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Secret Sherlock Holmes #8
Sherlock Holmes and the Lady in Black
Sherlock Holmes has left the Baker Street days of crime and detection behind to retire to a small Sussex cottage overlooking the sea where he can focus on his new hobbies: beekeeping and photography. But when a shadowy figure is seen walking below the cliffs one night, Holmes cannot resist the temptation of solving one more mystery. He summons his old flatmate and confidante Dr Watson to help. Against the backdrop of the stormy Sussex coast, desirable women and suspicious men weave an engaging and complex case.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published July 23, 2015
12 people are currently reading
100 people want to read
About the author
June Thomson
70 books21 followersJune Thomson, a former teacher, has published 24 crime novels, 18 of which feature Detective Chief Inspector Jack Finch and his sergeant, Tom Boyce. She has also written six short story collections of Sherlock Holmes pastiches. Her books have been translated into many languages. She lives in St Albans in Hertfordshire.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
August 4, 2019
***2019 The Summer of Sherlock***
In my opinion, Ms. Thomson comes the closest of anyone to capturing the voice of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Sometimes I could forget that I wasn’t reading an original Holmes story. The big difference? Doyle could accomplish his mission in a short story. This author required a (short) novel.
This was a pleasant entry in my Summer of Sherlock. Holmes purists probably won’t be too offended by this offering, but I doubt it will ever be recommended reading. A reasonable mystery story with good twists and turns. I quite enjoyed it, but feel like I am damning it with faint praise!
In my opinion, Ms. Thomson comes the closest of anyone to capturing the voice of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Sometimes I could forget that I wasn’t reading an original Holmes story. The big difference? Doyle could accomplish his mission in a short story. This author required a (short) novel.
This was a pleasant entry in my Summer of Sherlock. Holmes purists probably won’t be too offended by this offering, but I doubt it will ever be recommended reading. A reasonable mystery story with good twists and turns. I quite enjoyed it, but feel like I am damning it with faint praise!
June 30, 2019
Sherlock Holmes, now retired, has turned his attention to his beekeeping hobby while living in a cottage on the Sussex coast. Holmes invites his old colleague and chronicler Dr Watson to stay with him, purportedly for a week's holiday.
Watson accepts the invitation, which contains details of how to find the cottage and is signed 'with the usual non-committal initials "S. H."'. [This reminds me of a scene in the film 'The Odd Couple' where Walter Matteau (Oscar Madison) is interrupted at a crucial moment in a baseball game by a call from his meticulous flatmate Jack Lemmon and as he gets more and more irate over the triviality of the call, he remonstrates with Lemmon about the note he had left him in the flat they shared; it was signed 'F. U.' and he screams at Lemmon (Felix Ungar) that it took him ages to work out what F. U. meant!]
Watson expects rest and relaxation but how wrong could he be? On one of their walks, Holmes sees a shadowy figure walking below the cliffs one night and the lady's presence and her mysterious air puzzles Holmes. And he cannot resist the temptation of investigating who the lady is and why she is so surreptitiously wandering about the coast at night. Watson's idea of a restful holiday soon goes out of the window as, against the stormy Sussex coast setting, the duo get involved in a mystery that has more than its fair share of suspicious and strange men and that opens up some tragic family history details.
The game is very definitely afoot once more as this story, well written in a Conan Doyle-type style, unfolds in an entertaining and sometimes complex manner.
Watson accepts the invitation, which contains details of how to find the cottage and is signed 'with the usual non-committal initials "S. H."'. [This reminds me of a scene in the film 'The Odd Couple' where Walter Matteau (Oscar Madison) is interrupted at a crucial moment in a baseball game by a call from his meticulous flatmate Jack Lemmon and as he gets more and more irate over the triviality of the call, he remonstrates with Lemmon about the note he had left him in the flat they shared; it was signed 'F. U.' and he screams at Lemmon (Felix Ungar) that it took him ages to work out what F. U. meant!]
Watson expects rest and relaxation but how wrong could he be? On one of their walks, Holmes sees a shadowy figure walking below the cliffs one night and the lady's presence and her mysterious air puzzles Holmes. And he cannot resist the temptation of investigating who the lady is and why she is so surreptitiously wandering about the coast at night. Watson's idea of a restful holiday soon goes out of the window as, against the stormy Sussex coast setting, the duo get involved in a mystery that has more than its fair share of suspicious and strange men and that opens up some tragic family history details.
The game is very definitely afoot once more as this story, well written in a Conan Doyle-type style, unfolds in an entertaining and sometimes complex manner.
March 28, 2022
Barely a three star rating. I have enjoyed June Thomson's previous pastiches of Holmes and Watson. This is the first time I have read a full-length version of hers. It started well but the plot was thin and predictable . I shall stick to the short stories in future.
August 1, 2018
I picked this book up from my local bookshop because I've been liking the Holmes book by other authors coming out lately and I thought I would try this one when I saw it going cheaply. It was alright, but that's about all I can say about it.
In this book, John Watson is going down to Sussex to visit Sherlock Holmes, eager to mend the rift between them that had sprung up on Watson's second marriage. Holmes regarded this as a betrayal, though we never truly find out why despite the rift and the reason behind it being mentioned several times. He is immediately embroiled in a mystery that Holmes was interested in involving stolen candlesticks and a crypt.
The mystery was interesting enough, though I can't remember much of the twists and turns of it. It involves Watson and Holmes working together, Holmes using his deductive skills and the two of them healing the rift that sprung up between them. Watson stands up for himself when he should and learns to accept Holmes as he is. It was good to see the both of them learning how to be with each other now their lives had changed and their relationship had changed with it.
There were several things I liked about this book but several things I found quite bizarre. I admired the author's attempt to explain the inconsistencies in Doyle's writings, such as Watson's wife and dates, but there were other times when you could tell it was written by a modern author, like when Holmes talks about women going to be successful and how they are becoming more and more prominent, because it just didn't suit Holmes at all.
Still, it was a quick and easy book to read. 3 stars!
In this book, John Watson is going down to Sussex to visit Sherlock Holmes, eager to mend the rift between them that had sprung up on Watson's second marriage. Holmes regarded this as a betrayal, though we never truly find out why despite the rift and the reason behind it being mentioned several times. He is immediately embroiled in a mystery that Holmes was interested in involving stolen candlesticks and a crypt.
The mystery was interesting enough, though I can't remember much of the twists and turns of it. It involves Watson and Holmes working together, Holmes using his deductive skills and the two of them healing the rift that sprung up between them. Watson stands up for himself when he should and learns to accept Holmes as he is. It was good to see the both of them learning how to be with each other now their lives had changed and their relationship had changed with it.
There were several things I liked about this book but several things I found quite bizarre. I admired the author's attempt to explain the inconsistencies in Doyle's writings, such as Watson's wife and dates, but there were other times when you could tell it was written by a modern author, like when Holmes talks about women going to be successful and how they are becoming more and more prominent, because it just didn't suit Holmes at all.
Still, it was a quick and easy book to read. 3 stars!
September 29, 2018
I thought this book was very similar to the original stories by Conan Doyle.
I found myself picturing Holmes as he was portrayed by the great Jeremy Brett and Dr Watson I pictured as portrayed by the wonderful David Burke.
The main characters have had a minor falling out over Watson's second marriage, but this perceived betrayal (as Holmes saw it) of their friendship was eventually reconciled as a result of this investigation.
Holmes has invited Watson to Sussex for a week long holiday. On his arrival, WAtson is coerced into joining Holmes in an investigation into several local people, as Holmes tries to discover the identity of the mysterious Lady in Black.
The mystery is eventually solved, but not exactly as Holmes and Watson expected. Watson returns to his wife and London practice with his friendship with Holmes almost back to how it was in their Baker Street days.
I found myself picturing Holmes as he was portrayed by the great Jeremy Brett and Dr Watson I pictured as portrayed by the wonderful David Burke.
The main characters have had a minor falling out over Watson's second marriage, but this perceived betrayal (as Holmes saw it) of their friendship was eventually reconciled as a result of this investigation.
Holmes has invited Watson to Sussex for a week long holiday. On his arrival, WAtson is coerced into joining Holmes in an investigation into several local people, as Holmes tries to discover the identity of the mysterious Lady in Black.
The mystery is eventually solved, but not exactly as Holmes and Watson expected. Watson returns to his wife and London practice with his friendship with Holmes almost back to how it was in their Baker Street days.
June 3, 2025
I don't know why I keep doing this to myself, reading naff Holmes pastiches, but here we are. In this one I had to deal with an inexplicable monologue where Holmes goes on about feminism and uses the word "her-story" which is just wrong; and a several page recap of a Scandal in Bohemia, complete with the "Holmes was in love with Adler" interpretation that drives me up the wall. The Holmes and Watson relationship, so fundamental to these stories, was also portrayed poorly, I felt. They had a vague rift and an equally vague reconciliation. If you cut out the nonsense this book should have been half its length and still wouldn't be very good given the slim plot. One bonus star for a mention of my hometown though.
October 12, 2019
The premise of this book is that Sherlock Holmes, now retired to the coast, is still applying his mind to the mysteries he finds in his vicinity. The problem is that the "mystery" isn't actually all that mysterious, or gripping, or in any way exciting, which means there's never any real sense of Holmes engaging with anything of importance. While I think Thomson captures Holmes and Watson quite well, there's a lot of be desired in terms of plot.
May 8, 2019
Other than it being quite boring, the sheer amount of the terms: “My dear fellow” and “Suddenly”/“The next minute”/“On the other hand” just made it really clunky to read, as well as the detail in simple things that just don’t need to be explained unless you have no idea how a car/house works.
November 18, 2023
I read one of June Thomson’s pastiches about a month ago. I immediately order four more. Most are short stories. This one is a novel. I wasn’t disappointed. Great story. Reads smoothly and the mystery and characters follows Doyle’s outline closely.
December 29, 2018
Enjoyable read, but was dragged out slightly long, so the answer wasn't as much as a surprise
January 17, 2019
Thoroughly enjoyed this read! Couldn't put it down!
February 16, 2020
Slow moving story good read,l enjoy reading about Sherlock and dr. Watson. It was interesting story I will look for another June thomson books
March 11, 2020
It’s ok, but it’s not ACD
September 11, 2021
I was not keen on Holmes’ portrayal in this book as it just didn’t seem like himself! A quaint setting of much beauty yet I found the ending quite underwhelming!
September 20, 2024
This tale is set after Holmes retirement to Sussex where he tries to find out the secret of the lady in black who walks on the beach near his cottage. Interesting tale, lots of clues twists and turns with Watson on tow after he is invited to stay for a short holiday.
The big disappointment for me was that there was too much reminiscing over Irene Adler and whether or not Holmes was in love with her or not - not in my opinion. The book also seems too evasive on her death as Watson declares ignorance of any facts, whereas the first paragraph of "Scandal in Bohemia" clearly calls her the late Irene Adler.
The big disappointment for me was that there was too much reminiscing over Irene Adler and whether or not Holmes was in love with her or not - not in my opinion. The book also seems too evasive on her death as Watson declares ignorance of any facts, whereas the first paragraph of "Scandal in Bohemia" clearly calls her the late Irene Adler.
November 2, 2016
Another story in the world of Sherlock Holmes. Consistent with the title this is about a mystery surrounding a lady in black.
Holmes is retired to the country side and busy looking after bees. He calls on Watson to come for a weeks vacation at his house but really he needs Watson to help him with a mystery theft that has recently occurred.
The core of the story is the solving of who the lady in black is and what happened to the items stolen.
No adversaries against Sherlock so it proceeds on pace to a logical conclussion.
Easy read
Holmes is retired to the country side and busy looking after bees. He calls on Watson to come for a weeks vacation at his house but really he needs Watson to help him with a mystery theft that has recently occurred.
The core of the story is the solving of who the lady in black is and what happened to the items stolen.
No adversaries against Sherlock so it proceeds on pace to a logical conclussion.
Easy read
March 9, 2024
A lot of folks didn't really like this book. I found it interesting and was happy to learn that Sherlock Holmes, even in his retirement, has not, in any way, dimished his powers of detection. Interesting story and characters. I did think there was a bit too much in describing every little detail of every thing. I read this every now and then just to remind me that no matter how old you get, you still have a purpose in life.
March 25, 2018
This was O.K..but a short novel which in honesty could possibly have been shortened to novella even short story size.
The story itself more explores the dynamics of Holmes and Watson..the case itself is kind of light and lurches to an end really based less on deduction and more on pure chance...all told however not awful and as a non baker street ..semi retired Holmes as a beekeeper tale it's not bad..it does fill in some blanks as to how the story may have continued..
The story itself more explores the dynamics of Holmes and Watson..the case itself is kind of light and lurches to an end really based less on deduction and more on pure chance...all told however not awful and as a non baker street ..semi retired Holmes as a beekeeper tale it's not bad..it does fill in some blanks as to how the story may have continued..
January 23, 2017
Holmes in his 'Bee Keeping' years. Good opening and a good light read in many ways, but a slightly disappointing denouement. Quite a short book (200+pages but in a rather large font) so very much readable at a single sitting. Fun read for the trad-Holmesians. 3 to 4 stars
December 3, 2017
Novel was okay but I have to admit that I prefer this author’s short stories/novellas more.
There wasn’t really enough story for the novel length I felt.
An okay read but only after you’ve finished the others titles by her.
There wasn’t really enough story for the novel length I felt.
An okay read but only after you’ve finished the others titles by her.
January 29, 2017
really enjoyed this book. Lots of tie ins with the original, but very entertaining.
August 27, 2017
Dull.
Sorry June I enjoy your short stories but this was a borefest I had to give up on it as it felt like such a chore to read. Didn't finish.
Sorry June I enjoy your short stories but this was a borefest I had to give up on it as it felt like such a chore to read. Didn't finish.
January 17, 2018
The mystery is merely an excuse to explore the relationship between Holmes and Watson.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews