A library find. August 2024.
Well written.
Believable. Suspenseful.
I love Sherlock Homes stories.

Kniha je rozdelená do piatich príbehov. Prvý ma veľmi sklamal, nudila som sa a čítanie ma veľmi nebavilo. Druhý bol presným opakom, výborne podaný a ja som sa tešila na ďalšie čítanie. Zvyšné tri príbehy sú nastriedačku lepšie či horšie, celkovo mi však kniha príde skôr priemerná a nemá veľmi čím ohúriť. Sherlocka ako postavu mám rada a aj tu sa mi páčil, z knihy a príbehov sa však podľa mňa dalo vyťažiť omnoho viac.

Very satisfying for fans of Sherlock Holmes. Thomas proves himself to be a lover of the man and the man who created him.

Having read a previous Donald Thomas Sherlock Holmes collection Sherlock Holmes and the Ghosts of Bly: And Other New Adventures of the Great Detective, I thought I'd try another. The first was all right, and I did like Thomas' style and use of language.

This set was more disappointing. Not only was he clumsy in historical references, shoehorned in like he was furiously consulting Wikipedia and adding details in in rewrites, but he doesn't have a very firm grasp on the character of either Holmes or Watson.

The first story which gives the book its title was intriguing, with Holmes in a very different sort of situation: a prisoner of some of his many enemies and people he'd foiled in the past. However, the story had virtually no examples of deductive reasoning or great intellect, only a McGuyver-style cleverness and the following stories were all pretty flat.

From Sherlock Holmes instructing England's chief of intelligence on how to handle a mole using the most obvious and well-known ideas on controlling leaks to his duel with Moriarty's older brother it just felt all wrong in terms of the characters. And worst of all was his treatment of Mycroft who instead of being even smarter than Sherlock (but much more lazy) he was kind of an insulting dolt and upper class twit.

Very disappointing overall, despite a few interesting bits.

Disappointed. The language was good, but the storylines generally uninteresting. The camaraderie between Holmes and Watson was missing and Mycroft fared badly. Missed opportunity.

Magnificent... the Great Detective at his most masterly. However some of these could have gone further.. for example, the "Greek Key" could have tied in with "His Last Bow" somehow. Loved the re-appearance of older figures from the canon

This is a collection of 5 stories about Sherlock Holmes. The stories were kind of interesting, but Holmes is portrayed as such a jerk, it was hard to really enjoy them. It's been a while since I've read any of the original Holmes stories, but what I do remember, Holmes had a casual arrogance, but it came across as more extreme and justified confidence rather than petty hubris.

An acceptable addition to the Sherlock pastiche canon with some decent stories. In some ways the language is sometimes more original feeling than other modern Holmes stories. Watson and Lestrade are noticeably more doubtful, arrogant and argumentative than I recall in the originals. It appears to be a device by which the author gets to have Holmes explain the events and his deductions, which are a bit more elaborate than most of Doyle's stories. There is the long explanation of familial relationships and connections that explain who is doing what and why. I often find that I don't like short stories as much as novels because the stories are so truncated, and paired down. The Holmes stories have always been the exception. Doyle somehow wrote very complete, robust stories but was efficient in their telling. These sometimes are a bit exhausting.

Well I've found another Sherlock Holmes author that will keep me busy reading about my favorite fictional character on the planet! That's right, I have to keep reminding myself that Holmes is a fictional character or maybe it's just because our world could so use a comeback from the greatest detective and advisor that ever lived. Thank you Mr. Thomas. The title frightened me when I first checked the book out, but I was relieved at the end of the story to still have a living Sherlock Holmes!

This collection includes five stories, the first one being the title story of the book. Sherlock Holmes is captured by his enemies and tied up in a dingy old cellar. A ‘trial’ takes place, which is clearly not very fair, before his execution. As odds are stacked up against Sherlock, he has only his brain and quick thinking to depend upon. “The Case of the Greek Key” deals with a German code that must be cracked to preserve military secrets. Once again, the wheels in Sherlock’s mind spins faster than anyone to get the job done. In “The Case of the Peasenhall Murder”, Sherlock undertakes the task of clearing the name of a maid who he believes is not guilty. In “The Case of the Phantom Chambermaid” Sherlock uncovers a murder plan. In “The Queen of The Night” Sherlock is up against Moriarty while trying to stop the plan to steal the crown jewels.

Having read one of Donald Thomas’s books before, I thought that I was ready for what was to come in this book. The one thing that had kept nagging while reading Sherlock Holmes & the Ghosts of Bly was the dynamics between Sherlock and Watson. I was hoping it would be different in this one and well it was – because Watson was hardly featured in this one! He featured only in one of the stories where his medical expertise was required, other than that it was a bummer! On the other hand, Donald Thomas manages to maintain the vision of Sherlock as a brainiac pretty well. On the other hand I also have to admit that I feel that he does have a very effective way of narrating his stories. They are detailed and descriptive and makes for an interesting read. The plots are mostly well rounded and action packed.

Overall, I guess that as far as detective stories go, these are good. However, Sherlock and Watson being the lead – I guess expectations run really high and in that case some maybe disappointed. Read it without expectations and with an open mind – you will like them.

This book is both more singular and, I think, more consistent than the other Holmes pastiches by Mr. Thomas that I read before this volume. Overall I think this collection of stories had more “punch”. I also find myself writing more “details” into this review than I normally do; maybe not so much as to be spoilers, but enough to illustrate specific thoughts about the collection. Again I find myself only giving it a "3" because it just doesn't quite deserve the "4" - call it a definite "3.5".


On a side note, I an many others are so picky about the Holmes stories that at times we may lose sight of the great pleasure they bring us. For true fans any tale of the Great Detective is satisfying because it gets us another "fix". The irony of course is that Conan Doyle wrote his Holmes tales quickly and they are rife with errors and contradictions and yet these are the "gold standard". One should have pity on the author who dares take up the pen (word-processor?) to follow in his footsteps. Instead, we judge more harshly because they are not Conan Doyle. I suspect I am as guilty as anyone else in this regard. That's it for the mea culpas.


To be sure the opening tale, “The Execution of Sherlock Holmes” is very different and dark. We get Holmes’ tale as it occurs to him; Watson adding in a “framing story” of how he acted during this time and how Holmes related his part to him. While the author may have woven a nugget of historical fact into the story (an explosion and fire), it brings together a collection of villains intent on the destruction of SH. It didn’t occur to me at the time, but after completing the collection I wondered how this SPECTRE-like association began. It made for good reading, nonetheless.

The quality of writing is very high, as it has been in all of Mr. Thomas’ books so far. In this book, I felt fewer of the moments when a phrase or mannerism grated on my sense of Holmes and Watson. But, the author traded small issues for larger ones. The title tale is one such; cleverly written, but very bold. Another has Holmes operating as a one man code-breaking organization (ok, Watson does lend his assistance.)

Now, it is true that Holmes has broken codes (cryptograms, too) in the “official canon” (one thinks immediately of “The Dancing Men”), but those were ciphers created by individuals or criminal organizations, not the intelligence arm of a foreign government! It is an engaging tale, to be sure. There is an excellent mix of detection mixed in with the code-breaking and there may have been some historical fact (other than the names and types of British warships prior to WWI) used, but that I cannot judge. Does this strain the credulity of even the most ardent Holmes fan? I thought it was reaching a bit.

The remainder of the stories is a decent group of tales spanning a man falsely accused of murder in a small village, the early 20th century fascination with “spiritualism”, “mesmerism” and “phantasms”, and the coronation (a year after his mother’s death) of Edward VII. Each is a fairly well-constructed tale (the murder accusation being perhaps the weakest in the group) and holds the reader’s attention. The final one brings back a character (discussed, but never met) from the first story, which is the foil against whom Holmes judges himself.

In this last tale, the villain is stuck on a railway bridge, over the Thames, cut off on one end by Lestrade and a group of policemen. On the other side, Holmes and Watson are advancing as the man fires off his last shots – the final one being aimed at Holmes over a short distance. Now, this is what I object to: rather than both firing simultaneously like in some many other tales (think Peter Gunn, or a western, or film noir), Holmes fires only after further approaching the man. Now is that sporting or what? It most certainly isn’t cricket!

I think it diminishes Holmes, making him feel smaller and pettier than he should. True, he had stated throughout the story that this was to be a duel from which only man would survive, infuriating his brother Mycroft and Lestrade along the way, but it still feels wrong. Holmes is not the wild gunslinger who we expect to shoot first (or an unarmed man). Not that shooting first is a bad thing; I am one who strongly objects to George Lucas re-writing the original Star Wars film so that Han Solo does not fire first in the bar.

Overall, I think this collection of stories worked best for me (so far). There is plenty of good plotting, detection, and characterization throughout the author’s expansion of the adventures of Holmes and Watson. I would not have a fan miss any of them. Read and enjoy.

By Donald Thomas. Grade B+.

This is my first from the famous Donald Thomas series on Sherlock Holmes, and may I say that he has done a wonderful job in capturing the essence of the original Conan Doyle work with a collection of five different stories of the world’s most popular detective and his loyal sidekick.
The book’s title caught my attention the moment I saw it as, obviously, Sherlock Holmes has never been executed before in any adaptation. This story revolves around Holmes’ kidnap and a mock trial by his enemies. Holmes is drugged and chained to a dingy old cellar where he is watched 24×7 . The curiosity is insatiable because the author painstakingly lays out the insurmountable odds in front of the reader. As ever, the workings of his mind will leave you flabbergasted. Despite the rather passive role of Watson, I enjoyed the story.

Sherlock’s legendary powers of logic are skillfully displayed in “The Case of the Greek Key,” in which a German code must be cracked to preserve some vital military secrets. The way Holmes decodes the cipher made me a fan of his all over again. More than a mystery, this one seemed like a twenty first century spy thriller, with all the right elements.

In “The Case of the Peasenhall Murder,” Holmes undertakes the investigation of the murder of a serving girl to clear the “guilty” of charges since he believes him to be innocent. This particular story was open-ended and a little bit of a downer.

“The Case of the Phantom Chambermaid” leads Holmes to uncover a horrific murder plan while investigating the circumstances that led to the dismissal of an innocent maid working at a hotel. After the first story, this one is a must read! Thomas managed to give dear Watson some role finally.

In “The Queen of The Night” Holmes shows his meticulousness as he tries to catch the infamous Colonel James Moriarty while the latter plans to steal during the Coronation ceremonies of His Majesty, Edward VII.

The write up and the way Thomas has described every event, occurrence and scene is remarkable and it makes the reader picture every little detail, even if it does across as a bit flat at times. The denouement too, was bland in most of the stories. The author’s research is splendid though, it sounds more Victorian than the original stories.

One major drawback was the injustice to Watson. His role was minimal at best and he didn’t prove to be of much help in any of the stories. His chemistry with Holmes was notably found lacking.

What made the book interesting were the plots. The first story was the best of the five as the iconic Sherlock Holmes is made to expand to his limit in this one. The fourth one proved to an all rounder. With his logic, clarity and an ever-observant nature, Holmes beautifully pulls together multiple meandering threads and trumps all obstacles.

When you’re writing about Sherlock Holmes, you have got huge shoes to fill, and Donald Thomas accomplishes that to a certain extent. Not the best adaption of the marvellous detective, but worth a read nonetheless.

Let’s sum up:
The Plots-Amazingly spun
Watson-Irrelevant
Holmes- As good as always.


Originally reviewed at Vaultofbooks.com, a close-knit community of fanatical readers. We are looking for perceptive readers who can write well, and we are eager to provide lots of free books in exchange for reviews. Shoot us a mail at [email protected]