What do you think?
Rate this book
Bernie Quist #1
Cat Flap
A contemporary Sherlock Holmes, the eccentric Bernie Quist is a consultant detective in the city of York. Christmas is days away and once again the reclusive sleuth will be quietly celebrating alone. His assistant Watson, a teenager from the Grimpen housing estate, has other ideas, mostly involving parties, girls and beer. Yuletide plans are halted when three chemists die and the fiance of one hires them to look into her apparent suicide. After discovering the chemist wasn't engaged, they're drawn into the mystery when their employer is killed. Added to this, Watson has a puzzle of his own - Quist is clearly hiding something and he's curious to know what. The investigation leads to a shady cartel of northern businessmen, a forgotten Egyptian cult and an ancient evil lurking in the medieval alleyways of York. Quist's dark secret is also revealed, and Watson doesn't know what terrifies him the most.
- GenresMystery
344 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2017
About the author
Ian Jarvis
8 books43 followersIan was born in the north of England, where he worked for three hectic decades as an operational firefighter with the West Yorkshire Fire Service. He lives in York, where he writes comedy and humorous detective novels chronicling the exploits of private investigator Bernie Quist. A modern-day Sherlock Holmes, the eccentric Quist operates as a consultant detective from an office on Baker Avenue in York. His assistant is Watson, although this Watson is a streetwise youth from the Grimpen council estate and he's definitely no doctor. The mismatched duo take on bizarre cases which invariably lead into the realms of the supernatural, a shadowy world that, thanks to his dark secret, Quist is all too familiar with.
Ian travels regularly, usually through Asia and the Americas. His interests include walking the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales, natural history with an emphasis on birds, real ale, and ridding the world of all known evils.
He also feels decidedly peculiar speaking in the third person and may have to do this in the future using a sinister ventriloquist's doll.
You can visit Ian at https://www.ianjarviswriter.com/
Or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ian.jarvis.165
Ian travels regularly, usually through Asia and the Americas. His interests include walking the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales, natural history with an emphasis on birds, real ale, and ridding the world of all known evils.
He also feels decidedly peculiar speaking in the third person and may have to do this in the future using a sinister ventriloquist's doll.
You can visit Ian at https://www.ianjarviswriter.com/
Or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ian.jarvis.165
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 10, 2017
Bernard Quist is a private investigator although he prefers the term "Consultant detective". He recently hired a young 19 year old black youth by the name of Watson to be his assistant. Lately the detective trade has been centered around tracking unfaithful spouses and working divorce cases. But when a somewhat seedy thug asks them to prove his fiancee did not die of a suicide, it takes them into serial killer territory with a string of murders involving employees of a pharmaceutical company.
Does Bernard Quist remind you of anyone in particular?
Cat Flap is a clever take-off on the Sherlock Holmes mysteries. But while Quist has a lot in common with the great detective there is plenty of reasons Quist is his own man. Ian Jarvis is clearly making a tribute of sorts to Sherlock Holmes but he is also successfully creating a detective that can stand on its own. This is a modern mystery complete with all the fixings of contemporary England but Quist seems slightly out of place. There is a reason for this but that must be kept a secret for now. Enter 19 year old Watson, a thoroughly contemporary but sometimes naive British lad with a sense for all the modern things that Quist seems clumsy around. There is an vast array of secondary and minor characters that add to the plot, perhaps too many. But it all makes sense in the end and the reader realizes that this was one clever ride.
But what really makes this novel work is the humor. It is a clever dry wit that shows up in the dialogue whether Quist is giving his eager assistant back-handed compliments or commenting on that which no one else gets. When the mystery takes a supernatural turn, the author is right there gauging the reactions of the characters and making a few odd quirks in the plot instantly understandable.
Overall, Cat Flap is a fun novel. It's hard to take it too seriously but easy to get caught up in the fun. While the Holmes pastiche beginning helps one get hooked, the novel soon becomes its own story. In fact, now that the character are introduced and developed, it might be good to dump the Holmes connection altogether in the next inevitable books. Quist is too interesting to play second fiddle.
Does Bernard Quist remind you of anyone in particular?
Cat Flap is a clever take-off on the Sherlock Holmes mysteries. But while Quist has a lot in common with the great detective there is plenty of reasons Quist is his own man. Ian Jarvis is clearly making a tribute of sorts to Sherlock Holmes but he is also successfully creating a detective that can stand on its own. This is a modern mystery complete with all the fixings of contemporary England but Quist seems slightly out of place. There is a reason for this but that must be kept a secret for now. Enter 19 year old Watson, a thoroughly contemporary but sometimes naive British lad with a sense for all the modern things that Quist seems clumsy around. There is an vast array of secondary and minor characters that add to the plot, perhaps too many. But it all makes sense in the end and the reader realizes that this was one clever ride.
But what really makes this novel work is the humor. It is a clever dry wit that shows up in the dialogue whether Quist is giving his eager assistant back-handed compliments or commenting on that which no one else gets. When the mystery takes a supernatural turn, the author is right there gauging the reactions of the characters and making a few odd quirks in the plot instantly understandable.
Overall, Cat Flap is a fun novel. It's hard to take it too seriously but easy to get caught up in the fun. While the Holmes pastiche beginning helps one get hooked, the novel soon becomes its own story. In fact, now that the character are introduced and developed, it might be good to dump the Holmes connection altogether in the next inevitable books. Quist is too interesting to play second fiddle.
February 3, 2017
Funny throughout, hilarious at times, this mystery thriller blends the worlds of Sherlock Holmes with the Supernatural. Set in and around York, the consulting detective Bernie Quist and his sidekick Watson must solve a series of brutal murders. There's a sinister organisation working against them and the police are baffled. Add a hilarious Playboy SAS wannabe named Rex Grant and the scene is set for some unique and memorable action. Essential for thriller/supernatural fans.
July 29, 2025
Hilarious, was laughing out loud. Take this book for what it is, a comedic supernatural Sherlock Holmes and a buffoon of an assistant in Watson !!
February 5, 2017
It falls flat as a mystery, some may like the humor
Mixing detection, humor, and the Supernatural
My thanks to Steve and Timi at MX Publishing for my review copy of this book. You guys have been most generous.
Bernard Quist is a modern consulting detective on Baker Avenue in the city of York. His sidekick, Watson, is a young black man just nineteen years of age. Quist has a walk-up office across from a collection agency whose major-domo collector Kevin Selden is a skinhead with a dog named Klansman. Go figure…
The book opens with the murder of Lisa Mirren. There are things a bit odd about this death. It will not be the last. Three chemists die in odd circumstance. The firm is hired by the fiancé of one of the chemists only to discover they have been had. The girl’s death is being considered a suicide, and the man is not her fiancé.
The story is too much of a farce to really appeal to me. The humor is sometimes rather crude and seems forced into place. The detection part isn’t all that bad, but it still lacks focus since Bernie Quist is being directly compared to Sherlock Holmes right on the back cover. People talk of comparing apples to oranges. This is comparing apples to onions—that much of a difference.
The action is in a series of very short choppy chapters, seventy-three in total! Jump perspective is one thing, this is something else. I don’t really get it; all I know is that I don’t like it. Those who like humor may find this engaging, as a mystery lover I just can’t. Sorry.
I will give the book two stars for the obvious labor the author put into writing this novel.
Quoth the Raven…
Mixing detection, humor, and the Supernatural
My thanks to Steve and Timi at MX Publishing for my review copy of this book. You guys have been most generous.
Bernard Quist is a modern consulting detective on Baker Avenue in the city of York. His sidekick, Watson, is a young black man just nineteen years of age. Quist has a walk-up office across from a collection agency whose major-domo collector Kevin Selden is a skinhead with a dog named Klansman. Go figure…
The book opens with the murder of Lisa Mirren. There are things a bit odd about this death. It will not be the last. Three chemists die in odd circumstance. The firm is hired by the fiancé of one of the chemists only to discover they have been had. The girl’s death is being considered a suicide, and the man is not her fiancé.
The story is too much of a farce to really appeal to me. The humor is sometimes rather crude and seems forced into place. The detection part isn’t all that bad, but it still lacks focus since Bernie Quist is being directly compared to Sherlock Holmes right on the back cover. People talk of comparing apples to oranges. This is comparing apples to onions—that much of a difference.
The action is in a series of very short choppy chapters, seventy-three in total! Jump perspective is one thing, this is something else. I don’t really get it; all I know is that I don’t like it. Those who like humor may find this engaging, as a mystery lover I just can’t. Sorry.
I will give the book two stars for the obvious labor the author put into writing this novel.
Quoth the Raven…
January 24, 2022
First, this is not a Holmes book, is a book, settled in modern times, inspired by our beloved sleuth. And a paranormal one, to make it even more different *laughs* So, if you are a traditional reader, looking for a traditional Holmes story, this is not for you.
But if you enjoy weird characters and horror mixed with humour, you're for a treat. The mystery is very clever and the villains are great. The main characters, Bernard Quist and John Watson (who is a black young man of 19, here, and nothing like our doctor!) are truly interesting and with a big potential to grow in the following books.
Because, I was very happy to discover it, there are more books in this Universe, yay!.
But if you enjoy weird characters and horror mixed with humour, you're for a treat. The mystery is very clever and the villains are great. The main characters, Bernard Quist and John Watson (who is a black young man of 19, here, and nothing like our doctor!) are truly interesting and with a big potential to grow in the following books.
Because, I was very happy to discover it, there are more books in this Universe, yay!.
December 5, 2025
Some misguided soul has described this as a collection of stories. It is NOT a collection, but a mystery novel.
It had begun very promisingly, with a old Holmesian hero, duly accompanied by a young and streetwise Watson. The crimes had also been building up with enough intrigue. Above all, the author's ironic voice was just perfect for a modern crime novel. And then...
Then it just shot itself into the foot with paranormal nonsense.
Crushingly disappointing because of ONLY that reason. Otherwise, it was very good.
Taking everything into account, I would treat this as as merely a good read— nothing more, nothing less.
It had begun very promisingly, with a old Holmesian hero, duly accompanied by a young and streetwise Watson. The crimes had also been building up with enough intrigue. Above all, the author's ironic voice was just perfect for a modern crime novel. And then...
Then it just shot itself into the foot with paranormal nonsense.
Crushingly disappointing because of ONLY that reason. Otherwise, it was very good.
Taking everything into account, I would treat this as as merely a good read— nothing more, nothing less.
June 20, 2023
What a show stopper.
If they ever make this into a film or mini series count me in. Riveting, humourous and can't wait for the next one. I haven't read a book in a long time, but this author had an imagination bigger than my own.
A dry Yorkshire sense of humour helped it flow as did the wonderfully precise description s of the surrounding areas. To say I'm thrilled by my friends recommendation would be an understatement. Wow and wow again. Quist is a great name for an exceptional character and Winson what a revelation.
Honestly would recommend this to anyone who likes horror, comedy in fact anyone would enjoy it.
If they ever make this into a film or mini series count me in. Riveting, humourous and can't wait for the next one. I haven't read a book in a long time, but this author had an imagination bigger than my own.
A dry Yorkshire sense of humour helped it flow as did the wonderfully precise description s of the surrounding areas. To say I'm thrilled by my friends recommendation would be an understatement. Wow and wow again. Quist is a great name for an exceptional character and Winson what a revelation.
Honestly would recommend this to anyone who likes horror, comedy in fact anyone would enjoy it.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews