victorian World. We see debauchery hand-in-hand with pietistic snobbishness and desperation allied with hopelessness. The mystery is complex but not baffling. What is difficult to see is a reasonable solution.

This book was excellently edited. I only found a few spelling errors, particularly those British affectations of French spelling which so puzzle Americans. On the other hand, the characters persist in speaking in full sentences and keeping paragraphs all in one tense. I would be most frustrated were I an English teacher.

Reviewed by: Philip K. Jones, October 2012

[Christopher · Rating 1 out of 5]

Painful

The author replaces Watson with another doctor who is a coward (and not in an amusing Nigel Bruce sort of way). Mostly he seems to be there so the author can introduce his wife, a female doctor in the Victorian era. While she is a good idea for a character, neither she nor her husband do anything very interesting. Oh and Holmes is lusty, like some kind of Byronic ideal if Byron was a repressed Victorian who everybody around him just wanted to loosen up and go get the girl he keeps making eyes at (and the author describes his making eyes at her over and over again).

The mystery has an interesting Victorian social conditions kind of angle, but the mysterious antagonist’s identify is obvious in the first 100 pages. Despite this, the author keeps dropping more and more obvious hints for the next 300 pages.

I like Holmes patisches and homages. I’m not a purist. But I do not believe this author enjoyed the original stories and seems to actively dislike the characters created by Conan Doyle.

Oh and the last chapter, the afterword, was one of the worst chapters of any book I have ever read. An unearned resolution dripping with sickly sentiment.

[Patrick Hayes · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bizarre Holmes adventure, with a lack of characters that makes the "surprise" ending fall short. You have to assume two things to enjoy this book: 1, Watson isn't necessary for this tale (since he's not in it), and, 2, Holmes fell in love with another woman other than Irene Adler. I could roll with this, and found the tale enjoyable until about halfway through it when some "clues" became painfully obvious. The small cast allowed me to come to the correct conclusion of the antagonist sooner than I thought the writer would have wanted. That said, the final scene between protagonist and antagonist was silly and wildly impossible. I just didn't believe Holmes at all. So, if you want more Holmes, here's a mystery that's not very mysterious or one that can be believed.

[SB Senpai Manga · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the more bizarre Holmes stories ever!
I liked the fact that it was narrated by his cousin, but didn't care for the narration of the cousins wife. It just seems to confusing for the reader.
I also didn't care for the fact they made Moriarty a figment of Watson's imagination. Not a good thing for a Sherlockian to read.
The overall story was well paced and the mystery was intriguing.
What I like about this series is that it brings new light to Holmes'&Watson's personalities.
Two bad things out of several good things from this book makes it worth a look.

Rhyming unintentional

[Ken B · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fairly average Sherlock Holmes pastiche. The mystery was easily solved but the motive was not clear. Once that was established all that was left was to resolve the love story. The book should and could have been 30 pages shorter.

I felt the writing was strong but a couple of swift mood changes seemed awkward, "that escalated quickly" moments. There was also a poorly placed scene of passion between Holmes' cousin and his wife that just came across as bizarre.

3 STARS

[Michael Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

another of the new authors tales of Holmes. Same author who did the phantom of the opera story. Too much wasted verbiage. Again this author has taken the persona of Holmes and turned him into a love sick simpering fool. The basic story is OK but the character of the cousin Henry ( doctor ) is a joke and the wife ( another doctor ) is too modern for the period. The overall effect is one of too much modern and not enough period at times and then just the opposite.

[Ellen Dark · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story is narrated not by Dr. Watson, but by Sherlock Holmes' cousin Henry and his wife Michelle. They take Dr. Watson's place in assisting Holmes with his investigation. The story was okay, but I was able to figure out who was the "bad guy" before Holmes did. The ending was sappy. One aspect of the book reminded me of one of Agatha Christie's Poirot stories. Sherlock Holmes purists may not enjoy this one.

[Meredith Cherry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointed by this book. I figured out whodunnit only a third of the way into the book. The genius mastermind criminal was insipid and ridiculous. One of the narrators I enjoyed at times for being a strong female character but at other times she was pathetically and inexplicably the opposite - sometimes in consecutive sentences!

It had promise but failed to fulfill.

[arul keith mathias · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am a big Sherlock Holmes fan. I was thrilled to find a treasure trove of more SH adventures. The Web Weaver is NOT a SH type story at all. The filler material is 95% of the book with the actual plot being 5%. There are so many pages spent on describing feelings, etc., which are absolutely not a SH type story.
So if you find this book, save your reading time, and look for another!

[Salvatore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best of the new series. a little drawn out and not what I generally expect from a Sherlock Holmes story.

[Ewa Łuczków · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't read this. Just no.

[Calvin Daniels · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 this one the mastermind was a touch too easy to identify, and the Holmes relationship developed a bit off general character to rate higher.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was nice. I mostly enjoyed it. It didn't read like your typical Sherlock Holmes mystery, though. The 'mystery', as it were, seemed simple (even I had mostly figured it out by page 100), and the romance focus was a bit distracting. This was the first Sherlock Holmes book I had read from this particular author or series. It's narrated by Sherlock's cousin Henry Vernier and his wife in a type of back-and-forth (this confused me sometimes when I'd forgotten which one of them I was currently following—their voices were so similar).

Watson is nowhere to be found: The few times he's mentioned are more an insult as he's described as an unreliable narrator who'd taken a lot of artistic license with his novels about Sherlock, even making up his so-called 'death' and archrival Moriarty (to Sherlock's chagrin as he occasionally laments his lacking competition).

As I mentioned before, the mystery was simple. There was a lot of focus on class distinctions/disparity and feminism. Henry's wife, our second narrator, is a female doctor in a time when many would've protested such a career for a woman. Violet, another main character of this tale, speaks/complains often about said disparities and her hatred of men and her own husband.

If you're interested in anything Sherlock Holmes, I can recommend this. If you're not interested in a book with Sherlock Holmes obsessed with a woman, an obvious perpetrator, and Watson being barely mentioned, this isn't much for you.

[Adelais · Rating 2 out of 5]

Я взагалі не пуристка, якщо гарно напишуть пастіш, то мені хоч Холмса оженіть, а хоч доктора Вотсона зробіть великим злом (от Моріарті хорошим трохи важче сприйму, але то таке). Саме першим збиралися зайнятися у цьому пастіші, але ключове тут - щоб гарно написали, а з цим деякі складнощі.
Холмс розслідує нібито шантаж, зловісна циганка перед балом нагадала світській дамі купу нещасть і вони сипляться мов з мішка, дама ніжна і прекрасна мов янгол, аж Холмс не встояв, навкруги ще якісь павуки бігають, а про все це розповідає холмсівський кузен і дружина кузена. Потім все виявляється не так, але до цього моменту і любовну лінію розмазали тонесеньким шаром, і детективний сюжет заплутали аж занадто. Плюс дедукції мало, та я до цього в пастішах вже звикла.
Загалом плюс на завязку, а мінуси за багато іншого.

[Ryan Hastings · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title I felt made the ending more obvious. And having read the other books I feel like I don’t like Michelle narrating as much, it congeals the story. That being said, I really enjoyed the ending. I also thought it was a good and worthwhile story to get there that some other books have lacked

[Rebecca Baranowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, but thinking I should read the original AC Doyle books...

[GsLux · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,2/5

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a Sherlock Holmes novel written recently. Interesting, but I probably won't read more as I am not a reader of Holmes novels, original or recent.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always felt as though Sherlock Holmes was a kindred spirit (which is why I think I won a role playing him in a play in junior high) but none more than in the versions portrayed in books by Sam Siciliano. His books portray a much more human side of Sherlock through the eyes of his cousin Dr Henry Vernier (and his wife Dr Doudet Vernier this book) rather than Watson. They look past Sherlock’s usually mechanical nature ruled by logic and pull through his humanity and dare I say, romantic side. It’s an enjoyable mystery that, while I was able to deduce as the plot progressed, was still well done and engaging even if I had already figured out the culprit(s). Definitely a great read for a Sherlock fan.

[Marleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sherlock Holmes is being visited by his cousin, Dr. Henry Vernier, when Mr. Donald Wheelwright arrives to ask for his help.
During a ball which Wheelwright attended with his wife, a gypsy woman made an appearance and cursed all those attending the event while singling his wife out for specific threats. Recently Wheelwright’s wife, Violet, has found a further, written, threat in their library. Worried about his wife’s safety, Wheelwright wants Holmes to investigate the gypsy and her threat and put an end to the whole affair.
Soon after starting the investigation it becomes clear that others who were present at the ball have felt the results of the curse. A Lord has committed suicide, others have fallen into ruin and an acquaintance of the Wheelwrights discovers that a very valuable necklace has been stolen from his safe.
Assisted by his cousin Henry, Holmes starts his investigation into all these related mysteries and soon suspects that he may be up against the most devious opponent of his career. Professor Moriarty may have been a figment of Dr. Watson’s imagination, but the mind Holmes is trying to out-think now might just be a real-life Moriarty; a criminal mastermind without scruples and an intelligence to match his own who is weaving a web destined to trap all in its reach.
Meanwhile, Henry’s wife Michelle gets drawn into the investigation because she is both Violet Wheelwrights physician and friend.
As the threats against and attacks upon Violet increase, Holmes clearly finds himself drawn to this beautiful, intelligent but troubled woman. The identity of the gypsy woman and of the person(s) delivering the threats and attacks remains obscure though, as does the identity of the mastermind behind the whole affair.

This was a very interesting take on the original Sherlock Holmes stories. For starters, there’s no sign of a Dr. Watson in this story, in fact the man only gets mentioned in relation to his lose allegiance to the truth when writing the original stories.
Instead, this book is narrated by both Dr. Henry Vernier and his wife Michelle, which gives a the reader a dual view of what is happening and maybe a better chance to come to their own conclusions as far as the mystery is concerned.
Except for Watson all the usual features of the Sherlock Holmes stories are present in this book. There are Holmes’ famous disguises, his dealings with those in the lower regions of society, his arrogance and single-mindedness and his reluctance to share his thoughts until he is ready to reveal all to both his fellow characters and the reader.
Through Michelle Doudet-Vernier, who spends a lot of her time treating those less fortunate, the reader gets an insight to all that is wrong with society in the late 19th century, while the setting of the mystery in an upper-class environment makes for a great contrast.
The idea of Holmes in love and unable to deal with his feelings and their consequences, brings a nice twist to the story. Should this story have a sequel it would be great to see how that particular story-line might develop.
I did find both Vernier and his wife a bit too innocent, and oblivious to be completely credible, but I guess they were described that way to make the contrast with Holmes’ genius more obvious.
I do have to say that the solution to this mystery did not come as a great surprise to me, and I don’t think it will to most other readers. However, that didn’t take away from the pleasure reading this story gave me, and there is a certain satisfaction in coming to the right conclusions while reading any mystery.

Overall this was an enjoyable excursion into the world of Sherlock Holmes. It stayed close enough to the original to be completely recognisable while introducing enough new ingredients to make this a fresh reading experience.

[Sibel Arslan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sir Artur'un yazmadigi o kadar belli ki. Eger Artur'un yazdigini dusunerek kitaba baslasaydim bile daha ilk sayfalarda "bu iste bir terslik var" derdim. Kitap kurgusu, aksiyonu acisindan kotu bir kitap degil fakat bir Sherlock Holmes kitabi da degil. "Kalbi olmayan bir zihin" olarak bahsedilen Sherlock Holmes ve adeta boyle suren seruvenlerine Sam Siciliano tarafindan eklenebilecek tek sey eklenerek guncellenmis. Yani bir ask hikayesi! Ama Sherlock Holmes'u Sherlock Holmes yapan aşksizligi ya da aska karsi temkinliligi, iradesi, gizemi ve tahmin edilemezligidir. Bu kitaptaki Sherlock ise bunlarin hic birine neredeyse sahip degil. Ustelik Dr. Watson karakteri ise bildigimizin aksine alasagi edilmis diyebiliriz. Sherlock Holmes hayranlarinin sinirlenecegi turden bir tanimlamayi tercih etmis. Okurken rahatsiz oldum. Sanki Sir Artur'un Sherlock'a duydugu ofkeyi Dr. Watsondan cikarmak istemis gibi. Ayrica hic bir Sherlock kitabinda var olmayan ask betimleri, romantik hikaye kurgusu 'Orumcek Aginda Dans'ta oldukca abarti islenmis. Sadece Dortlerin Imzasi'nda dr. Watson'in yasadigi bir iliski var. Onda bile bu duygular sadelestirilmistir. Siciliano gosteristen uzak bir ask hikayesi yaratmaliydi belkide ve Sherlock karakterini bu kadar cok betimlemeye calismamaliydi ya da Sherlock Holmes'e benzeyen bir maceraperestin hikayesi olmaliydi ya da baska bir akrabasinin kim bilir ...
ama bir Sherlock hikayesi yaratma riskini almamaliymis.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good Holmes' addition. I felt like the story focused more on Violet and her relationship with the Verniers who are Holmes' cousins and also the narrators of the story than on Holmes himself. Watson is frequently referenced but not involved in the story. The focus on the narrator and Violet makes it a little different than other Holmes stories. The characters are well developed and the mystery is good, though I had an idea of how it would end. A solid addition to the Holmes' library.

[Nikki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Enjoyed the author's writing style, with the exception of the predictable, almost juvenile romance. Could have ended without the reunion and I would have been more impressed. Harldy a nod to the classic novels with classic characters such as Irene Adler and John Watson so savagely cast aside before the story even began.