"Let me first say, most emphatically, that curiosity does not a case make. In my experience, however, it may function much the same as hard evidence or fact."
Sherlock Holmes & the Singular Affair by M.K. Wiseman is a clever historical mystery, featuring the world's greatest literary detective.
The Sherlock Holmes canon is expertly spun out in this diverting mystery, written in the style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This book is a prequel, i.e. we meet Sherlock before Dr Watson comes into his flat and life, but we do see references and glimpses of characters which appear in the classic series of books: Inspector Lestrade being one of the important figures to feature in the original mysteries.
Blurb:
Before Baker Street, there was Montague.
Before partnership with a former army doctor recently returned from Afghanistan, Sherlock Holmes had but the quiet company of his own itellect. Solitary he might be but, living as he did for the thrill of the chase, it was enough.
For a little while, at the least, it was enough.
That is, until a client arrives at his door with a desperate plea and an invitation into a world of societal scandal and stage door dandies. Thrust deep in an all-consuimg role and charged with the safe-keeping of another, Holmes must own to his limits or risk danger to others besides himself in this case of the aluminium crutch.
Review:
The story begins familiarly enough, as told by Dr Watson, who mentions that the manuscript has entered into his possession after the passing of Sherlock Holmes.
"To me John Watson, chronicler and friend, he left an old tin box... Red tape bundles of paper and other curiosities lay nestled within that chest. Case notes. Many from the time before I had known him. It was here the enormity of the loss - that of the world and mine - caught me afresh..."
Thus how Dr Watson discovered the case described in the manuscript as the Singular Affair of the Aluminium Crutch.
After the initial introduction, it is Sherlock's story that we get engrossed into.
At the time, he lives in Montague street rather than Baker Street, on his own. One day Miss Eudora Frances Clarke visits his place, asking to find her missing fiancé, Tobias-Henry Price.
"Letters exchanged for months, fervent promises for a far shorter period of time. A meeting, a deferment. And then?" Then her fiancé vanishes, to be replaced by someone claiming to be Tobias-Henry Price.
Why would someone impersonate Price? And what's happened to the man Miss Clarke claims to have known since their childhood? What's even more bizarre, Price's uncle, Sir Edgar Price, insists that the man is not an impostor but his true nephew.
She is adamant, "I stand against the world in my convictions as to the identity of the man I love".
Sherlock is intrigued. "The source of Miss Clarke's troubling disparity as to the true identity of Mr Price was likely not a large crime. It was, quite possibly, not a crime ar all. But it was not nothing, and thus the very idea of the thing had awakened in my imagination a series of questions, and it was wholly within my power to discover the answers".
Holmes follows the trail that will lead him to discovering the truth, through the higher echelons of the London society, as well as shadowy corners and residencies of the gang members. It is a complicated case, with shifty characters galore and a few gruesome murders.
Sherlock Holmes & the Singular Affair is an intelligent homage to the original character penned by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He is exactly as we know him, possessing great deductive as well as acting skills, he loves his violin and has a vast network of informers.
If you are a fan of the classic books, you will enjoy references to the untold stories and mentions of the characters that you remember. Langdale Pike, the notorius gossipmonger (introduced in The Adventure of the Three Gables), helps Sherlock with his queries.
Ormond Secker is, of course, the original name of Dr Watson. Thanks goodness, Conan Doyle changed this weird name for the one we know and admire.
The author has managed to capture the essence of the Sherlock Holmes stories. The style of writing feels authentic and faithful to the original.
If you enjoy prequel stories of the famous detectives as young(er) people, you will love to meet a young and energetic Sherlock Holmes, working alone and just thinking of moving to a new flat and getting a trustworthy flatmate.
There is action, mystery and deduction to please the fans of the classic detective.
This post is part of the blog tour.
Many thanks to M.K.Wiseman and Rachel's Random Resources for my e-copy of the book!
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Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09DXQVT56/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09DXQVT56/
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sherlock-holmes-the-singular-affair-m-k-wiseman/1140115651?ean=9781734464146
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/sherlock-holmes-the-singular-affair
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/sherlock-holmes-amp-the-singular-affair/id1583511548
Author Bio
– M. K. Wiseman has degrees in Interarts & Technology and
Library & Information Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her
office, therefore, is a curious mix of storyboards and reference materials.
Both help immensely in the writing of historical novels. She currently resides
in Cedarburg, Wisconsin.
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Giveaway to Win 2 x M. K. Wiseman Sherlock Holmes Book Bundle
(Open to US / UK and Canada)
Prize includes:
Signed and ‘annotated’ with a few margin notes copies of Sherlock
Holmes & the Singular Affair &
Sherlock Holmes & the Ripper of Whitechapel
Nifty ‘magnifying glass’ bookmark
*Terms and Conditions –
UK / US & Canada entries welcome.
Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.
The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email.
If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner.
Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.
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This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.
I am not
responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
Please note that this giveaway is running through several blogs.
Chez Maximka is hosting the Rafflecopter gadget for free for the purposes of the book promotion. I am not involved in the selection of the winner, or dispatch of the prize. I have no access to the collected data either.
Sounds like a great read, inspired by a classic. I've entered :)
ReplyDeleteGood luck, Cheryl!
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