The Baker Street Letters

Baker Street Letters #1

by Michael Robertson, Simon Vance (Narrator)

First in a new series about two brothers who lease offices on Baker Street—and begin receiving mail addressed to Sherlock Holmes.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, British Literature, Mystery Thriller, Adult, Cozy

5 pages, Audio CD

First published May 29, 2009

About the author

MICHAEL ROBERTSON works for a large company with branches in the United States and England. His first novel in the series, The Baker Street Letters, has been optioned by Warner Bros. for television. He lives in San Clemente, California.

Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Miranda Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Refreshing take on Sherlock Holmes!

Reggie, a successful attorney, hires Nigel (his brother) to do a simple job - sorting mail.

Unbeknownst to Reggie, his offices (located at 221B Baker St) still receives mail addressed to a Mr. Sherlock Holmes.

Some letters are short and sweet, some are long winded and crazy and some plead for help. And some, only a few, contain mysteries.

Nigel reads a old letter from 8-year-old Mara, begging Sherlock to find her father. She encloses important paperwork to help his case.

Nigel reads two other letters, sent from "Mara" years later desperately asking for the paperwork back. Only these letters don't have the same quality as the first and he thinks they're forgeries.

Nigel disappears with barely a word on the same day that a body turns up in his apartment. What can Reggie do except some sleuthing of his own?

This was a fun, quick read. The dynamic between the brothers endeared me to the plot and I really like this new take on an old story. I look forward to reading others from this series!

Audiobook Comments
I enjoyed the narration, though there were some mispronunciations as the British reader did an American accent (i.e. Me-thane opposed to Meth-ane) but overall - good book.

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[Pamela · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reggie, the main character, is pompous, over-bearing, rude, and not too bright--a lawyer who doesn't take the time to read a rental contract? Gimme a break!

Reggie's brother Nigel is pathetic, ineffectual, whiney, and useless.

Laura, Reggie's girl friend, is shallow, too intuitive to be believable, and prone to what is supposed to pass for witty banter but only varies between annoying and inane.

If it had not been for the plot, I would have called it quits about 30 minutes into this audio book. What kept me going was the plot, but not in a good way. You know how you find yourself mesmerized by something so horrific you can't believe it? That's this book. Just when you think the author has reached the lowest point he can possibly go, the floor drops out and he finds a whole new level of low.

Does it annoy you when a character conveniently forgets an important--very important appointment?

Does drive you insane when a character forgets where he/she put the most important papers in his/her life?

What about when someone just knows something because he/she is so blamed clever?

If these are the types of plot points you hate, you'll find them all--and more--in this mess.

[Kristen · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a disappointment. I didn't finish it.

The description of the book made it sound like there was a big Sherlock Holmes connection, but really the only involvement of Holmes is the fact that the offices one of the main characters leases is on Baker Street, and people write letters to Sherlock at that address. The owner of the building requires anyone who rents the premises to respond to the letters with a form-letter response. So the misleading suggestion of a Holmes connection was the first disappointment.

The second disappointment was the characters - not one of the ones introduced in the first third of the story [which was as far as I could stand to read] was at all likeable or even interesting to me, and couldn't manage to work up any interest whatsoever about what might happen to them.

Finally, this was presented as a mystery, and I suppose if you REALLY stretched, you could call the fact that one of the main characters becomes interested enough in one of the letters to Holmes to drop everything and run off to L.A. to try to find the grown woman who when she was eight years old 20 years ago, wrote a letter to Holmes.

The problem is that virtually nothing happens in the first third of the book. There's some set-up of the two brothers who are the main characters, but it's too much detail, and it is dull as dirt, so maybe the rest of the book gets more exciting, but I wasn't willing to waste more reading time risking that hope.

[Trisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was lucky and enjoyed this as an audio almost completely in one sitting. I thought the audio was well done and the story was entertaining.

However, I can see a lot of the same issues that others complained about. There were many plot parts I had a tough time believing - that an attorney wouldn't fully read a contract before signing? - but I was able to overlook a lot of that for just sheer entertainment value. I enjoyed it.

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just a note that the only thing Sherlockian about this mystery is the premise: As a leaseholder of 221B Baker Street, the law offices of Reggie Heath are required to answer letters addressed to Mr. Sherlock Holmes and occasionally those addressed to Mrs. Hudson and Dr. John Watson. They were to use only the form letters or lose their lease.
Reggie gave the task to his brother Nigel while Nigel's license was suspended. Nigel, somewhat hapless, becomes intrigued by a set of letters, the first originally sent by an eight year old girl.

Now twenty years later, more letters from this girl, or at least so it seems. Nigel decides to investigate and that decision leads him to miss his reinstatement hearing much to the dismay and irritation of his brother. And that is only the beginning of dismay as both brothers are embroiled in murders in Los Angeles and London. As they say, the game is afoot.

This was a pretty good book. The mystery, well mysteries, were complicated and not obvious--a hallmark of a well plotted mystery. I liked this enough to seek out the next one. I think my problem with it is that I don't find either brother particularly interesting or noble (for want of a better world). I think they are both fine examples of what a confusing place this post-modern world is for young, intelligent professional men.

[Dani · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading this has left me with a feeling that the book could've been so much more. The premise was rather original but although the beginning was strong and intriguing, the story becomes rather dull and increasingly unengaging, meaning there's mainly tell, instead of show.

Also, albeit that the idea was original, the actual connection to Sherlock Holmes turns out to be only flimsy - which I didn't mind too much never having been a great fan of this fictional character or the novels, but I can see how people who are would feel misled or disappointed even, after reading this.

So all in all, it's hard not to come away from this book thinking the plot could've been so much more exciting and, well, more of a mystery than it actually was.

As for the main character Reggie who came off as a pompous ass, well let me just say that having worked with lawyers for quite some time now, he was a real believable character and consequently, it didn't matter to me he wasn't particularly likeable. I usually need to like at least one character or be able to relate to a character but in this case I just had to chuckle at Reggie's behaviour in general and his dry and sardonic commentary especially.
The best line of the book however went to his (otherwise completely uninteresting) love interest Laura:
Laura: Question?
Ramirez: Yeah?
Laura: You lighting a match while we are all in the tunnel?
Ramirez: Yeah?
Laura: I find fault with that.

However, shortly before that scene my interest had waned due to the mountain of exposition and the story itself becoming rather dull.
I don't see myself continuing this series, even if I'm just a smidge curious about any improvement on this first instalment.

2.75 star read

[Ray LaManna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though it's not quite up to the standards of Arthur Conan Doyle, this is a pretty well-written and interesting mystery story. Some of the plots were a little confusing, but overall a good story.

[C.O. Bonham · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy this novel as a casual read but from a Sherlockian point of view it had much to be desired. Actually the only thing that links this narritave to Sherlock Holmes is the Hook about the letters being addressed to him.

The science of deduction did not figure into the main Character's, Reggie Heath, problem solving plan at all. Actually, Heath made quite a mess of his investigation. The story was mostly a cliche with him running all over LA trying to avoid the police while trying to figure out who to trust. Also I figured out who the bad guy was way too early.

And the ending was unconclusive. Hopefully the next book will wrap it up a little better.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strangely enough, I actually got this book from my local library. I haven't checked a book out from the library in decades. But I joined the newly formed mystery book club there and though this book wasn't our first choice to read, when I read the plot description I knew I had to read it.

Reggie Heath is a London lawyer. Reasonably successful in his career and dating his actress girlfriend, it would seem that he's got everything going for him. But his brother Nigel is having the opposite kind of luck in life.

While trying to get his legal license back after a series of events left him suspended and committed to an "institution", Nigel now works for his brother's firm. His job is answering the mail that comes into offices on Baker Street. Yes, the same Baker Street made famous by the Sherlock Holmes stories.

It seems people write letters to the fictional detective and mail them to the 221B Baker Street address. The company that owns the building that occupies the address has a method for dealing with this and Nigel is the one tasked with sending out a form letter response for every piece of mail received.

But when Nigel discovers a 20 year old letter and two recent follow ups that don't match up, he gets curious. This sets him and soon Reggie as well off on a path that leads them to Los Angeles to track down the girl who sent the letter.

Little could they know that this letter would end up leaving a trail of dead bodies, criminal charges in both countries and one attack on their persons after another. The letter seems to have been key to an actual case that would've been worthy of the Consulting Detective himself.

Despite the somewhat lighter touch in tone, The Baker Street Letters still manages to carry a real sense of menace in the storytelling. The two main characters are far from paragons of heroism with Nigel not totally together but loyal to many a fault and Reggie being kind of a stick in the mud despite his obvious intelligence. But they both seem to be driven on their quest to find out the truth behind the letter.

There's a sense of charm to the dialogue and you can't help but root for Robertson's "crime-fighting duo".

This was a great introduction to the continuing series and I'm looking forward to visiting my library ASAP so I can pick up the 2nd book in the series to see where this newly discovered adventure goes next.

[Lolly's Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

The basis of the novel is rather interesting, but the writing is a bit awkward and stilted; there seemed to be a lot of "He did this. Then he did this. He went here. They went there." Rather reminiscent of a Dick and Jane book, only with more grown up words. However, it doesn't surprise me that the book's been optioned for a television series; Hollywood seems to have a nose for mediocre works. I just hope it gets tweaked a bit more before it goes into production; the mystery was fairly well done, but the characters were blah and the story, beyond the initial Sherlock Holmes premise, wasn't that exciting. Speaking of a Sherlock Holmes premise, in that the story revolved around a letter sent to that famous detective which kicks off the action in the story, I was rather expecting the tale to take place somewhere in the UK, not in L.A. I guess having a stateside setting allowed Robertson to more easily take advantage of his lazy generalizations concerning the American characters in his book. Now, I'm not a flaming patriot; I get upset quite frequently with America's blunders and often wish our social and governmental systems were run more effectively and efficiently. However, Robertson paints all his American characters as selfish, suspicious, greedy and generally ignorant of anything outside their small sphere of influence. I might agree with that last generalization, which could apply to almost any human being regardless of country of origin; however, while we all suffer to some degree from one or all of the other traits, I find it hard to believe that Robertson's main character didn't run into at least one nice, helpful and generous individual, even in L.A. It seemed rather an amateurish writing error; if I wrote a novel set in England and portrayed all the characters within as upper-crust, white, tea-drinking, public school educated, Margaret Thatcher wannabes, there would certainly be some backlash over such stereotyping.

It's possible his second book is a vast improvement over his first; however, as of this moment, I really have very little interest in finding out if that's so.

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am afraid that I have to admit to liking this story more because of the narrator telling it, than for the story itself. Until, almost the end of the story, I did not care that much about the main character. I liked his brother right from the beginning and his girlfriend too.

Reggie was just "too much". He seemed to be very arrogant and self centered. He seemed to be his brother's keeper, litterally, and very condecending about it.

As the story unfolded, I became a little more understanding and realized that what he was doing was not so condecending and that he really did love his brother.

This is a murder mystery centered around the story of a letter, written by an eight year old girl and addressed to Sherlock Holmes, twenty years before the story takes place.

Reggie's company has leased rooms in a building on Baker Street, in London. Part of the lease agreement is that his company take over managing letters that are addressed to Sherlock Holmes c/o Baker Street. He had to assign someone to take over opening the mail and sending a form letter back to the person sending the mail. All of the letters were kept and filed. He had assigned his brother to this task.

This is where the story line starts.

Nigel is waiting to talk to his brother about some letters that he is concerned about. Reggie doesn't really listen. The next morning, he gets to the office and finds his brother has gone to Los Angeles, California and there is a dead man in his brother's completely trashed office.

Reggie follows Nigel to LA, and as the story unfolds, gets into lots of trouble, and he and his brother are almost killed.

I mentioned in one of my early status updates that some of the lines were very funny. They were to me, but I could not tell if it was the way the narrator was saying them, or if that is the way they were actually written. I am still not sure, but I think it was intentional, both on the part of the narrator, Simon Vance and by the author. I am looking forward to listening to the next story.

[Gabi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is not at all what I expected. Now, I love all things Sherlock Holmes, so the premise of a pair of brothers who work from the famed 221b Baker Street address and respond to letters sent to the Great Detective really sounded like my cup of tea. It was a little surprising and a little disappointing to discover that ninety-five percent of the book doesn't have the brothers working together and doesn't even take place in London. The majority of the story follows older brother Reggie as he tracks younger brother Nigel who is in turn tracking a young woman who wrote to Sherlock Holmes some twenty years before.

Reggie is our reluctant detective, starting his journey not in the interest of the letter writer but in the interest of corralling his young brother and setting his life to rights. The first part of the novel I felt dragged and was a little flat...Reggie follows the path before him and rides around in a lot of taxis. The prose seems sparse, and not in a Robert B. Parker sense of sparse, but I felt Robertson shortchanged the potential in his setting and his supporting characters.

Things start to pick up significantly mid-way through the book when Reggie is no longer on his own and the supporting characters become more important. Reggie does start coming into his own as he pulls the threads together and makes some sacrifices to see it through to the conclusion.

Reggie grew on me through the course of the story. At first he seems very flat for a lead, but one of the things I like about him is that he proves to be a man of action as far as the investigation is concerned. Robertson applies a very deft hand at Reggie's character development and his deductive skills as they grow, although he retains several flaws.

I will definitely be reading the next in the series, hoping for the brothers to be working together, fewer taxi rides, and some fleshed out characterizations.

[Lynda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this, but I have to admit not as much as I expected to. I realized two odd things:

1. I will buy anything related to
Sherlock Holmes. This is not really a surprise, but in the last 10 years or so there has been an explosion of Holmes-related fiction.

2. People who write 5 star reviews on Amazon have not always read the book. The significant error in this review was actually the third one I have noticed in the last couple of weeks. I buy or seek out a significant number of books based on these reviews, and it upsets me.

[MT Reads! · Rating 2 out of 5]

- I will preface this little review with a note that I became distracted about a 1/4th into this book & then could not find my way back into the plot. Disappointing when a mystery doesn’t hook you…
- little to no connection to Sherlock Holmes beyond the introduction location of Baker Street
- the “mystery” had too many unbelievable turns
- attempts at comedic relief (this feels generous) were actually just lines that objectified womxn or comments made at their expense
- can’t recall enjoying any of the characters

[Charlotte Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to this one on audiobook from the library and though I flew through it and found it to be an entertaining read, I was a little disappointed to be honest.

This book read as a normal mystery story and the Sherlockian aspects promised by the title and blurb were pretty much non-existent and the story wouldn't have been any different without them. I enjoyed some of the characters and the mystery was intriguing enough, though I feel that the conclusion to the whole thing was too rushed for my liking. 

Overall, this felt a little silly and I couldn't really recommend it as I don't feel that this is a story that will be memorable at all. I am glad I read it as I am planning to read many books inspired by Sherlock Holmes this year but to be honest, this wasn't a great start.

[Marybeth Trzebiatowski · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know if I can finish this book. It's awful. I started it because of the supposed Sherlock Holmes connection. Instead I got this: lawyer one is too noble for words and goes crazy after trying to right a wrong. Instead of going to his bar reinstatement hearing he flits off to the US to hunt down a girl who may or may not be in danger. All without thinking that maybe he's putting her in more danger by tracking her down and without any kind of plan for what he'll do when he gets there. Meanwhile, whip smart lawyer older brother who didn't read his lease agreement (wth??) is left to pick up the pieces after he and their shared girlfriend discover (gasp!) a body. So what does brother do? Research? Make a plan? Oh no. He flies off to find his brother. Since he's under suspicion, does he talk to the police in London or LA? Does he try to keep it on the down low? Oh no. He stays in the swankiest place he can find. Then he starts stalking the girl his brother was trying to help. His brother requests a meeting under a bridge (really?) but doesn't show. Instead it's another dead body! And the cops show up! And they don't believe his story! Fast forward a bit and the bad guy wants to discuss geologic findings in his office? At the hotel? At the dig site even? No! At the reservoir. And make sure you bring the only remaining copy of incriminating documents. And of course there's another body and another wacky comedy of errors as wunderkind lawyer gets mistaken for a murderer again. I can usually stick it out to the end to find out the details of what happened but this is absolute tripe. Don't think I'm going to make it. Send chocolate and a restorative beverage.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the idea behind the book, where two brothers who inadvertently end up in Sherlock Holmes' fictional address have to respond to all the letters to Holmes that come to their office. The main protagonist was sort of a turd, but that's fine too, because sometimes that's way more true to life than a perfect protagonist. The story was interesting, etc. The thing that got me is that for much of the story everyone's like "who has the only copy of that one important paper?" and "oh no he stole it and now I'll never have it again!" and I just wanted to yell at the people in the book YOU LIVE IN THE AGE OF THE INTERNET! Scan the thing and send it to everyone you know. Or, if you're too busy to find a scanner and a computer, go to Kinko's and spend $5 and make 100 copies of it and mail them to people, or hand them out, or whatever. As another reviewer pointed out, he also spends a lot of time going places to ask people questions that Google could have answered for him in 8 seconds. BUT all that aside, I did like the book, even if my review seems unfavorable.

[Adrienne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a lot like eating non-fat ice cream, or sugar free soda.

You're eating or drinking (or in this case, reading) in an effort to capture the real thing, but... you know it's not the real thing. You just know. And you're not really happy with the substitute. I was intrigued by the overall premise, but I felt that it didn't really deliver.

It wasn't awful, but.. a lot of it felt contrived. At times, it felt like it was trying to be all mysterious and exciting, but I felt like the author depended too much on the "let's throw in another dead body to make things exciting" mechanism, and all it did was make me roll my eyes. I finished this one pretty quickly too, but really only because I kind of wanted to get it over with.

so no. not a recommend.

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as I had anticipated.

[Kathy Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story of two brothers, both lawyers, who have taken up new office space on Baker Street. Reggie is the elder and more successful of the brothers. Nigel is the younger and something of a screw-up. As a part of their lease, the brothers receive letters written to a more famous occupant at that address - Sherlock Holmes. Also according to their lease, which Reggie didn't read as closely as he should have, they are to return a form response and not do anything else with the letters on pain of losing their lease and being liable for the whole time period's rent.

Nigel is currently without his license to practice law because of a case where he was too ethical and ran afoul of the daughter of his client while he was trying to return his fee. He is spending his time reading the letters addressed to Sherlock Holmes. Nigel becomes fascinated by one sent twenty years earlier by an eight-year-old Los Angeles girl who wants Sherlock to help her find her missing father. What fascinates Nigel is that there have been two more recent letters asking Sherlock to return the enclosures that were sent with the first letter. He decides to take the letter and enclosures to LA to try to find the young woman.

Reggie is expecting him to show up for the hearing that will reinstate his license but he doesn't show up. When Reggie checks Nigel's office, he finds it trashed and the body of their law clerk there in the mess apparently bludgeoned to death by a sculpture that belonged to Nigel. Reggie takes off to LA to try to find his missing brother before the London police can.

As Reggie searches for his brother, he finds himself inside a multi-million dollar conspiracy that has personal implications for Reggie. He also finds another dead body and this time he's a suspect.

This was an engaging story. Reggie is an interesting character but not initially likable. He seems rigid in his views and not very sympathetic to the idea that his brother might have his own plans for his future. His relationship with his girlfriend Laura is faltering because of his inability to make a commitment. And for a highly qualified and successful lawyer, he certainly seems to have trouble reading the contracts he blithely signs!

[Suzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars, rounded up

A light, easy and fast read about two London lawyer brothers, Reggie and Nigel Heath, who rent offices in a building that encompasses what used to be 221B Baker Street. People still write to Sherlock Holmes at the famous address as if he were a real detective (well isn't he?!!) and part of the covenant of the lease is that the tenants must answer the letters. The brothers are provided with a form letter to use for replies and forbidden to get involved in the questions/crimes posed to Sherlock. Ha! Nigel feels compelled to act on a letter sent by an 8-year-old twenty years ago from Los Angeles that includes a geological map. Fast forward and many people want to get their hands on this map, will pay dearly for it, including murdering people who stand in their way. Most of the book takes place in Los Angeles where a tunnel is being dug for a new subway; the map in question holds a key to the corruption afoot which is causing fires at various sites in the dig. Sherlock's proxies Reggie and Nigel to the rescue . . . well sort of.

Not the most well-written mystery novel, but engaging and fun enough to propel me to book two, The Brothers of Baker Street, which I just happen to have checked out from the library.

Why I'm reading this: With lots more time together with my sweetheart, it's been fun to introduce each other to books and series we like. This series is new-to-me, available from the library and fits right in to my occasional Sherlock reading binges.

[Kelsey Grissom · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really struggled with what to rate this one. Pros: the writing is very, very good. The characters are likeable. The premise is *really* good. Humor is on point. Cons: every plot point is completely implausible and far-fetched. The characters make really stupid decisions, repeatedly. A ridiculous amount of characters dies.

I hear you: how can the writing be so good if the plot points are so implausible? That’s why I struggled with the rating. Do you know how good the writing has to be for me to consider it good *without* a rational plot? I don’t know what to make of it so I’m leaving it at three stars. You could do worse.

[Q Rodson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a OK. It was almost just a palette cleanser before going into another genre or back to my usual heavy mystery/thriller books.

I had a hard time liking the main character. I actually don't think I ever did like him. He was rather pompous. So there was a disconnect there.

And the mystery...well I'm used to going along for the ride and figuring it all out as I go. This was not how this book was written. You get gaps and then the main character just sums it up for you in different parts of the book.

[Shawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good solid mystery and a good introduction to a new series. I liked the creative use of Sherlock Holmes’ address as the reason for the two brothers being involved in solving the mystery. The main female character (girlfriend of one the the brothers) is a bit of a Mary Sue, which is why I rated this a 3 rather than a 4, but since she is more of a tertiary character it doesn’t bother me too much. Overall, this was a fun read and I’m looking forward to the next one in the series.

[Library Queen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had such a fun idea behind it, but ultimately was boring. MC brother 1 was annoying, MC brother 2 was decent but flighty, and MC girlfriend was bright but was also a cardboard cutout. No thanks.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the concept of this book - law firm on Baker Street in London gets letters to Sherlock Holmes and a lawyer feels compelled to try to solve one of the mysteries. I liked brothers Nigel and Reggie and want to see what happens to the pair next.

[Karen]

Started out fun, but then I got bored with it and DNF.

[Jaret · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had a lot of potential for me. The characters were interesting, for the most part. The brothers were so aloof and arrogant, they were oblivious to the world around them. It made the story seem inane at times. My main complaint was the ending. You kind of got an idea of who was involved in the crime and the purpose, but the buildup did not match the finale. However, I do see a lot of potential with the series, and I did like the brothers, even though they acted like idiots a lot of the time. So, I will read the next one in the series to see if maturity and editing help the series any.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reggie Heath was unaware of the strange clause in his lease for office space at 221 Baker Street. Unaware, that is, until his brother, Nigel, pointed it out to him. For some time, the office has been accepting letters addressed to a certain famed literary detective. As part of the lease, Reggie agreed to handle and respond to the letters using a prepared form response. Under no circumstances are they ever to contact the writers of the letters.

But Nigel becomes overly curious about one letter in particular, which turns out to be three letters in fact. Twenty years ago, a letter was sent from an eight year old in search of her missing father. Along with the letter, the child sent a number of items to help with the investigation. Now that girl wants those items back. But Nigel notices something off about these new letters and becomes convinced they aren't from the original sender. Just as he sets off to LA to dig deeper, Reggie stumbles upon a dead body on Nigel's office floor. Reggie is almost certain that his brother can't be the killer, but wonders if the letters could be to blame. Reggie follows his brother to the States and immediately becomes entangled in the mystery of the letters as well.

I was pretty immediately drawn in by the characters here and by the time the premise was introduced I was sold.

You don't have to be a Sherlock Holmes fan to enjoy this first outing in Robertson's series. In fact, even Holmes purists can rest easy as the only real connection to Conan Doyle's creation here is the address. You do have to be something of a mystery fan, though. The brothers Heath both have law backgrounds, which makes it easy to believe they have the means and the brains to do what they do in the book (always a plus). Nigel in particular has been in hot water of late thanks to his dogged desire to do the right thing. And of course tracking down a girl with a missing father who could be in danger is the right thing!

The Baker Street Letters is a fun and light read, nice for cleansing the reading palate after some heavier books of late. I fully intend to continue the series now that I've started.

[Doreen Fritz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here is a quick summer read for those who want to get into another Sherlock Holmes story, but can't (because the author is dead, you see). In modern-day London, an attorney (Reggie Heath) has rented a building that takes up the entire 200 block of Baker Street. His brother Nigel, who has just been released from "hospitalization" for a mental breakdown, is putting in time at Reggie's firm until his own law license is reinstated. He is put in charge of responding to all the letters sent to Sherlock Holmes, 221B Baker Street (A response is dictated by the terms of the lease). Although he is supposed to send some kind of form letter, he becomes intrigued by some of the letters, especially one sent over 20 years ago by an 8-year-old girl in Los Angeles, CA who wants help finding her missing dad. Two more letters, ostensibly from the same girl, but which Nigel believes were forged, have arrived in the past few weeks. Reggie poo-poos Nigel's suspicions -- and in fact, most of Nigel's ideas, thoughts, or actions. There is definitely tension between the brothers, partly because Reggie is dating Nigel's previous girlfriend, the actress Laura.

Well, Reggie discovers that Nigel has disappeared -- probably gone to find that girl in Los Angeles. And Reggie ALSO discovers a dead body in Nigel's office. He goes to LA to find Nigel, and within a day there's another dead body, with Nigel the prime suspect. Now authorities in two countries are after Nigel, and Reggie is trying to protect Nigel, as he has their entire lives -- except when he's trying to control or correct him himself. And then Laura shows up, too, trying to help.

I hear that this debut novel is the first of a new series by Robertson. This was a fun read, and I look forward to the next installment.