{Review} The Death and Life of Sherlock Holmes by Grace Best-Page

ASIN #: B00ADEJCD4

File Size: 793 KB

Page Count: 290

Copyright: November 17, 2012

Publisher: CreateSpace

Book Summary:

(Taken from Amazon)

Jackie Bowman, a modern-day American woman, mysteriously time travels to 1891, where she meets Sherlock Holmes at the point of his untimely "death" at the Reichenbach Falls. Disguised as Jack, she and the great detective partner for the next three years travelling, braving dangers, sharing adventures, and facing Holmes' ultimate challenge: boredom. They depend on each other, they like each other, they get on each other's nerves.

With humor, drama, and poignancy, The Death and Life of Sherlock Holmes fills in the details of Holmes' three-year hiatus and continues beyond his return to Baker Street. Discover what made him the man he is, get to know the Baker Street Irregulars, and find the answer to that perennial question: Was he gay? No, sorry about that; rather, did he actually exist?

Whether you're a fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle looking to expand your Sherlockian horizons, someone meeting Holmes for the first time, or you're simply looking for a good read, this light-hearted adventure will both illuminate and entertain.

Mandy's Review:

I am a fan of Sherlock Holmes, so to "find out" what happened to him during his hiatus was intriguing to me. Perhaps it is a little far-fetched to think that a person living in Tennessee could time-travel back to 1891 England and meet a fictional character. Before I began reading this book I created an open mind by thinking that the phrase "all fiction is based in reality" is true. Perhaps there really was a Sherlock Holmes.

Jackie works in a gift shop in Tennessee. As she steps out of the back door she notices her world has been replaced with something new. She decides to explore. The gift shop disappears and she finds herself stuck in this new world. Jackie doesn't recognize her surroundings until she comes upon a waterfall and sees Sherlock Holmes. Her futuristic appearance is enough to puzzle and intrigue him. Thus begin their adventure together.

My attention was captivated through their meeting and the first few chapters of their travels together. Eventually, though, I became a little bored with their story. It seemed to be the same page after page. And, instead of sticking with one alias, Jackie had the habit of calling Sherlock every name she could possibly think of ... often times within the same conversation or situation. It was a distraction that took away part of my enjoyment of the story.

I also think the ending was somewhat drawn out. I don't want to give anything away, but the story could have been stopped sooner. This would have allowed the reader to imagine the rest of the story themselves, which I think we all secretly hate and love at the same time.

So, overall, if the section on their three-year journey was either spiced up or edited to remove some of those chapters and if the ending was stopped sooner than it was, I think this could make for a really fun and entertaining read. As it stands, I don't hate this book, but I don't love it either. If you're a Sherlock fan and you're curious about what happened to him during his three-year hiatus, then this could possibly be the book for you.


*An ecopy of this book was available from the author in exchange for an honest review.