Sherlock Holmes: The Carbolic Smoke Ball Tragedy: And Other Stories

by Mike Hogan

In the stark winter of 1889, an unknown respiratory disease sweeps across the country and much of the world.

As the population struggles to adapt and survive, Sherlock Holmes tracks the missing heir of an industrial tycoon to a remote island on the East Coast of England. Can Holmes reunite the boy with his father, or will sinister forces thwart him?

In the second of five stories told by Watson in the traditional style with a touch of humour, Holmes and Watson witness the perfect murder when a prominent judge is slain at an exclusive dinner party.

A footman carrying a fortune in jewels disappears from a snowbound train. He has clearly absconded with his mistress’s gems. But when a corpse is discovered in the baggage car, the plot thickens. Holmes uses the latest advances in technology and forensics to catch the thief.

Strange Druidic rituals at a country-house shooting party in the Welsh marches lead to murder. Which of the guests has done the dastardly deed?

The colonel of the 20th Lancers has been murdered in their cantonment in Kotapur in India, and his butler has been arrested. Can Holmes solve the case from his sitting room 5,000 miles away?

Follow Holmes as he investigates five cases described in the traditional style - with a touch of humour - by Doctor Watson.

233 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 26, 2022

Reviews

[Graeme Newell · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a disappointment for me. It lacked the crispness and intrigue we associate with the usual Holmes adventures. The plot seemed to wander aimlessly through the smog-ridden streets of London, and the resolution was neither satisfying nor particularly Holmesian.

Sherlock Holmes is known for his brilliant deductions, for weaving together seemingly unrelated clues into a compelling narrative. This book had little of this. It felt like a standard detective novel that had few scenarios where the detective’s brilliant powers of observation were fleshed out. The final solution felt more like a forced fit than a brilliant deductive leap.

Moreover, the characterizations felt oddly flat. Sherlock Holmes, the ever-observant, eccentric detective was, for the most part, underwhelming. His usual wit and intellect felt diluted, replaced with a rather bland, humdrum demeanor that made the stories drag. Watson, too, was a shadow of his usual self, reduced to little more than a bystander. Their interactions, usually characterized by a playful banter and mutual respect, felt stilted and lacked the usual spark.

The plots were largely forgettable, the villains unremarkable, and the endings predictable. The language, meant to emulate the Victorian style of the original stories, often felt forced and overly ornate, which only served to detract from the narrative.

Lastly, and this is a subjective point, I found the overall tone of the book to be far too somber. One of the delights of the original Sherlock Holmes stories is their lightness, the sense of fun that underpins even the darkest mysteries. This was noticeably absent in Hogan's stories, replaced with an unrelenting gloom that became tiresome after awhile.

This book was a lukewarm attempt at bringing the famous detective to life. If you're a Holmes fan, my feeling is that you can find far better options.

[JoAn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again Mr. Hogan has penned a great book of short stories of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson that are well done in the style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Read these in an afternoon.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could very well see Jeremy Brett playing these episodes in my mind’s eye.