The Unpleasantness at Baskerville Hall

Reeves & Worcester Steampunk Mysteries #4

by Chris Dolley

Wodehouse steampunk version of The Hound of the Baskervilles!

An escaped cannibal, a family curse ... and Reginald Worcester turning up on the doorstep. Could things get any worse for the Baskerville-Smythe family?

As the bodies pile up, only a detective with a rare brain - and Reggie's is so rare it's positively endangered - can even hope to solve the case.

But... there is the small matter that most of the guests aren't who they say they are, the main suspect has cloven feet, and a strange mist hangs over great Grimdark Mire.

Luckily the young master has Reeves, his automaton valet, and Emmeline, his suffragette fiancEe, on hand to assist.

This novel is the fifth Reeves & Worcester Steampunk mystery. The first four stories were published in the collection What Ho, Automata.

"Jeeves and Wooster meet (or run face-first into) Holmes and Watson with a touch of steampunk in the hilarious first full-length Reeves and Worcester tale ... This laugh-out-loud parody works on several levels ... With razor-sharp wit and fast pacing that plays fair with the reader, this is an excellent genre mash-up that fires on all cylinders." - Publishers Weekly

"A fun blend of P.G. Wodehouse, steampunk and a touch of Sherlock Holmes. Dolley is a master at capturing and blending all these elements. More than fascinating, this work is also rip-roaring fun!" - SF Revu

Genres: Mystery, Steampunk, Humor, Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Crime

250 pages, Paperback

First published February 9, 2016

About the author

New York Times bestselling author, pioneer computer game designer and teenage freedom fighter. That was back in 1974 when Chris was tasked with publicising Plymouth’s Student Rag Week. Some people might have arranged an interview with the local newspaper. Chris invaded the country next door, created the Free Cornish Army and persuaded the UK media that Cornwall had risen up and declared independence. This was later written up in Punch. As he told journalists at the time, ‘it was only a small country and I did give it back.’

In 1981, he created Randomberry Games and wrote Necromancer, one of the first 3D first person perspective D&D computer games. Not to mention writing the most aggressive chess program ever seen and inventing the most dangerous game ever played — the Giant Wrigley’s Spearmint Gum Cliff Top Relay.

He writes SF, fantasy, mystery and humour. His novel, Resonance, was the first book to be chosen from Baen’s electronic slush pile.

Now he lives a self-sufficient lifestyle in deepest France with his wife and a frightening number of animals. They grow their own food and solve their own crimes. The latter out of necessity when Chris’s identity was stolen along with their life savings. Abandoned by the police forces of four countries who all insisted the crime originated in someone else's jurisdiction, he had to solve the crime himself. Which he did, driving back and forth across the Pyrenees, tracking down bank accounts and faxes and interviewing bar staff. It was a mystery writer’s dream.

The resulting book, French Fried: one man's move to France with too many animals and an identity thief, is now an international bestseller.

Reviews

[Sherwood Smith]

Chris Dolley has managed that rarity, not only emulating Wodehouse's distinctive, delightful style of humor, but also his zany plotting.

In this sequel to What Ho, Automaton! (which can stand alone, but some of the jokes are funnier if you've read the stories in the earlier book), Jeeves and Reggie get drawn to a country house, Baskerville Hall, next to Grimdark Mire, as Reggie's indefatigable fiancee Emmeline seems to have gotten into a pickle.

Reggie comes to the rescue, to discover that nobody (including Emmeline) is who they say they are, meanwhile dark doings abound. It will take Reeves' great brain to sort things out, as usual, while Reggie blithely set about solving things and of course making them worse with his ineffable form of logic.

Dolley melds steampunk with Wodehousian manor house mystery, with a dash of Sherlock Holmes and Oscar wild thrown in, making a delightful whole that had me laughing out loud.

[Don Gerstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s been a long time since I read a farcical tale that was so immensely enjoyable. “The Unpleasantness at Baskerville Hall” was reminiscent of Connie Willis’ “To Say Nothing of the Dog” in terms of the lighthearted serious tone that runs through the entire novel.

Reggie Worcester is a wannabe detective, stumbling along in the footsteps of Sherlock Holmes. Reggie is aided by his manservant Reeves and his girlfriend companion Emmeline. Together they embark on an adventure that slightly resembles Doyle’s “The Hound of the Baskervilles.” Reggie is not totally inept, although he is constantly steered toward a better path by Reeves (who is an automaton).

The steampunk aspect dresses the book in an entirely novel flavor, and is a major part of the mystery. Although there are murders, the usual graphic depictions (as well as any sex scenes) are missing from this book. Author Chris Dolley’s writing is exceptional and the characters are fun, flawed, and likeable. For those who hate to read a book with objectionable language, you will have none of those worries with this story. Although “Unpleasantness” is the fourth in the series, one is not lost if the first three books haven’t been read. The author does refer to a couple of former adventures, but these mentions are fleeting and the book is able to stand on its own. I highly recommend this book, and reading it has convinced me I need to pick up the first three books in this series. Five stars for this one.

[Stephen]

Often amusing, but a little too weird for my personal taste. Dolley has a good ear for Wooster's breeziness, as well as the absurd situations he gets himself in to.

[Susan Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received The Unpleasantness at Baskerville Hall from LibraryThing Early Reviewers. It appealed to me as a long-time fan of P.G. Wodehouse, Sherlock Holmes, and steampunk, which I never thought to see combined into one book (or series of books as in this case). The author Chris Dolley has created a pastiche that evokes as many laughs as the original Bertie and Jeeves, if not more. The gentleman’s gentleman Reeves is just as omniscient as an automaton, again if not more. Reggie is slightly less dense than his prototype Bertie, while his fiancée Emmeline is even more liberated than Wodehouse could have imagined. All this brings Wodehouse’s style to a new generation, one reintroduced to Sherlock in the twenty-first century. As the title clearly indicates, Reggie and Reeves must solve a murder mystery at the infamous Baskerville Hall, which they do with aplomb. While having read the progenitors of this book added to my enjoyment, it stands on its own as a fun piece of entertainment. One can only wonder what other adventures Reeves and Reggie will encounter next - there are at least fifteen Jeeves and Bertie books and sixty Sherlock Holmes stories to draw from!

[Sibil]

Probably I would be back later with a more complete review, but for now, I would just jot some thoughts down.
If I have to describe this book with a single word it would be: silly.
Sometimes it is deliciously silly, sometimes it's annoyingly silly, but silly it is for sure.
I think it was a tad too much and that the author overdid himself, a tad less would have been perfect. But all in all, it was a relaxing reading, and Reeves is brilliant! He really is a genius, and his dialogues are perfect. And even if he is not human (so it would be more correct to say "it" but he has such a strong personality and such wit and irony, and so much patience too, that he just feels like a human to me, even if he is not) he is just so alive!
And I have to say that, even if Reginald can be the most annoying person ever and he is not the brightest bulb in the box (to be kind, even if dumb as a rock would be more accurate) he had some brilliant moments too. Sure, his brightest moments were some of the dialogues with Emmeline and have nothing to do with his investigation but still... some of these dialogues were memorable for sure!
And the mystery was intriguing! I so wanted to know who was the guilty one and what was happening! And the final revelation was just perfect!

[Julie Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light and fluffy fun with Bertie and Jeeves translated into a steampunk universe where "Reeves" is an automata (steam driven robot) and Reggie is a detective, at least as much as a Bertie Wooster type could be. What is interesting is that the author manages the most true to type Wodehouse writing that I've seen in my brief sampling of wannabes. The mystery bogs down somewhat toward the end as it is loaded with too many elements and plotlines to keep track of (so I didn't bother). But it is fun and funny and requires no thought or emotional investment. It is just entertaining ... which is just what the doctor ordered.

[Heposton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. I'm a huge fan of the original Jeeves and Wooster series by P.G. Wodehouse and was thrilled to have the chance to read and review this book. The story is a steampunk version of the original Jeeves and Wooster books, where Jeeves (called Reeves here) is Reggie's robot butler and the pair investigate a mystery based off of the Sherlock Holmes book the Hound of the Baskervilles. My girlfriend and I read this together and loved it. Chris Dolley does an excellent job of imitating Wodehouse's writing style and pays a bit of homage to Oscar Wilde. Reading Reggie's attempts to emulate famous detectives and solve this Baskerville mystery is hilarious. Laughs abounded. I highly recommend this book, though recommend reading What Ho Automata first since some plot points from the previous stories are mentioned (though not necessary to follow the story).

[Elizabeth S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally awesome. As other reviewers have mentioned, this is just as advertised: a hilarious steampunk/Wodehouse mixture. I have not read any other books in the series, but that didn't stop me from thoroughly enjoying the wacky antics of the characters. I have read a lot of P. G. Wodehouse and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Oscar Wilde, which may be more of a requirement for enjoyment. It seemed there were other literary references as well. Now I gotta figure out how to get my hands on other Reeves and Worcester books.

I received a copy of this book for free from the Goodreads FirstReads program. Thank you!

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chris Dolley does an admirable job of marrying P.G. Wodehouse humorous looks at high society and Conan Doyle's detective stories into steampunk world. Reginald Worcester and hid automaton valet Reeves journey to Grimdark Mire to investigate the disappearance of Reggie's girl friend only to become involved with murders, robot servants, an orang-utang, reanimates, movie-making, and stolen identities. The story is a rollicking jaunt where detective novels lead to mistaken conclusions. This is a nice read and I recommend it.

[Mare · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a charming collision between Wodehouse and Doyle. It was a sheer delight to read and Mr. Dolley channeled Wodehouse beautifully. I highly recommend this book if you want an entertaining trip into somewhat familiar territory.

[BRT · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light, funny, quirky story in the P.G. Wodehouse style. The Jeeves character is a humanistic robot and they live in an alternative world of reanimated corpses, robotic servants, plus the usual country weekend murder mystery.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and funny!

This is book 7 in the series and the author presumes you've read the previous books. Hence there is no background given on Reginald Worcester and his steam powered automaton, Reeves. But the mystery itself stands alone, with no ties to the previous or subsequent book. I love steampunk, and I plan to start the series at the beginning. Some of this book is laugh out loud funny! Reeves is the brain of the duo, for sure. Kind of reminds me of early Data in Star Trek:Next Generation. Anyway, there are automatons, prometheans (who I think are part human and part animal) and reanimes, dead people brought back to life. Worcester reads a lot of detective novels and thinks they offer the means to solve the mystery at Baskerville Hall. That is where a lot of the humor comes in. The author clearly admires Agatha Christie and Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, as do I. No sex, no bad language, so this can be a fun read for anyone.

[Cissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Wodehouse, country house mysteries, and steampunk on their own, so this mash-up was just to my taste!

Yes, it was silly... but so are all its root genres.

The Bertie/Jeeves relationship was excellently done (although lacking a particularly awful article of clothing that Bertie clings to and Jeeves negotiates the trashing of). Here, Reeves is an automaton, but one that easily passes for human. Worcester is just as ditzy as Wooster. The other members of the house party are pretty classic; the murder well-done... Oh! And add into the mix proto-movies which steal from all the best sources and then add things like Lizard-men and steam-powered octopi.

I enjoyed it a lot. The tone was perfect for all this crazy mix. I will probably read more in the series.

[Glenn Younger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steampunk irony meets Wooster & Jeeves

Warning: this book isn't for everyone. If you aren't a Wooster & Jeeves fan (or a fan of the genre that PG Wodehouse perfected), you could very well be turned off from the tongue-in-cheek irony that borders on utter silliness.

But if you ARE a fan, you'll thoroughly enjoy how the author sends up the genre, traditional English class structure, classic whodunit writers from the last century, as well as the constabulary in general.

This is my first "steampunk" read so the alternate reality took a page or two to embrace. Automatems, reanimations, and the like gave a different bent to solving the whodonit. Reeves, of course, is the one who pulls all the pieces together. But you wouldn't want it any other way.

[Walter Schlillinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Completely Ridiculous and Funny

The author for the most part is right on touch skewering the Brits and all their crime novels from Christie’s to Doyle with a little bit of Importance of Being Earnest and I Robot thrown in for good measure. This mishmash when it’s hitting on all cylinders is hilarious. It’s as if the Marx Brothers wrote the plot after having spent four nights in an insane asylum and then got someone sane to put these ideas together. Whenever I read this of novel I try to imagine how it could be filmed. By the way the horror films are nicely skewered along with the moors
To make sense of this novel is to ruin the joke Just have fun only watch out for the Lizzard Men and the man eating cat.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the few books that I stretched out as long as possible, because I never wanted it to end. So many times I laughed out loud. The writing and the dialogue was way too much fun to end. People were often “beetling” off or “ankling” down stairs. As a lover of words, I could not get enough. The twists and turns were unpredictable through to the very end. The creation of unique characters offered a visual parade that made me cheer as each passed by, with the exception of the orangutan . The two main characters were loosely modeled after Wodehouse’s Wooster and Jeeves, with constant references to Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, along with other fictitious detectives (and let’s not forget Emmeline). I haven’t enjoyed a book this much in awhile. I enthusiastically recommend this book.

[Selaya Morton · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am prone to being very objective with my reviews but I usually try to find something likeable in the books that I read. No such luck with this offering. It is utter drivel, dross and a few other descriptive adjectives I could employ. The fact that there are actually more like this illustrates not only a complete lack of imagination on the part of the writer but also a hopeless waste of education on the parts of his editor & publisher. To sum it up: I hope there was not too much money exchanged in these transactions. Enough said!

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a wacky, quirky retelling of the great Sherlock Holmes classic with echoes of that wonderful Wodehouse-ian humor. The main characters of Reeves and Bertie Worcester fit in well with the house party, a ghost, automatons, an escaped prisoner who has the tendency to turn into a cannibal cat, as well as other cast members.
Very well done!

"I know it's baffling," I said. But these country house murders always are."
The sergeant's eyes brightened. "Country house murder you say? I went on one of they detective courses at Scotland Yard. We did a whole afternoon on country house murders. I knows exactly what to do."
"You do?" I said.
"I do and no mistake, gents, miss. Would'ee be so good as to fetch the butler so I can arrest him?"
"What?"
"It's always the butler what done it in a country house murder. Inspector Savage told me himself."
"When did you go on this course, sergeant?" I asked.
"Six years ago this June, sir."
"I think things have moved on apace since then, sergeant. Modern butlers are a less bloodthirsty breed - or all the bad ones have been locked up. The butler as a murderer is definitely old hat."
"Be it?"
"Indeed, it be. More likely to be a mad scientist than a butler these days. There's a definite vogue for mad scientists, don't you think, Reeves?"
"There is somewhat of a fashion, sir ..."
Chris Dolley, The Unpleasantness at Baskerville Hall

[Bkunkle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful, funny and despite the steampunk elements, quite true to the tone of a Wodehouse story.

This is a lighthearted romp through the Baskerville estate with all manner of odd creatures hanging around to lend a hand or head as required to move the story along. I found it thoroughly enjoyable. This was my first steampunk novel and, while I would not go out of my way to read another one, it was more amusing than I would have thought.

[Philip Obermarck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amusing and fun

My initial impression of this book was one of disappointment. I had high hopes for characters which were advertised as Jeeves and Wooster meet Sherlock Holmes. But alas, the writing did not live up to such high praise. As I got further into the book however I found myself enjoying it, much as I enjoyed author Ron Goulart’s madcap s/f stories. I read to the end and would consider reading another book in the series.

[Elissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imitation and Flattery
Would Wodehouse be spinning in his grave or rolling on the floor in hearty laughter while listening to this loving steampunk tribute to his mastery of the Servant/Master class farces which entertained his audiences a century ago? Enhanced by Paul J. Rose's delightful narration, author Chris Dolley's twisted tale of mires and manors and the nascent motion picture industry includes a cleverly created whodunnit you will enjoy solving.

[Lois · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I bought this on kindle on a whim a few years back not realizing it was the fourth in a series. Thankfully it wasn’t necessary to read them in order. The author did a great job of bringing in P.G. Wodehouse’s voice to the story. The steampunk part of it was weird and kind of dark to me but I’ve never read any steampunk before so it was all new to me. Overall it was a very fun read and I’ll probably try out some of the others in the series too.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sherlock Holmes meets Bertie Wooster--and Steampunk? I couldn't resist. I decided that this could either be a total disaster or the best mash up ever, and I was not disappointed. There was just enough reference to the original Hound novel (and Bertie's socks) to please the fangirl side of me, and a fun new plot to keep me entertained. I can't wait to read the rest of this series!

[Chrysoula Tzavelas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it.

What a wonderful way to spend a morning. Reggie is so charmingly incompetent (but he _cares_ which is the important part) and Emmaline so wonderfully fierce and Reeves exactly what one would wish him to be. I could read a dozen more. I do like the novel-length more than the shorts though— more to enjoy!

[Ashok Tomar · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining spoof

A good and entertaining spoof, though a trifle too long. The story had a lot of twists and turns, but the author's writing style kept the story going. The end, however, was a bit abrupt.

[Mac Mcdonald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author NOT a P. G. Wodehouse

Enjoyed the parallels to the original Bertie Wooster stories. Stretched steampunk to an absurdity and repeated themes a bit more often than than necessary.

[Kent Archie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful book, very funny. The author nails the style of P. G. Wodehouse. Some aspects of the universe were confusing, mostly because I hadn't read the earlier stories first. If you have read any Wodehouse (and if you haven't, go read those now), you will probably like this.

[Rachel Svendsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an utterly hilarious murder mystery written in the style of P. G. Wodehouse. I adored it for the cute characters and multiple laugh out loud scenes. I will definitely be reading the rest of this series.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great Reeves, Worcester, and Emmaline chapter

A fun romp through Sherlock Holmes, PG Woodhouse, and others. Reggie and Reeves never disappoint, and Emmaline as the feisty, intelligent suffragette is a wonderful character! I can only hope for more books to come.

[Satu · Rating 3 out of 5]

I should not have liked this. Nonsense miss-mash of Jeeves, steampunk, Sherlock Holmes mystery and what ever, but it was entertaining nonsense. The automata and prometheans were confusing, but I didn't let that deter me from the clichés that I was missing.