The Riddle of Foxwood Grange - A New Sherlock Holmes Mystery

by Denis O. Smith

An invitation to take lunch at the Great Western Hotel at Paddington station leads Sherlock Holmes into a baffling mystery. Who is it that is watching every move made by popular journalist, Farringdon Blake, and why? When the trail goes cold in London, Holmes and his friend, Dr Watson, must travel down to Foxwood Grange, Blake's home in rural Oxfordshire, to seek a solution to the mystery there. But Foxwood Grange, a 300-year-old Elizabethan mansion, is a house with a chequered past and holds mysteries of its own.

In this superb evocation of both the spirit and the style of Conan Doyle's earlier Sherlock Holmes stories, Denis O. Smith, acclaimed author of numerous Sherlock Holmes short story collections, here presents the great detective on a larger stage, in a gripping mystery which builds remorselessly to a thrilling and dramatic climax.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

259 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 2016

About the author

In the 1980s I published five Sherlock Holmes short stories in individual booklets: The Purple Hand, The Unseen Traveller, The Zodiac Plate, The Secret of Shoreswood Hall and The Christmas Visitor.
In the 1990s, these stories were collected, with the addition of one new story, The Green Umbrella, as the first two volumes of The Chronicles of Sherlock Holmes. Two further volumes of The Chronicles followed, containing a further eight stories.
In 2014 and 2016, two volumes of The Lost Chronicles of Sherlock Holmes were published, containing a mixture of new stories and older stories which had appeared over the years in magazines, anthologies etc.
Now, forthcoming in December 2016, is my first Sherlock Holmes novel, The Riddle of Foxwood Grange.

Reviews

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good story; it reminded me a lot of 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' in that Watson is left in situ by Holmes to keep up with the present case while he travels back to London.

I really enjoyed the story and the mysteries were really well done. And I must say, the riddle/code was really, really cleaver *laughs*

Having Watson 'leading' the investigation was really nice, and I liked that Holmes was willing to praise his attention to detail, although lamenting that his friend didn't follow up his really detailed observations to the next logical step: deduction.

(...) It is not a mere empty compliment, but a statement of fact, and there is thus no kindness involved. I have remarked your powers of observation before when I have read other things you have written. Sometimes you compare yourself unfavourably to me and exaggerate my achievements in the field of deduction, but if I am indeed more accomplished than you are at deduction, it is often only because you are too timid in drawing conclusions from what you see before you. In the fundamental power of observation, you are arguably my equal, at least when circumstances - such as having to keep a diary for my benefit - push you into making an effort. Your reports in here,” he continued, tapping the bundle of papers in his hand, “illustrate the matter perfectly.”

The secondary characters were all interesting, too, not mere props but people with motivations and feelings; that makes the story richier and more engaging .

And the narration by David Bufton was very good too :D

[LuAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to MX Publishing for a free audio version.

Smith’s pastiches capture the style of Doyle’s writing and the characters and friendship of Holmes and Watson. He also creates as curious a cast of characters as ACD. While details lend realism to fiction, he’s overly long on details. I think his conversations and narrator’s thoughts are especially too detailed. But really, that’s a minor quibble. He’s am sets a good scene and plots a robust mystery. I’d read one of his short story collections and enjoyed this novel of his.

[Kris Schmidgall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!
Very interesting and engaging. This is an excellent listen, even better the second time. I like the way it has layers, and is like little puzzles that are solved. I love Denis O Smith's interpretation of Holmes and Watson.

If you can listen to the audio version, do , because the narration by David Bufton is very good, and I think it adds to the story.

[Bill Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

I enjoy mr.smith’s work. If you have enjoyed his previous work you will certainly enjoy this book I highly recommend this book.

[Stephanie Tiner · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Sherlock Holmes and Watson receive a request to meet a stranger for lunch at the Great Western Hotel at Paddington Station, they find themselves with another mystery. Someone has been spying on Farringdon Blake, a distinguished journalist, but Mr. Blake has no idea why or whom. Sherlock agrees to take the case, starting with the man following Blake around London during his weekly trip to town. But when the lead in London grows cold, Sherlock and Watson pay a visit to Foxwood Grange, Blake’s home, for further investigating. Foxwood Grange is a 300 year old Elizabethan mansion with an interesting and mysterious background all its own.
I have been a Sherlock Holmes fan since I was about twelve years old, when I first read “A Study in Scarlet” and “The Speckled Band.” Since then I have read all of the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but until now I have never read one written by another author.
This novel, like Doyle’s, is recounted by Holmes’ friend and roommate, Dr. Watson. The tone in which Watson recounts this tale is very similar in style and voice as the Doyle tales. Obviously being written by a different author, it is not a perfect match, but I was able to believe that these two were the same Sherlock and Watson from the originals.
This story starts with Sherlock and Watson together. Since the story is told by Watson, when they are separated you only end up with Watson’s side of the story. Because of this, this story had Watson doing most of the investigating, as though he was the primary detective. I’m not sure how this made me feel.
I also was unsure about how Sherlock came off as more secretive than he was in the Doyle novels, to me.
The mystery itself doesn’t become apparent until the very end. Well, the four mysteries are not revealed until the very end when Sherlock explains everything. I must admit though that I was not surprised by the outcome, except for one little part.
I would recommend this novel to fans of Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as I feel that author did a good job.
I won my copy of this novel on Goodreads Firstreads and have received permission from the publishers at MX Publishing to use an image of the cover artwork above.
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