Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Wealthy Widow

Marty Hudson Mystery #3

by Gemma Halliday, Kelly Rey

From #1 Amazon, New York Times & USA Today bestselling author Gemma Halliday comes a laughter filled mystery about one fake detective, two determined women, and a house full of secrets…Martha "Marty" Hudson thought her lie about working for a great detective named Sherlock Holmes was supposed to be a onetime thing. Okay, maybe two times, but when her best friend Irene Adler drags Marty along to meet "Sherlock's" latest client, Marty is pretty sure they're in over their heads at playing private eye.Cordelia Westerbury is a wealthy widow... one who is certain that one of her no-good family members is trying to bump her off for their inheritance. While her evidence is less than convincing, she's willing to pay generously to have the ladies of Holmes Investigations attend a cocktail party where all her "suspects" will be assembled. At first Marty thinks maybe the woman has read a few too many Gothic novels. But when the cocktail party ends in an actual dead body, Marty begins to realize that batty or not, Cordelia is right about one there is a killer in their midst. Is it the pompous nephew with expensive habits and shallow pockets? His gold-digging wife who may be more scheming than her flighty persona suggests? The brooding millennial granddaughter who uses her disdain for just about everything as the perfect cover-up? Or the long-lost cousin who conveniently shows up just as Cordelia's contemplating a change in her will? Marty isn't sure, but the stakes only go higher when a new private detective firm, Moriarty Investigations, sets themselves up as Sherlock's arch nemesis, trying to poach his clients.Between juggling a family of suspects, the distractingly gorgeous Medical Examiner, Dr. Watson, the annoyingly competent Moriartys, and an investigative reporter bent on outing Sherlock Holmes as a fake, Marty has her hands more than full. But when the killer sets his sight on Marty and Irene, Sherlock's biggest case just may end up being their last...What critics are saying about The Marty Hudson "This is a terrific new series featuring modern updated Sherlock Holmes characters. I've been looking forward to reading this book as a fan of Sherlock Holmes and I was not disappointed."~ A Cozy BookNook"One of the most anticipated of the fall releases happens to be one of THE BEST of the fall releases! Halliday and Rey have joined forces to create a SUPERLATIVE new cozy mystery series that will leave readers clamoring for more."~ Blogcritics"Marty Hudson checks all my boxes! A very entertaining book!"~ Kings River Life MagazineRating: This story does not contain any graphic violence, language, or sexual encounters. Its rating would be similar to PG-13 or what you would find on a Hallmark Channel movie or TV series.

275 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 24, 2021

About the author

Gemma had a hard time figuring out what she wanted to be when she grew up. She worked as a film and television actress, a teddy bear importer, a department store administrator, a preschool teacher, a temporary tattoo artist, and a 900 number psychic, before finally selling her first book, Spying in High Heels, in 2005 and deciding to be a writer.

Since then, Gemma has written several mystery novels and been the recipient of numerous awards, including a National Reader's Choice award and three RITA nominations. Her books have hit both the USA Today and the New York Times Bestseller lists.

Gemma now makes her home in the San Francisco Bay area where she is hard at work on her next book.

Reviews

[Gloria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first read of the Marty Hudson Mysteries series but I plan to go back and read the other two. Martha (Marty) Hudson and her friend, Irene Adler, work as detectives for Sherlock Holmes, although he doesn't exist. They have a client who is wanting to prove his wife is cheating on him but when the two don't find evidence quickly enough, he hires another firm, the Moriarty siblings, a couple of bullies. Then a widow, Cordelia Westerbury, hires them to find who of her relatives are trying to kill her for her money. Unfortunately, the maid is murdered in front of the whole group. This is a funny story with Irene, a confident genius and successful computer expert, and nervous, anxious Marty, a poor barista who inherited her aunt's old Victorian house with lots of needed repairs. The two detectives keep getting into some dicey situations as they work to solve the mysteries and cover up for Mr. Holmes, who is "out of the country, working a case." We meet some interesting side characters in the background. Marty has some wacky neighbors in her building, a paroled plumber, and a hunky ME who is interested in her. I enjoyed this cozy that kept me engaged and guessing who in the suspect pool was the culprit(s). It ended with resolutions and a cool twist at the end for a future case.
I received a complimentary ARC from the publisher and author. All thoughts and opinions are mine only.

[Debi Paglia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun book (and series): the never ending repairs to the old Victorian Marty inherits, the challenges of trying to keep their “facts” straight when asked about Mr. Holmes, Marty’s burgeoning romance, her crazy neighbors and all the trouble that she gets into while trying to solve a mystery! Everything comes together to make a fun, easy read.

[Barbara Hackel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again Martha (Marty) and Irene accept a couple cases "for Sherlock Holmes" and "his" agency. The deception and fun continues as they pursue the cases and meet up with the owners of the Moriarty agency. Marty comes up with some hilarious explanations as to where the illusive and elusive Sherlock Holmes is, and what he is doing. While Irene is the self confident and glib partner, Marty is the one who babbles...
And so much to babble about! A client who thinks someone is trying to murder her. A family of liars and a thief with eyes on the family jewels. Stir in a murder and altercations with the Moriarty twins, and so much more! It is a delightful murder mystery with so many directions to pursue. The characters are everything you hope for and more in this non stop fun book.
I loved it and look forward to more adventures.

[Vicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sherlock lives - kind of

I had a lot of fun with this story. I don’t know if you’re too young to remember, but years ago, there was a TV show called “Remington Steel” where a young woman created an imaginary man to be the head of her detective agency. This book has a similar premise in that the two sleuths - Marty (Martha) Hudson and her friend Irene Adler use Sherlock Holmes as their boss, but he is conveniently always out of the country. Oh, and the Moriarty siblings are Marty and Irene’s rivals in the PI business (thought technically, Marty and Irene are not PIs).

Marty is a barista on a college campus and she inherited a run-down Victorian that needs extensive repairs while she lives in an equally run-down apartment building. Irene, on the other hand, has all kinds of money thanks to being a genius and computer expert. Add in a paroled plumber and an ME who is very interested in Marty (and isn’t bad to look at either).

The characters are fun, the world building interesting, and the mystery satisfying with lots of suspects and clues throughout. And a satisfying ending that leaves a string dangling so we know there are going to be more stories in this series (considering this is #3, that’s a given). You don’t need to have read the others to understand all this, but I suggest that you do.

Recommended.

[Robin Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marty and Irene work for Sherlock Holmes Investigations. Sherlock has all the proper credentials needed for his licensing, but the secret is that he doesn’t exist! Irene is a computer wiz who has set this up and she and Marty explain to clients that he is out of the country on a case. They are hired by Cordelia, a wealthy widow who is convinced that someone in her family is trying to kill her. With one exception, most of the incidents sound a bit ridiculous. Cordelia invites them to dinner with all her family so they can investigate them. The relatives are quite a quirky lot! During the evening the lights go out and when they are turned back on, the maid is dead! Investigating these quirky characters is hilarious and the plot twists and turns kept me guessing until the end!

[Bernadette Cinkoske · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Wealthy Widow is another great caper in this series. I love babbling Marty, cool Irene, Marty's shabby Victorian home, the ex-con plumber, handsome Dr. Watson, the medical examiner, the non-existent Sherlock Holmes, the bullying Moriartys and all Cordelia Westerbury's heinous relatives. Will Marty and Irene crack the case? Can they stay out of the Moriartys' way? Come along as Marty and Irene try to stay ahead of the murderer. I was up way too late because I could not put the book down!

[Bonnie J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC in return for an honest review.
This a new series to me and I will definitely go back to read the first 2 books. This was so much fun and very engulfing. It was like taking all the characters from Sherlock Holmes and having them play the board game Clue. The characters are quirky and fun. The best friend sleuths, Marty and Irene, are like 2 of my close friends. They play very well off of each other. Just like Clue, you will swear that everyone is guilty and innocent at the same time. That's why it was so much fun to read through to the end to see who did it.

[Suzan · Rating 5 out of 5]

So fun! This is a wonderful installment in the adventures of Marty and Irene at "Sherlock Holmes" Investigations. It's actually the first in this series I've read and I love it. Wonderful (and funny) characters. A great mix of secondary characters along with just enough suspects to keep me guessing. I super enjoyable read, I look forward to reading more of these.

[Karl Hakimian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Other than their rivals, not much new in this book. Same people and situations. Marty and Irean are a bit slow on the uptake. I think the books would be even more enjoyable is they had some of Holme's deductive ability thrown in.

That's not to say this was not enjoyable, the formula is still working.

[Faith Hakimian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, if not groundbreaking

3.5/5

A fun read, though the overarching story hasn't necessarily developed much from the past books. I'm still curious to see how the references to the OG Sherlock Holmes stories develop.

[Bette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope

That there is another Sherlock Holmes in the queue! This series is so well written, it is easy to get invested in these quick-witted ladies. So please Grace is with more installments.

[Rebecca Reed Reihman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series, Marty & Irene are such a fun and crazy team and their cases are always interesting! I hope they will write more books in this series, I want to know what happens with Watson & Marty and Marty’s Victorian home.

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

a really fun read with interesting and quirky characters! I received an ARC from the publisher for purposes of an unbiased review.

[Ann Keeran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gemma Halliday never fails to deliver wonderful novels filled with interesting characters. The Sherlock Holmes detective agency has another baffling mystery to solve. Will it be in time?

[aem · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy and fun cozy with likable Marty, a barista/PI with quirky neighbors.

[Shannon Binegar-Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good

I was completely shocked but who the killer was and the ending. I am excited for the story to continue. I hope we get the next installment soon.

[Sharrow2 · Rating 5 out of 5]

ready for 4!!

Just a fun read that makes me want to start the next one right away! Thanks for making good clean books Gemma Halliday

[K Huskić · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cordelia is convinced someone around her is trying to kill her. Marty and Irene take on the case, though everyone thinks the old woman is just forgetful and making things up. When someone dies in the house, Marty realises there is some truth to the woman's claims.

This one gave me Knives Out vibes. Everyone in her family had motive, and none seem at all trustworthy. It was a fun read, trying to decipher who really would want her dead, and who in fact did kill already.

With fun characters, and interesting situations, this was another great installment in the series. I hope there'll be more.