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Holmes Entangled
From the Edgar®-nominated author of Hammett Unwritten and Woman with a Blue Pencil comes a startling meta-fiction tale told in the voice of Sherlock Holmes. Set in 1920s' London, Cambridge, and Paris, Holmes's final adventure leads him through labyrinths of crime and espionage in a mortally dangerous inquiry into the unseen nature of existence itself. Sherlock Holmes, now in his seventies, retired from investigations and peaceably disguised as a professor at Cambridge, is shaken when a modestly successful author in his late-sixties named Arthur Conan Doyle calls upon him at the university. This Conan Doyle, notable for historical adventure stories, science fiction, and a three-volume history of the Boer War (but no detective tales), somehow knows of the false professor's true identity and pleads for investigative assistance. Someone is trying to kill Conan Doyle. Who? Why? Good questions, but what intrigues Holmes most is how the "middling scribbler" ascertained Holmes's identity in the first place, despite the detective's perfect disguise. Holmes takes the case. There is danger every step of the way. Great powers want the investigation quashed. But with the assistance of Dr. Watson's widow, Holmes persists, exploring séances, the esoterica of Edgar Allan Poe, the revolutionary new science of quantum mechanics, and his own long-denied sense of loss and solitude. Ultimately, even Sherlock Holmes is unprepared for what the evidence suggests.
194 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 6, 2018
70 people are currently reading
280 people want to read
About the author
Gordon McAlpine
32 books95 followersGordon McAlpine (who sometimes writes as “Owen Fitzstephen”) is the author of Mystery Box (2003), Hammett Unwritten (2013), Woman With a Blue Pencil (2015), Holmes Untangled (2018), and After Oz (2024) –- all shape-shifting novels that play fast and loose with the mystery genre, as well as a middle-grade trilogy, The Misadventures of Edgar and Allan Poe. He’s also the co-author of the non-fiction book The Way of Baseball: Finding Stillness at 95 MPH. He has taught creative writing and literature at U.C. Irvine, U.C.L.A., and Chapman University. He lives with his wife Julie in Southern California. “Owen Fitzstephen,” by the way, is the name of a character, a dissolute, alcoholic writer, in Hammett’s The Dain Curse.
Gordon McAlpine has been described by Publisher’s Weekly as “a gifted stylist, with clean, clear and muscular prose.” A native Californian, he attended the M.F.A. Program in Creative Writing at the University of California, Irvine.
Once Upon a Midnight Eerie is Mr. McAlpine’s latest book and is the the second volume in his middle-grade trilogy, “The Misadventures of Edgar and Allan Poe”. Publisher’s Weekly describes the book as a “gumbo of jokes, codes, treasure, history, mystery and assorted literary references.” It was published by Viking in April, 2014.
The Tell-Tale Start, published in 2013, is the first book in “The Misadventures of Edgar and Allan Poe”. Publisher’s Weekly writes in a starred review of the award winning audio version of The Tell-Tale Start: “Entertaining and original….Endlessly fun and ultimately very satisfying on every level.”
In February 2013, Seventh Street Books published Hammett Unwritten, a literary mystery novel that revolves around the life of the great detective novelist Dashiell Hammett. Reviews of the novel have been stellar and the novel has appeared on top ten lists for the year.
The Los Angeles Times called Mr. McAlpine’s first novel, Joy in Mudville, an “imaginative mix of history, humor and fantasy…fanciful and surprising”, and The West Coast Review of Books called it “a minor miracle.” Joy in Mudville was re-released in a new e-book edition in late summer 2012.
The Way of Baseball, Finding Stillness at 95 MPH, is a non fiction book and was published by Simon & Schuster in June 2011 to outstanding reviews. Written in collaboration with Major League All-Star Shawn Green, the book illuminates the spiritual practices that enabled Green to “bring stillness into the flow of life.”
The Persistence of Memory, his second novel, was published by the distinguished British publisher Peter Owen Ltd., and his young adult novel, Mystery Box, was published by Cricket Books to critical praise.
Mr. McAlpine has published short stories and book reviews in journals and anthologies both in the U.S.A and abroad. His short story “The Happiest Place” appears in the Akashic Press anthology, Orange County Noir. He has chaired and taught creative writing in the Master of Fine Arts Program at Chapman University in Orange, California, as well as fiction writing classes at U.C.L.A and U.C. Irvine. In his twenties, he developed video games and wrote scripts for film and television.
He is a member of the Author’s Guild and PEN, and he is president of the board of directors of the Newport Beach Public Library Foundation. He lives with his wife Julie in Southern California.
Gordon McAlpine has been described by Publisher’s Weekly as “a gifted stylist, with clean, clear and muscular prose.” A native Californian, he attended the M.F.A. Program in Creative Writing at the University of California, Irvine.
Once Upon a Midnight Eerie is Mr. McAlpine’s latest book and is the the second volume in his middle-grade trilogy, “The Misadventures of Edgar and Allan Poe”. Publisher’s Weekly describes the book as a “gumbo of jokes, codes, treasure, history, mystery and assorted literary references.” It was published by Viking in April, 2014.
The Tell-Tale Start, published in 2013, is the first book in “The Misadventures of Edgar and Allan Poe”. Publisher’s Weekly writes in a starred review of the award winning audio version of The Tell-Tale Start: “Entertaining and original….Endlessly fun and ultimately very satisfying on every level.”
In February 2013, Seventh Street Books published Hammett Unwritten, a literary mystery novel that revolves around the life of the great detective novelist Dashiell Hammett. Reviews of the novel have been stellar and the novel has appeared on top ten lists for the year.
The Los Angeles Times called Mr. McAlpine’s first novel, Joy in Mudville, an “imaginative mix of history, humor and fantasy…fanciful and surprising”, and The West Coast Review of Books called it “a minor miracle.” Joy in Mudville was re-released in a new e-book edition in late summer 2012.
The Way of Baseball, Finding Stillness at 95 MPH, is a non fiction book and was published by Simon & Schuster in June 2011 to outstanding reviews. Written in collaboration with Major League All-Star Shawn Green, the book illuminates the spiritual practices that enabled Green to “bring stillness into the flow of life.”
The Persistence of Memory, his second novel, was published by the distinguished British publisher Peter Owen Ltd., and his young adult novel, Mystery Box, was published by Cricket Books to critical praise.
Mr. McAlpine has published short stories and book reviews in journals and anthologies both in the U.S.A and abroad. His short story “The Happiest Place” appears in the Akashic Press anthology, Orange County Noir. He has chaired and taught creative writing in the Master of Fine Arts Program at Chapman University in Orange, California, as well as fiction writing classes at U.C.L.A and U.C. Irvine. In his twenties, he developed video games and wrote scripts for film and television.
He is a member of the Author’s Guild and PEN, and he is president of the board of directors of the Newport Beach Public Library Foundation. He lives with his wife Julie in Southern California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
July 20, 2018
Doctor Watson is dead!
Holmes misses him ,mainly because it means he has had to write this in 1928 he's Professor von Schimmel at Cambridge in his 70s when walks man in his 60s -Conan Doyle but this one never wrote crime books.
Over the years after finishing all the normal Holmes like lot of true fans I have gone to other authors Like Mike Resnick who have us the weird Sherlock Holmes in Orbit a collection of sf & fantasy tales, H.P Lovecraft cross Holmes, The All consuming fire when the 7th Doctor meets Holmes ; number of non fiction books including one claiming that Holmes & Moriarty were the same person & thanks to Mark Gatiss we have had Sherlock. My favourite new style was Sherlock Holmes and the Servants of Hell by Paul Kane when as the title says he goes to Hell.
This short odd book from new award winning author perhaps you could call it nearer a novella than a novel It's expensive & I am glade it was Libuary book been too short.
This one of border line Holmes its a weird one a what if?
Conan Doyle was bit odd towards end of his life when started on about séances here we have him been visited by the 'living' sprit of Stanley Baldwin ' but is another version of him from another reality a weird one who tells Doyle how to find Holmes .But which reality are we in as The Labour part here are in government in 1928 & Doyle never wrote Sherlock Holmes, only meet him .
Here we have Watson's widow helping Holmes explore séances & guests stars Poe. Another odd ball
For instance Watson had romantic affair for years with Mrs Hutson .Which I cannot stop laughing as can you imagine Unna Stubbs in Sherlock having sex with Watson ughh!
Unna Stubbs Aunty Sally
But this Mrs Hutson was young & hot when she was landlady & later she Married him &:is the widow in this book.
Holmes in this the same as always is the author has tried to say he isn't but I have read other books with an older Holmes in & went on the same only difference is he is saddled with Mrs Watson. Why hell he did this can only be because didn't like Watson & removing the good Doctor is for no other reason because it does not spoil or improve it one or the other
Holmes misses him ,mainly because it means he has had to write this in 1928 he's Professor von Schimmel at Cambridge in his 70s when walks man in his 60s -Conan Doyle but this one never wrote crime books.
Over the years after finishing all the normal Holmes like lot of true fans I have gone to other authors Like Mike Resnick who have us the weird Sherlock Holmes in Orbit a collection of sf & fantasy tales, H.P Lovecraft cross Holmes, The All consuming fire when the 7th Doctor meets Holmes ; number of non fiction books including one claiming that Holmes & Moriarty were the same person & thanks to Mark Gatiss we have had Sherlock. My favourite new style was Sherlock Holmes and the Servants of Hell by Paul Kane when as the title says he goes to Hell.
This short odd book from new award winning author perhaps you could call it nearer a novella than a novel It's expensive & I am glade it was Libuary book been too short.
This one of border line Holmes its a weird one a what if?
Conan Doyle was bit odd towards end of his life when started on about séances here we have him been visited by the 'living' sprit of Stanley Baldwin ' but is another version of him from another reality a weird one who tells Doyle how to find Holmes .But which reality are we in as The Labour part here are in government in 1928 & Doyle never wrote Sherlock Holmes, only meet him .
Here we have Watson's widow helping Holmes explore séances & guests stars Poe. Another odd ball
For instance Watson had romantic affair for years with Mrs Hutson .Which I cannot stop laughing as can you imagine Unna Stubbs in Sherlock having sex with Watson ughh!
Unna Stubbs Aunty Sally
But this Mrs Hutson was young & hot when she was landlady & later she Married him &:is the widow in this book.
Holmes in this the same as always is the author has tried to say he isn't but I have read other books with an older Holmes in & went on the same only difference is he is saddled with Mrs Watson. Why hell he did this can only be because didn't like Watson & removing the good Doctor is for no other reason because it does not spoil or improve it one or the other
January 4, 2018
and now for something completely different.
Imagine that the legendary detective, Sherlock Holmes, is alive and well, disguised as a German professor at Cambridge, not quite the man represented by his amanuensis, Dr. Watson. Now imagine if he is uncovered by a “middling scribler” by the name of Arthur Conan Doyle, who calls on him because his life is in danger.
It’s all well and good to write a clever book. But in this case, the cleverness actually works. The premise is nothing short of quantum mechanics, or the existence of numerous worlds. In these worlds, it is not unusual for fictional characters and real characters to exist simultaneously or for either of them to have many roads to choose and many identities to try on.
Because, make no mistake, the theme of this book is the choices open to us – the road less travelled – and the certainty that with every choice we take, a myriad of possibilities will be eliminated.
The joy of this book is the juxtaposition of what is true and what could be true in an alternative universe, where Sherlock Holmes and Poe’s Le Chevalier C. Auguste Dupin actually exist, right along with Dr. Watson and his wife, Arthur Conan Doyle, Poe’s biographer Baudelaire, the séance mistress Madame Du Lac, and even a cameo by Ernest Hemingway. I would not think of spoiling the fun about how Gordan McAlpine assembles it all together in a masterful and believable meta-fiction. I will say it’s adroitly and expertly done and is an excellent read, even for those who have not had the pleasure of reading the Sherlock Holmes series.
Imagine that the legendary detective, Sherlock Holmes, is alive and well, disguised as a German professor at Cambridge, not quite the man represented by his amanuensis, Dr. Watson. Now imagine if he is uncovered by a “middling scribler” by the name of Arthur Conan Doyle, who calls on him because his life is in danger.
It’s all well and good to write a clever book. But in this case, the cleverness actually works. The premise is nothing short of quantum mechanics, or the existence of numerous worlds. In these worlds, it is not unusual for fictional characters and real characters to exist simultaneously or for either of them to have many roads to choose and many identities to try on.
Because, make no mistake, the theme of this book is the choices open to us – the road less travelled – and the certainty that with every choice we take, a myriad of possibilities will be eliminated.
The joy of this book is the juxtaposition of what is true and what could be true in an alternative universe, where Sherlock Holmes and Poe’s Le Chevalier C. Auguste Dupin actually exist, right along with Dr. Watson and his wife, Arthur Conan Doyle, Poe’s biographer Baudelaire, the séance mistress Madame Du Lac, and even a cameo by Ernest Hemingway. I would not think of spoiling the fun about how Gordan McAlpine assembles it all together in a masterful and believable meta-fiction. I will say it’s adroitly and expertly done and is an excellent read, even for those who have not had the pleasure of reading the Sherlock Holmes series.
March 8, 2018
Thank you so much to Prometheus Books and Seventh Street Books for providing my copy - all opinions are my own.
This is a very unique take on the legendary Sherlock Holmes. Holmes is now retired from investigations and has taken on a disguise as a professor at Cambridge. Arthur Conan Doyle seeks him out at the university and asks for his help because his life is in danger. Holmes decides to take the case along side Dr. Watson’s widow. See what I mean? I have never read a book where the author asks his own creation for help which is what makes this book so brilliant! I believe they call this meta-fiction and it’s so damn clever
I had a great time reading this one! There are some appearances from larger than life “characters” such as Edgar Allan Poe and Ernest Hemingway. I really enjoyed the "meta" aspect of this book. It is such an inventive idea on this classic character and the juxtaposition is seamlessly done which makes this an excellent read! Highly recommended!
This is a very unique take on the legendary Sherlock Holmes. Holmes is now retired from investigations and has taken on a disguise as a professor at Cambridge. Arthur Conan Doyle seeks him out at the university and asks for his help because his life is in danger. Holmes decides to take the case along side Dr. Watson’s widow. See what I mean? I have never read a book where the author asks his own creation for help which is what makes this book so brilliant! I believe they call this meta-fiction and it’s so damn clever
I had a great time reading this one! There are some appearances from larger than life “characters” such as Edgar Allan Poe and Ernest Hemingway. I really enjoyed the "meta" aspect of this book. It is such an inventive idea on this classic character and the juxtaposition is seamlessly done which makes this an excellent read! Highly recommended!
November 16, 2018
In my opinion this is not a very good book. I'm an avid Holmes fan and this didn't cut the mustard for me.
March 7, 2018
Jorge Luis Borges hires a private investigator in Buenos Aires, Argentina to read an unpublished manuscript with the title of “Uncertainty,” purportedly written by Sherlock Holmes. Since he found the manuscript, Borges has narrowly escaped being shot and he wants to know who attempted to kill him and why. So begins a tale that contains other stories and associations by famous writers such as Edgar Allen Poe and Ernest Hemingway.
Our story begins with Sherlock Holmes living incognito as a famous physicist. It seems Holmes has been studying and lecturing at Oxford University and other institutions of higher learning and does not want to be found. Imagine his shock when a “middling” author, Arthur Conan Doyle, appears at Holmes’ residence, saying he knows his real identity because he was informed of his name and residence at a séance in which a living Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin, appears to give Doyle the information about Sherlock Holmes. Seances are where dead people appear to the living, correct? So what is this frightening phenomenon and what is the case that Doyle asks Sherlock to help solve?
Then begins what just might be the last known case of the famous Sherlock Holmes. It brings the reader into the relatively new field of quantum mechanics which we learn is far older than previously known. Rather it involves investigations and experiments with the appearance of humans in “parallel worlds.” It would be of no great import if the mystery were just about the science of inquiry, but murders and physical attacks begin to occur with anyone associated with this subject.
The story is fascinating but the writing is frequently difficult to follow, yet worth the effort. An interest sideline within the story concerns Holmes’ comments about his late buddy, Watson, whom Holmes claims was “stuck” in the Victorian world and thus did not reflect the true personality of Holmes.
Holmes Entangled is a fascinating read both as a mystery and as an introduction to the world of quantum mechanics. The final scene closes with a shocking presence! Enjoy the romp through another complex historical mystery!
Our story begins with Sherlock Holmes living incognito as a famous physicist. It seems Holmes has been studying and lecturing at Oxford University and other institutions of higher learning and does not want to be found. Imagine his shock when a “middling” author, Arthur Conan Doyle, appears at Holmes’ residence, saying he knows his real identity because he was informed of his name and residence at a séance in which a living Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin, appears to give Doyle the information about Sherlock Holmes. Seances are where dead people appear to the living, correct? So what is this frightening phenomenon and what is the case that Doyle asks Sherlock to help solve?
Then begins what just might be the last known case of the famous Sherlock Holmes. It brings the reader into the relatively new field of quantum mechanics which we learn is far older than previously known. Rather it involves investigations and experiments with the appearance of humans in “parallel worlds.” It would be of no great import if the mystery were just about the science of inquiry, but murders and physical attacks begin to occur with anyone associated with this subject.
The story is fascinating but the writing is frequently difficult to follow, yet worth the effort. An interest sideline within the story concerns Holmes’ comments about his late buddy, Watson, whom Holmes claims was “stuck” in the Victorian world and thus did not reflect the true personality of Holmes.
Holmes Entangled is a fascinating read both as a mystery and as an introduction to the world of quantum mechanics. The final scene closes with a shocking presence! Enjoy the romp through another complex historical mystery!
April 19, 2019
You know how these some people identify as pansexual? I'm pan-Sherlockian. I like the canon, and I also like most of the rip-offs, modernizations, and re-interpretations. I've never met anyone who, like me, enjoys both the BBC Sherlock and the silly Robert Downey Jr. movies, has read the "officially authorized" Sherlock tales, and is hardcore in love with Sherry Thomas's "Lady Sherlock" series. I even watched all of House, M.D. -- including the last season.
I saw this randomly in the library, and picked it up without looking very closely at it (like I said, Holmes fiend), so it was mostly a surprise. I think that added to the experience. I really liked this story, but it's liable to annoy many Sherlock fans. It's set in an alternate universe where Sherlock is a real person, not a fictional character, and I probably should have seen it coming from the title, but . That topic is a special interest for me, so it was bound to be true book love. I also adored the way the Watson role is filled by Mrs. Watson, and how Mrs. Watson is much cooler than you'd expect.
There are some differences from canon, which will annoy purists, but they are explained in the narrative. The characters are mostly similar, with an older Sherlock that made me think of the excellent film Mr. Holmes. It's neat to see the characters interact with a type of mystery that's far from the Victorian world of the original stories.
The connection with Edgar Allen Poe is mentioned in the description, but I didn't expect how big a role Poe (and his fictional detective, Dupin, who is also real in this universe). There's also lots of cameos of various historical figures, to a point that borders on absurd like Forrest Gump. This leads me to probably the greatest flaw of this book -- it's self-indulgent and pretentious. I can absolutely see myself writing a Sherlock Holmes story like this for fun, but I would never in a million years imagine that it needed to be published and read by other people. It's practically fan-fiction, and I suspect that only a privileged person with excessive self-esteem could have taken it seriously. I can easily imagine legions of traditional Sherlockians yelling at this book and throwing it at the wall.
But for me, it was fun, silly, over-the-top enjoyable with a lot of parts that seemed amazing at the time, but after a month I'm unable to remember any of them. If that sounds fun to you, hop on board the Holmes Entangled express!
I saw this randomly in the library, and picked it up without looking very closely at it (like I said, Holmes fiend), so it was mostly a surprise. I think that added to the experience. I really liked this story, but it's liable to annoy many Sherlock fans. It's set in an alternate universe where Sherlock is a real person, not a fictional character, and I probably should have seen it coming from the title, but . That topic is a special interest for me, so it was bound to be true book love. I also adored the way the Watson role is filled by Mrs. Watson, and how Mrs. Watson is much cooler than you'd expect.
There are some differences from canon, which will annoy purists, but they are explained in the narrative. The characters are mostly similar, with an older Sherlock that made me think of the excellent film Mr. Holmes. It's neat to see the characters interact with a type of mystery that's far from the Victorian world of the original stories.
The connection with Edgar Allen Poe is mentioned in the description, but I didn't expect how big a role Poe (and his fictional detective, Dupin, who is also real in this universe). There's also lots of cameos of various historical figures, to a point that borders on absurd like Forrest Gump. This leads me to probably the greatest flaw of this book -- it's self-indulgent and pretentious. I can absolutely see myself writing a Sherlock Holmes story like this for fun, but I would never in a million years imagine that it needed to be published and read by other people. It's practically fan-fiction, and I suspect that only a privileged person with excessive self-esteem could have taken it seriously. I can easily imagine legions of traditional Sherlockians yelling at this book and throwing it at the wall.
But for me, it was fun, silly, over-the-top enjoyable with a lot of parts that seemed amazing at the time, but after a month I'm unable to remember any of them. If that sounds fun to you, hop on board the Holmes Entangled express!
April 26, 2021
Another wonderful novel of ideas from McAlpine. This time he managed to throw in Arthur Conan Doyle, Edgar Alan Poe, Sherlock Holmes, Borges, Quantum Physics, the Cottingley fairies, the Spiritualist movement (looked at from a scientific perspective), and much more, making it all work perfectly as a novel.
McAlpine is an iconoclast and a philosopher of Literature. Here again (as in his novel Woman with a Blue Pencil) he explores the relationships between authors and their characters, and again allowing well-known literary characters to roam free, independently from their creators. Holmes here is a "real" person, shuttering myth after myth that we readers have built around his literary character. Mrs. Hudson here is not what you expected as well, and gets a much bigger role than Arthur Conan Doyle ever gave her. At the same time, real-life authors become literary characters who are manipulated by their characters.
All in all, a highly satisfying read full of food for thought, suspense, meetings with much-loved literary personages and new ways to think about literature and the world. Dear author, if you're reading this, please give us more!
McAlpine is an iconoclast and a philosopher of Literature. Here again (as in his novel Woman with a Blue Pencil) he explores the relationships between authors and their characters, and again allowing well-known literary characters to roam free, independently from their creators. Holmes here is a "real" person, shuttering myth after myth that we readers have built around his literary character. Mrs. Hudson here is not what you expected as well, and gets a much bigger role than Arthur Conan Doyle ever gave her. At the same time, real-life authors become literary characters who are manipulated by their characters.
All in all, a highly satisfying read full of food for thought, suspense, meetings with much-loved literary personages and new ways to think about literature and the world. Dear author, if you're reading this, please give us more!
August 24, 2019
It’s rare when a Sherlock Holmes pastiche can stretch your imagination while still staying true to canon. This book has done that.
The writer’s style is fabulous. He explained quantum physics in a way I (mostly) understood it! And he had some lovely subtle barbs about Victor Hugo’s writing, which I appreciated (having tried to read “Les Miserables” a few years back).
I was disappointed to see this is the author’s only Holmes book so far. Hopefully there are more in the works!
The writer’s style is fabulous. He explained quantum physics in a way I (mostly) understood it! And he had some lovely subtle barbs about Victor Hugo’s writing, which I appreciated (having tried to read “Les Miserables” a few years back).
I was disappointed to see this is the author’s only Holmes book so far. Hopefully there are more in the works!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 30, 2018
I first encountered Gordon McAlpine through his novel, Woman with a Blue Pencil, an epistolary novel that has a plot which expands like a fractal and is set amidst the internment of California’s Japanese-Americans during World War II and features a first-time Japanese-American novelist and the editor he’s been assigned by his publisher. As that one-sentence description makes clear, Woman with a Blue Pencil had a plot that progressed in a switchback-like manner, with sudden, sharp turns as the reader moves from chapter to chapter.
While I found that Holmes Entangled was not quite the additive read that the earlier book was, I nonetheless enjoyed it and recommend it for readers who like mysteries with an unusual twist—especially those who enjoy a new twist on the Holmes literary canon. Holmes, retired and now living in the guise of a physics professor at Cambridge, is unnerved to meet Arthur Conan Doyle—who for some reason knows Holmes’ real identity and who wants help unraveling the mystery behind recent attempts on his life. From here, physics and spiritualism—along with Holmes, Doyle, and Dr. Watson’s widow—keep the plot moving in unexpected ways. There’s also the plot line involving the work of Edgar Allan Poe.
Star Rating (out of five): ****
While I found that Holmes Entangled was not quite the additive read that the earlier book was, I nonetheless enjoyed it and recommend it for readers who like mysteries with an unusual twist—especially those who enjoy a new twist on the Holmes literary canon. Holmes, retired and now living in the guise of a physics professor at Cambridge, is unnerved to meet Arthur Conan Doyle—who for some reason knows Holmes’ real identity and who wants help unraveling the mystery behind recent attempts on his life. From here, physics and spiritualism—along with Holmes, Doyle, and Dr. Watson’s widow—keep the plot moving in unexpected ways. There’s also the plot line involving the work of Edgar Allan Poe.
Star Rating (out of five): ****
December 10, 2023
I stumbled on this book accidentally when searching Libby for Jorge Luis Borges. The premise intrigued me so I put it on my list to read after Labyrinths. That paid off as it sort of inhabits the same space as Borges' stories, but more "reachable." I enjoyed the take on Holmes and the interaction with other real and imagined people.
March 6, 2018
Nice thriller where we met Sherlock Holmes, Borges, Poe and Dirac. Parallel universe and Quantum mechanics are thrown all together for an enjoyable novel.
Giallo che vede oltre a Sherlock Holmes la presenza di Borges, Poe e Dirac. Per amalgamare il tutto ci sono universi paralleli e meccanica quantistica. Bel libro.
THANKS EDELWEISS FOR THE PREVIEW!
Giallo che vede oltre a Sherlock Holmes la presenza di Borges, Poe e Dirac. Per amalgamare il tutto ci sono universi paralleli e meccanica quantistica. Bel libro.
THANKS EDELWEISS FOR THE PREVIEW!
February 21, 2025
Very disappointing. I was excited to read this one, but it wasn't as good as it looked like it would be. The author is clearly a big fan of Sherlock Holmes and knows the catalogue of Conan Doyle's stories well. He also seems to know a fair bit about Conan Doyle's biography. So in some ways, this story isn't bad. The biggest problem with it is that the author chose to write the story in the first-person perspective/voice of Sherlock Holmes. Any fans of Conan Doyle's stories will find that this was a mistake. The author himself would have to have as sharp a wit and as keen an eye as Sherlock Holmes in order to convincingly give voice to Holmes and Holmes' inner monologue. The author does not have this. For example, in a scene where Holmes attends a seance, the "real" Holmes would have figured out all of the tricks while everyone else didn't see these things. Then the "real" Holmes would have told everyone how the tricks worked, at which point everyone else would have thought, "Oh, that's so obvious now." But in this book, McAlpine doesn't have Holmes see anything or know how any of the tricks work until he lights a flare (that he had conveniently hidden on his person), and when the flare illuminates the room, everyone simultaneously sees how the tricks of the seance are being pulled off. So, Holmes doesn't even know these things until he turns on the lights and sees it at the same time as everyone else. Conan Doyle's Holmes would have known it all before anyone else in the room, and even Watson would have been in the midst of being taken in by it all when Holmes revealed the truth to everyone. And the whole book plays out like this. McAlpine is not capable of "speaking" the mind of the brilliant Holmes character. He gives him a brain and mind that are no more than average and frankly, unimpressive. The story also gets bogged down in a lot of unnecessary descriptions and lengthy, irrelevant discussions. This is a piece of fan fiction that should be left on the shelf.
May 4, 2020
In the 1940s an Argentinian librarian gives a secret manuscript to a private investigator. The document was written in 1928 by none other than the famous consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes, who is living under the guise of a German professor teaching at Cambridge university. Doctor Watson has died so Holmes has been trying to keep his mind active as he sees out his final days. One day he is visited by an author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who asks him to look into some information he received at a recent spiritual séance he attended. The case involves multiple worlds, Edgar Allan Poe, Ernest Hemingway, Mrs Hudson, and many other meta-themes.
I can’t claim to be a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes. I read all of the Doyle stories and novels when I was a teenager but I’ve never bothered reading any of the raft of subsequent novels that have been written since. However I do find the character utterly fascinating, and generally enjoy fiction set in Victorian London.
I thought this was okay. It’s quite well-written, if unlike the style of Conan Doyle when writing as Doctor Watson. But the plot explains this by the way Holmes apologises for his rather wandering narrative, suggesting that Watson has a far more active method of writing than he has.
The plot is convoluted and preposterous but I suppose that’s part of the fun of it. It’s a short novel and I had fun reading it but it wasn’t enough to make me seek out anything else of the author’s work, or bother reading any other Sherlock Holmes tales by other writers. I’d recommend this to fans of Sherlock Holmes, but no one else.
I can’t claim to be a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes. I read all of the Doyle stories and novels when I was a teenager but I’ve never bothered reading any of the raft of subsequent novels that have been written since. However I do find the character utterly fascinating, and generally enjoy fiction set in Victorian London.
I thought this was okay. It’s quite well-written, if unlike the style of Conan Doyle when writing as Doctor Watson. But the plot explains this by the way Holmes apologises for his rather wandering narrative, suggesting that Watson has a far more active method of writing than he has.
The plot is convoluted and preposterous but I suppose that’s part of the fun of it. It’s a short novel and I had fun reading it but it wasn’t enough to make me seek out anything else of the author’s work, or bother reading any other Sherlock Holmes tales by other writers. I’d recommend this to fans of Sherlock Holmes, but no one else.
April 30, 2018
“Occam’s razor does not always slice straight. The universe is a labyrinth.”
I do NOT know how Gordon McAlpine does it, but he has the most incredible imagination and a phenomenal gift at translating that imagination into narratives that blend reality and fiction, melding the two to create a perfect agglomeration that entertains and makes you think at the same time… I recently reviewed Woman with a Blue Pencil, and thought that it was a brilliant story about characters and writers and the nature of reality. Then I picked up Holmes Entangled. This time, McAlpine has one-upped himself – addressing not only the mental interplay between authors and creations, but adding in a layer that considers what happens when the two interact off the written page as well. The result: in a word, brilliant.
I am a huge fan of Sherlockian tales. I enjoyed the Conan Doyle originals, and have enjoyed a number of the modern reimaginings as well. McAlpine’s tale is a glorious addition to that canon. He manages to write fantastically entertaining novels full of snark and wit that not only tell great and original stories but also manage to work in clever, thought-provoking, surprisingly deep questions about reality. And not only does he manage to make those two seemingly disparate elements fit, he does so in seamless and sly ways that sneak up on you and work their way into your brain for consideration as soon as you close the book. It’s a phenomenal combination – a truly high-level literary tale that is also a page-turner. I don’t know how he does it, but hope to hell he keeps doing it for years to come!
My review copy was generously provided by the good people at Seventh Street Books. They have a FANTASTIC catalog in addition to McAlpine – if you’re not familiar, check them out!
I do NOT know how Gordon McAlpine does it, but he has the most incredible imagination and a phenomenal gift at translating that imagination into narratives that blend reality and fiction, melding the two to create a perfect agglomeration that entertains and makes you think at the same time… I recently reviewed Woman with a Blue Pencil, and thought that it was a brilliant story about characters and writers and the nature of reality. Then I picked up Holmes Entangled. This time, McAlpine has one-upped himself – addressing not only the mental interplay between authors and creations, but adding in a layer that considers what happens when the two interact off the written page as well. The result: in a word, brilliant.
I am a huge fan of Sherlockian tales. I enjoyed the Conan Doyle originals, and have enjoyed a number of the modern reimaginings as well. McAlpine’s tale is a glorious addition to that canon. He manages to write fantastically entertaining novels full of snark and wit that not only tell great and original stories but also manage to work in clever, thought-provoking, surprisingly deep questions about reality. And not only does he manage to make those two seemingly disparate elements fit, he does so in seamless and sly ways that sneak up on you and work their way into your brain for consideration as soon as you close the book. It’s a phenomenal combination – a truly high-level literary tale that is also a page-turner. I don’t know how he does it, but hope to hell he keeps doing it for years to come!
My review copy was generously provided by the good people at Seventh Street Books. They have a FANTASTIC catalog in addition to McAlpine – if you’re not familiar, check them out!
May 31, 2018
A tour de force 2018 novel from author McAlpine. A Sherlock Holmes pastiche but much more. In 1928, Holmes, now 73 years old, joins forces with Mrs. Hudson, the third wife and widow of John Watson, to investigate a mystery presented by "scribbler" Arthur Conan Doyle. Involving Paul Dirac and concepts of quantum mechanic, Sherlock looks into parallel universes. Paralleling Holmes and Conan Doyle as characters, the investigation of the Enigma Society looks into Edgar Allan Poe and C. Auguste Dupin some 80 years earlier. The mixing of fictional and historical characters and the idea of parallel universes is thought provoking and fascinating.
In 1943, Jorge Luis Borges hires an unnamed PI in Buenos Aires to read what purports to be an unpublished memoir in Holmes's own hand entitled Uncertainty. In the manuscript, dated 1928, Holmes claims that Dr. Watson has misled the public about his retirement, saying he has spent five years "disguised as a variety of visiting lecturers at Oxford and Cambridge Universities." Holmes is dumbfounded when Arthur Conan Doyle appears at Cambridge and is able to identify him even though he's disguised as classical physicist Heinrich von Schimmel. The author was told where to find Holmes by the spirit of Stanley Baldwin at a séance, despite Baldwin's being alive and serving as prime minister. Even weirder twists follow in a novel that explores the idea of parallel universes
In 1943, Jorge Luis Borges hires an unnamed PI in Buenos Aires to read what purports to be an unpublished memoir in Holmes's own hand entitled Uncertainty. In the manuscript, dated 1928, Holmes claims that Dr. Watson has misled the public about his retirement, saying he has spent five years "disguised as a variety of visiting lecturers at Oxford and Cambridge Universities." Holmes is dumbfounded when Arthur Conan Doyle appears at Cambridge and is able to identify him even though he's disguised as classical physicist Heinrich von Schimmel. The author was told where to find Holmes by the spirit of Stanley Baldwin at a séance, despite Baldwin's being alive and serving as prime minister. Even weirder twists follow in a novel that explores the idea of parallel universes
January 10, 2018
2 stars = "it was ok" per GR's rating system. This is a neutral rating from me.
This book starts as a frame story, which is frequent last century literary device and possibly the atmosphere of which author wishes to capture. However the leading prologue was so awkward to read that I had to check to see if this was a Argentinian book which was poorly translated into English. As the prologue was based in Buenos Aires, I think the author did a good job of verisimilitude but I thought it was a waste of time and merely set me up to dislike the rest of the book.
One problem of using a well known character in your book is unless you get it exactly right, you're going to get a lot of criticism from purists. And speaking as an aficionado of Sherlock Holmes who has read the 56 short stories many times and even memorized some of them, the author did not get the character right at all. For one thing, he was too mouthy and weak in character. Prattling along endlessly is not him. Name dropping Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle got me to pick this book but I was not enamored of the writing. There were too many words for the sake of words, too much was written for too little action and this is only a 196 page book! Summary: The game is afoot but the characters are too busy talking to each other.
I got this book as a free ARC.
This book starts as a frame story, which is frequent last century literary device and possibly the atmosphere of which author wishes to capture. However the leading prologue was so awkward to read that I had to check to see if this was a Argentinian book which was poorly translated into English. As the prologue was based in Buenos Aires, I think the author did a good job of verisimilitude but I thought it was a waste of time and merely set me up to dislike the rest of the book.
One problem of using a well known character in your book is unless you get it exactly right, you're going to get a lot of criticism from purists. And speaking as an aficionado of Sherlock Holmes who has read the 56 short stories many times and even memorized some of them, the author did not get the character right at all. For one thing, he was too mouthy and weak in character. Prattling along endlessly is not him. Name dropping Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle got me to pick this book but I was not enamored of the writing. There were too many words for the sake of words, too much was written for too little action and this is only a 196 page book! Summary: The game is afoot but the characters are too busy talking to each other.
I got this book as a free ARC.
April 4, 2018
At seventy years old, Sherlock Holmes has been passing himself off in a variety of guises, most recently as a simple professor at Cambridge. It’s a quiet life but that peace is disrupted when Arthur Conan Doyle penetrates Holmes’s disguise and asks for his help. Thus begins a romp that teams Holmes with Dr. Watson’s widow who is none other than the unflappable Mrs. Hudson. Together, the duo set about debunking séances, would be mediums and exploring the writings of Edger Allan Poe while avoiding a few attempts to get them to back off on their investigations. The brilliance of his antagonist reminds Holmes of his archnemesis, Moriarty but instead, is someone much closer to home and holds the power of life or death in defense of closely guarded secrets.
Alternative universes, multiple possible timelines and the repercussions of choice all play a part in this fun if slightly mind-bending tale. While a bit wordy here and there, seeing how a host of different real and fictional characters interact is a delight that more than makes up for it so suspend disbelief and enjoy.
Alternative universes, multiple possible timelines and the repercussions of choice all play a part in this fun if slightly mind-bending tale. While a bit wordy here and there, seeing how a host of different real and fictional characters interact is a delight that more than makes up for it so suspend disbelief and enjoy.
April 24, 2018
Gordon McAlpine follows where many have rushed in, adding to the Sherlock Holmes canon, but "Holmes Entangled" is an unsatisfying work on almost every count.
First, McAlpine makes no attempt to mimic Arthur Conan Doyle's style, and the book is a first-person narrative from Holmes himself. Second, the plot is thinner than the smoke rising from Sherlock's pipe, and though Conan Doyle wasn't renowned in that regard, he still brought more to the table.
McAlpine further muddies the waters by inserting quantum mechanics into the narrative, even though it is set in the 1920s (yes, Holmes survived the encounter with Moriarty at Reichenbach Falls), and then leaves the central mystery unresolved at book's end.
All in all, this was a disappointing effort from a professional writer who did a decent job of keeping the pages turning, but despite littering the book with gratuitous appearances by historical characters, left Holmes not entangled, but strangely uninteresting.
First, McAlpine makes no attempt to mimic Arthur Conan Doyle's style, and the book is a first-person narrative from Holmes himself. Second, the plot is thinner than the smoke rising from Sherlock's pipe, and though Conan Doyle wasn't renowned in that regard, he still brought more to the table.
McAlpine further muddies the waters by inserting quantum mechanics into the narrative, even though it is set in the 1920s (yes, Holmes survived the encounter with Moriarty at Reichenbach Falls), and then leaves the central mystery unresolved at book's end.
All in all, this was a disappointing effort from a professional writer who did a decent job of keeping the pages turning, but despite littering the book with gratuitous appearances by historical characters, left Holmes not entangled, but strangely uninteresting.
August 27, 2018
What a delightfully original take on Sherlock Holmes. But maybe skip it if you’re a purist and a literalist.
McAlpine dives deep into the “many worlds” hypothesis, suggesting that—what with an infinite number of universes and all—maybe even fictional characters here are real people elsewhere.
The resulting adventure throws together a fantastic mix of literary geniuses (in this universe anyway) and their own fictional creations. Sherlock Holmes is charged with solving the attempted murder of Arthur Conan Doyle; Baudelaire plays a Watson-like character in the service of legendary detective Auguste Dupin; and Jorge-Luis Borges consults one of his own fictional creations in an effort to uncover and disarm a multinational conspiracy.
Even Paul Dirac and Schrödinger’s cat show up in this fabulous riff on the parallel universes theory.
Honestly, if that doesn’t sound like a fun ride to you, you can always reread “A Study in Scarlet.”
McAlpine dives deep into the “many worlds” hypothesis, suggesting that—what with an infinite number of universes and all—maybe even fictional characters here are real people elsewhere.
The resulting adventure throws together a fantastic mix of literary geniuses (in this universe anyway) and their own fictional creations. Sherlock Holmes is charged with solving the attempted murder of Arthur Conan Doyle; Baudelaire plays a Watson-like character in the service of legendary detective Auguste Dupin; and Jorge-Luis Borges consults one of his own fictional creations in an effort to uncover and disarm a multinational conspiracy.
Even Paul Dirac and Schrödinger’s cat show up in this fabulous riff on the parallel universes theory.
Honestly, if that doesn’t sound like a fun ride to you, you can always reread “A Study in Scarlet.”
January 23, 2020
Maybe 3.5 stars. Even at under 200 pages, the plot is overly convoluted, bringing together Holmes with Conan Doyle, moving from seances to phenomena to government plots, throwing in Edgar Allan Poe, Hemingway, from Cambridge to London to Paris and bookended in Latin America.
Best thing about it is the teaming up of a 70 something Holmes with Watson's widow. The scenes with the two of them were the most readable to the point where I almost wish the author had settled on more conventional whodunits and turned these two into a new Holmes and Watson series.
Another plus - one more book that I felt was a tribute to the small press. It used to be that anything that didn't come from the big 5 was looked on skeptically, but lately I am finding a lot of books from smaller presses come off very polished and well edited.
February 11, 2019
I'm a huge sucker for alternate reality and new spins on classics and love anything about Sherlock Holmes. This story beautifully weaves a new case for the detective and is reminiscent of the BBC modern-day Sherlock show in a way that I thoroughly enjoyed. With deft storytelling, a lot of winking references, literary cameos and references all over, and an end result that effectively justifies all Holmes iterations as canon, this might be my favorite Sherlock case ever. But it's not without flaws. I'm not sure I like Holmes' difficulty with philosophical realities, given the canon detective we've all come to expect, but overall, i can get onboard for its creative way of dealing with the larger philosophical questions in a very Holmesian way.
April 30, 2018
Not as good as I expected, but still not bad and a bit of a novelty with Holmes solving one last case with the help of Mrs. Watson that involves multiple universes.
http://nicolewbrown.blogspot.com/2018...
“Does this [quantum mechanics] make sense to you? I asked at last.
She answered without hesitation. “Not really.”
“Then that means there’s a chance I explained it properly, Mrs. Watson, as quantum mechanics makes sense to no one, including its brilliant progenitors, even if experiments indicate it is so.”
-Gordon McAlpine (Holmes Entangled p 140-1)
http://nicolewbrown.blogspot.com/2018...
“Does this [quantum mechanics] make sense to you? I asked at last.
She answered without hesitation. “Not really.”
“Then that means there’s a chance I explained it properly, Mrs. Watson, as quantum mechanics makes sense to no one, including its brilliant progenitors, even if experiments indicate it is so.”
-Gordon McAlpine (Holmes Entangled p 140-1)
November 19, 2018
Such a suspenseful and quick read! Loved it! Yes, the ending was strange, but perhaps that suits the plot and Sherlock Holmes' ways, after all.
Notable quotes-
"Conan Doyle and other likewise sincere supporters of Spiritualism readily acknowledged that fraud existed in many, if not most, seances. But they argued that fraud exists in banking and politics and personal relations, and yet we do not dismiss such endeavors out of hand merely because they are infected by a percentage of deceivers. Of course, this is a logically flawed argument."
"'Tired? But you are Holmes.'
I nodded in acknowledgement. 'Surely one can grow tired of one's self.'"
Notable quotes-
"Conan Doyle and other likewise sincere supporters of Spiritualism readily acknowledged that fraud existed in many, if not most, seances. But they argued that fraud exists in banking and politics and personal relations, and yet we do not dismiss such endeavors out of hand merely because they are infected by a percentage of deceivers. Of course, this is a logically flawed argument."
"'Tired? But you are Holmes.'
I nodded in acknowledgement. 'Surely one can grow tired of one's self.'"
November 19, 2020
Rarely do I give such poor ratings. However, this one was “just good enough,” in my opinion, to read to completion. Mainly because it was relatively short, and it was Holmes. However, I found it somewhat a waste of time. I’m a huge Sherlock fan, and have read several accounts/cases that have been written after Conan Doyal put down his pen. This one, I can’t really even discern WHAT the actual case was. And overall, I think it paints Sherlock Holmes in a negative light, and I hope I’m not giving a spoiler when I say it slightly suggests he was a phony? Overall, would not recommend.
April 7, 2018
This was a book filled with interesting and likable characters. An elderly Sherlock, John's widow, Mrs. Watson, Arthur Conan Doyle and Edgar Alan Poe!! What really disappointed was a very unsatisfactory ending! And the author certainly laid to rest any sequel to the story with a few well placed facts at the end of the book. Personally I would have enjoyed some stories of the exploits of Sherlock and Mrs. Matson. A great story that went to an awful conclusion!
November 21, 2018
It seems to be the season for reading Homes pastiches. Having recently read and reviewed Moriarity, I said it was the best since the Seven Percent Solution. Well, Holmes Entangled is also excellent, but takes the Canon to another level, if not another universe altogether.
To glean the utmost from the book a good background in the original stories, Poe’s works and quantum mechanics are all required.
To glean the utmost from the book a good background in the original stories, Poe’s works and quantum mechanics are all required.
July 15, 2019
This is a different take on Holmes, and Watson has died. Holmes is in his 70's and there is a theme of subatomic particles and how they interact and what this does to our ideas of time, space, reality and God. I liked parts of the book but found that I had a hard time linking this Holmes to the man I thought he was in the ACD books and stories. And I had some difficulty believing the plot- but I liked the fact Mrs Hudson is involved in this one.
April 30, 2018
3.5 stars.
I love the Sherlock Holmes stories but this one I'm not sure about. Probably because it was written entirely from Holmes' POV, which, to be honest, he is kind of a jerk. So you are only reading what a jerk thinks about the people around him, which is annoying to read after awhile.
Also the ending, and the solving of the mystery, seemed to rush up very suddenly at the end and then be over. After much adventure, racing through the streets, disguises, secret meetings, the sewers, etc. etc. it was all of the sudden just over. It left me wanting a little bit more.
I love the Sherlock Holmes stories but this one I'm not sure about. Probably because it was written entirely from Holmes' POV, which, to be honest, he is kind of a jerk. So you are only reading what a jerk thinks about the people around him, which is annoying to read after awhile.
Also the ending, and the solving of the mystery, seemed to rush up very suddenly at the end and then be over. After much adventure, racing through the streets, disguises, secret meetings, the sewers, etc. etc. it was all of the sudden just over. It left me wanting a little bit more.
May 26, 2018
I truly enjoyed the characterization of Holmes and Mrs. Hudson, and the philosophical musings attached to the idea of parallel universes was interesting, especially at the start. But the story was ultimately disappointing, and that may have been part of the point. It’s just that the ideas weren’t interesting or novel enough to compensate for the weak story.
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