The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Deathly Relics

The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes #32

by Sam Siciliano

An atmospheric, intricately plotted new mystery in which Sherlock Holmes and Henry Vernier race to catch a villainous murderer at large in the Vatican and Rome.

Sherlock Holmes and Henry Vernier are visiting Rome on a diplomatic mission when the Pope asks the world’s greatest detective to help find a stolen the forefinger of “doubting” Saint Thomas. But when the relic is quickly and mysteriously returned, and all seems to be easily resolved, the forefinger is stolen again in a brutal attack.

Holmes and Vernier must follow the trail of a sacrilegious murderer through the streets of Rome and the halls of the Vatican, uncovering dark ties between members of the church and an Italian crime family.

Genres: Mystery

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 24, 2023

About the author

Early on, Sam Siciliano developed a taste for fantastical worlds better than the one he was stuck with. He grew up reading the golden-age juvenile science fiction of Heinlein and Andre Norton, the Mars and Tarzan novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Baum's Oz books, Brooks' tales set on a New England farm where Freddy the Pig had his adventures, and of course, there was the London of Sherlock Holmes. Siciliano has a doctorate in English Literature and taught briefly at the college level, but because of the terrible academic job market, he ended up with a career in information technology, mostly as a database administrator. His reading and authorial tastes remain diverse, with a special fondness for genre fiction. Besides ten Sherlock Holmes' pastiches, he has had three vampire novels published. At the University of Iowa, Siciliano met and married fellow graduate student Mary Slowik, and the two have raised three children and several cats together in the Northwest.

Here is the order and inspiration for the Holmes series:

THE ANGEL OF THE OPERA
(Inspired by Gaston Leroux's Phantom of the Opera)
THE WEB WEAVER
THE GRIMSWELL CURSE
(Inspired by Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles)
THE WHITE WORM
(Inspired by Bram Stoker's The Lair of the White Worm)
THE MOONSTONE'S CURSE
(Inspired by Wilkie Collins's The Moonstone)
THE DEVIL AND THE FOUR
(Inspired by Conan Doyle's The Sign of the Four)
THE VENERABLE TIGER
(Inspired by Conan Doyle's "The Speckled Band")
DEATHLY RELICS
THE GENTLEMAN BURGLAR
(Inspired by Maurice Leblanc's The Hollow Needle)
SHE REINCARNATE
(Inspired by Rider Haggard's She)

Reviews

[Stephen Robert Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a trip to Rome including all the beautiful art and Italian food. You can almost taste the food Holmes eats. But this is also about the vows of a Roman Catholic priest and forbidden love. It's about the Mafia and murder of terrible form.
This Sam's best Holmes books it is Roman Catholic satirical look at Relics in religious history and Holmes view point used to show silly ideas about them.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes series, and this one didn't disappoint.
Set in Rome, Sherlock Holmes and his cousin Henry Vernier are asked by the pope to find a stolen relic, and it's not long before there's a murder investigation.
Siciliano transports the reader to Rome and to the halls of the Vatican. Just what I needed after a big fantasy read, a proper palette cleanser.

[Les Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best non Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes books I have read. Well worth a read. Nearly gave it 5.

[WhatShouldIRead]

Read about 100 pages. Too much religious stuff for my taste. Characters chit-chatting quite a bit which didn't seem to move the story forward. Will pass on this one.

[David Knapp · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of the Sherlock Holmes pastiches written by Sam Siciliano. I've read all of his Titan Publishing works featuring Sherlock's cousin Dr. Henry Vernier as his Boswell - rather than John Watson. Therefore, I was excited to read this latest entry.

In general, I really enjoyed this work. But like his previous book in the series ("The Venerable Tiger"), I thought it suffered from a minor, but annoying, weakness.

Specifically, unlike many of his earlier works featuring Holmes and Vernier, this one seemed too obvious to me in terms of the overall plot, plot twists, and villain(s). I never discuss plots in any depth to avoid spoilers, but I will say that the villain self-identified themselves to Holmes and Vernier well before the climax. And that took away a lot of the fun of reading a Holmes mystery.

On the plus side, Siciliano was once again a master of mimicking Arthur Conan Doyle's voice. When I read his pastiches, I absolutely hear Sherlock's voice in the dialogue. And that's a rare occurrence in the pastiches written by other modern writers.

In the end, I think four stars is a solid rating for this novel. I really liked it...I just didn't love it.

[Connor Hansford · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a mixed bag, I have to say. Partly I have to declare an interest, which is I am training for priesthood and so it was already a bit of a busman's holiday. It was rather repetitive in places 'soutane/sash/portly/rotund' and I suppose to an extent that's inevitable - priests do all largely look the same. I think the real problem, though, really, was... Sherlock didn't need to be in it. The murderer's family identify him, and the murderer himself approach the Vatican for a ransom, and it's entirely arbitrary that Sherlock was the middleman; presumably it could have been anyone. There was no mystery particularly, and a lot of very lazy theology about relics and the priesthood. For some reason it did seem to ratchet up towards the end and I finished it quite quickly, but it was ostensibly a food tour of Victorian Rome with cassocks.

[Mike Nettleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A refreshing take on a legendary detective

Along with a vivid tour of holy Rome, a lot of time is spent in cozy trattorias eating rich and delicious Italian food. I gained 5 lbs just reading it. I enjoyed the story with it's intricate plotting, nefarious villian and a Sherlock Holmes who seems more human and accesible. I also found intriguing the exploration of the superficiality of some religious practices as opposed to its need to satisfy human bonds.

[Claire Q · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in pretty much one sitting -- interesting 'villain' and loved the Roman setting. Ironically, I had just read a non-fiction book about the Camorra, which may have sparked my interest in this as well. Generally, even though they don't include Dr. Watson, I enjoy all of Sam Siciliano's Sherlock books.

[Margaret Haigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok but a poor imitation of the traditional Sherlock

[Calvin Daniels · Rating 3 out of 5]

3+


A bit repetitious and Vernier is pale partner compared to Watson, but it was OK

[Carolyn Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice job capturing Holmes and great descriptions of Rome. Plot sometimes slowed by elaborate dinners and discussions of love and religion.