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ladyethyme's review
2.0
A tolerably well written story, the mystery is somewhat engaging (until the disappointing and predictable end) and the writing itself is decent, however-I do find it someone irritating that it seems that authors writing about the Victorian era can never be bothered to actually do any fact checking whatsoever before writing.
The constant anachronisms are somewhat of an irritation, for example, Victorian beds did not have springs in them.
Instead they were layered thin "mattresses"; nothing that we would recognize as a mattress by modern standards. It is why in the original Sherlock Holmes books, they often refer to being able to see the "impression of a body that had lain in the bed".
The bed spring was not even put into a mattress until 1871, and the first ones weren't even sold in the most modern of department stores until 1895 at the earliest-and the story supposedly takes place in 1819.
When Watson is lying in a bed in an ancient castle, I very much doubt they had the most modern mattress available… and even if they did, it would not be so old and rusty as to be SO uncomfortable that he complains about it being worse than sleeping on rocks.
All it would take is a single Google search to put this matter to rest, but I suppose that is too difficult and too much exertion for this author.
Also, a young woman would never, ever, ever, ever invite a man to call her by her first name unless they were engaged- and only then in private.
'Dashed' as a far more 1920s expletive than an 1890 expression. You find it used constantly and P.G Wodehouse's' 1920's fiction for example.
Then, it reads much more like an Agatha Christie and a Hercule Poirot mystery -the author even steals really obvious names, like the name of the family, from Christie's work.
Being invited to a country house, a closed cast of characters and suspects, drawing room reveal, these are all extremely Agatha Christie and not at all Sherlock Holmes.
Eve, the main female, is completely annoying and insufferable. She's completely hysterical, and somehow manages to also be arrogant, rude and act basically like a two year-old who not getting her way.
I mean seriously… Does she honestly think this make believe creature is real?… The threat to me just doesn't seem plausible … her reaction to it is completely over the top and something you could see maybe in a Victorian melodrama written in the time, but certainly not something for modern readers, or in a way that any actual woman, even a Victorian one, would behave at the mention of a pile of sticks.
I mean she literally collapses in a crying, swooning hysterical fit during dinner. Actually FAINTING.
I laughed out loud at that point.
I mean...SERIOUSLY??
The constant anachronisms are somewhat of an irritation, for example, Victorian beds did not have springs in them.
Instead they were layered thin "mattresses"; nothing that we would recognize as a mattress by modern standards. It is why in the original Sherlock Holmes books, they often refer to being able to see the "impression of a body that had lain in the bed".
The bed spring was not even put into a mattress until 1871, and the first ones weren't even sold in the most modern of department stores until 1895 at the earliest-and the story supposedly takes place in 1819.
When Watson is lying in a bed in an ancient castle, I very much doubt they had the most modern mattress available… and even if they did, it would not be so old and rusty as to be SO uncomfortable that he complains about it being worse than sleeping on rocks.
All it would take is a single Google search to put this matter to rest, but I suppose that is too difficult and too much exertion for this author.
Also, a young woman would never, ever, ever, ever invite a man to call her by her first name unless they were engaged- and only then in private.
'Dashed' as a far more 1920s expletive than an 1890 expression. You find it used constantly and P.G Wodehouse's' 1920's fiction for example.
Then, it reads much more like an Agatha Christie and a Hercule Poirot mystery -the author even steals really obvious names, like the name of the family, from Christie's work.
Being invited to a country house, a closed cast of characters and suspects, drawing room reveal, these are all extremely Agatha Christie and not at all Sherlock Holmes.
Eve, the main female, is completely annoying and insufferable. She's completely hysterical, and somehow manages to also be arrogant, rude and act basically like a two year-old who not getting her way.
I mean seriously… Does she honestly think this make believe creature is real?… The threat to me just doesn't seem plausible … her reaction to it is completely over the top and something you could see maybe in a Victorian melodrama written in the time, but certainly not something for modern readers, or in a way that any actual woman, even a Victorian one, would behave at the mention of a pile of sticks.
I mean she literally collapses in a crying, swooning hysterical fit during dinner. Actually FAINTING.
I laughed out loud at that point.
I mean...SERIOUSLY??
booknerdjo's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this new Sherlock Holmes mystery with a festive backdrop from James Lovegrove.
I felt that the book was true to the spirit and voice of the originals - Holmes was arrogant but somehow lovable, and Watson was a meticulous and occasionally self-doubting narrator. The story itself also felt very "Holmesian" - Holmes and Watson are appointed by a distressed young woman to come to a rambling old castle in Yorkshire to investigate some mysterious supernatural occurrences in the days before Christmas.
Of course, as in all of Holmes' cases, the events are far from supernatural, but no less sinister for that.
For a nearly 400 page novel, this kept me turning the pages - it's pacy and twisty and very clever. It's also extremely readable - something I can't always say about Conan-Doyle's originals.
I felt that the book was true to the spirit and voice of the originals - Holmes was arrogant but somehow lovable, and Watson was a meticulous and occasionally self-doubting narrator. The story itself also felt very "Holmesian" - Holmes and Watson are appointed by a distressed young woman to come to a rambling old castle in Yorkshire to investigate some mysterious supernatural occurrences in the days before Christmas.
Of course, as in all of Holmes' cases, the events are far from supernatural, but no less sinister for that.
For a nearly 400 page novel, this kept me turning the pages - it's pacy and twisty and very clever. It's also extremely readable - something I can't always say about Conan-Doyle's originals.
merkatt's review
4.0
I was in the mood for a short and Christmasy listen and this seemed to fit the bill. I didn’t pay much attention to the book details when I started it and was surprised to find how much I was enjoying it because most Sherlock Holmes books I’ve read in the past were difficult to get into. Then at the end I realized it was not by Arthur Conan Doyle and was instead written in 2019 so not a “true” Holmes, but that made a good deal sense given how much more I could get into it. It was fun and included some interesting history on Christmas monsters. I think I was in just the right mind frame for it.
juliagiff's review
3.0
A Sherlock Holmes book not written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had me skeptical. But it did draw me in, leading to a lovely, Victorian-era detective book read. Though I couldn't quite shake the feeling that the author was desperately trying to fit in old-timey words, while making use of terms like "weird" and "mental health", which I don't think would've been the preferred term of the time. All in all, still worth a read, especially around the holiday season.
megneto's review against another edition
medium-paced
5.0
Absolutely love Sherlock Holmes! The writing style was perfect. The plot was brilliant and will definitely be getting the other books written by Lovegrove.
aloonamuna's review
4.0
I often find myself wanting to curl up with a good book. Now that fall is slowly unfurling its child, though quite slowly in Puerto Rico, I couldn’t have asked for a more appropriate book to read in the damp weather than James Lovegrove’s Sherlock Holmes and the Christmas Demon. This story is masterful in the way it manages to conserve the authenticity of the original Sherlock Holmes novels while still giving it somewhat of a modern flair.
Lovegrove’s version of Sherlock Holmes is reminiscent of today’s charming and cocky counterpart. Like the one featured on Sherlock, he lacks social cues, creates social faux pas more than once, but all in all, is truly a sweetheart around those he cares about. Dr. Watson is the same hard but compassionate man with a genuine interest in helping others.
In this instance of Sherlock Holmes, we’re placed right in the middle of a jolly London getting ready for Christmas. After apprehending a red-handed—and red-suited—thieving Father Nicholas, Sherlock and Watson meet a twenty-year-old woman named Eve Allethorpe. She feels that she’s on the verge of lunacy, which is not all too rare for her eccentric family. As a child, her mother would tell her tales of the Black Thurrick, a hunchbacked creature that would come after rotten children after leaving bundles of birch sticks at their homes. Now that bunches of birch twigs have started to appear around the Allerthorpe castle, she fears that her childhood monster has come back to haunt her.
She decides to task Sherlock and Dr. Watson to help her solve the mystery before it’s too late. Is there really a monster hunting her? Is she bordering delusion? Either she loses her mind, or someone loses their life. The case manages to capture enough of Sherlock’s interest. Soon enough, the dynamic duo is on the hunt!
Honestly, I’ve always absolutely loved the original Sherlock Holmes Series. I haven’t read all of the novels but the ones that I’ve finished, they’re absolutely fantastic. Sherlock Holmes and the Christmas Demon does a good job of emulating Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s style, and Lovegrove makes sure to use a “Sunday” vocabulary which adds to the late 19th-century ambiance. It doesn’t feel time-displaced and adds to the authenticity of the story.
As for the plot, it’s just convoluted enough to be entertaining while still making sense. I couldn’t pick up on any plot holes, which is always good. I genuinely couldn’t put it down. The slow burn is clearly evident: the mystery’s end is finished at an agonizingly slow pace. It makes you even more jittery, like wanting to scratch at an itch but you don’t even know where it is. The plot doesn’t give up on itself quickly which in turn makes you want to gobble up the book. I think I ended up reading 200 pages in one day!
The characters are really dynamic so you get a pretty picture of them, even though there are more than five. Small details about each character are cleverly weaved within the plot itself, which makes for a pleasant, continual build-up of each character. This isn’t an easy task, but Lovegrove manages it well. The way in which the author writes also paints vivid pictures of the castle, the landscape, the fear, and the winter chill. Plus, you don’t even suspect the resolution to the mystery until the very end!
If you’re a fan of the brusque detective novel and a lover of slow burns, this book is for you. You’d do good to sit down with a cup of coffee, hot chocolate or tea and start to read it.
Lovegrove’s version of Sherlock Holmes is reminiscent of today’s charming and cocky counterpart. Like the one featured on Sherlock, he lacks social cues, creates social faux pas more than once, but all in all, is truly a sweetheart around those he cares about. Dr. Watson is the same hard but compassionate man with a genuine interest in helping others.
In this instance of Sherlock Holmes, we’re placed right in the middle of a jolly London getting ready for Christmas. After apprehending a red-handed—and red-suited—thieving Father Nicholas, Sherlock and Watson meet a twenty-year-old woman named Eve Allethorpe. She feels that she’s on the verge of lunacy, which is not all too rare for her eccentric family. As a child, her mother would tell her tales of the Black Thurrick, a hunchbacked creature that would come after rotten children after leaving bundles of birch sticks at their homes. Now that bunches of birch twigs have started to appear around the Allerthorpe castle, she fears that her childhood monster has come back to haunt her.
She decides to task Sherlock and Dr. Watson to help her solve the mystery before it’s too late. Is there really a monster hunting her? Is she bordering delusion? Either she loses her mind, or someone loses their life. The case manages to capture enough of Sherlock’s interest. Soon enough, the dynamic duo is on the hunt!
Honestly, I’ve always absolutely loved the original Sherlock Holmes Series. I haven’t read all of the novels but the ones that I’ve finished, they’re absolutely fantastic. Sherlock Holmes and the Christmas Demon does a good job of emulating Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s style, and Lovegrove makes sure to use a “Sunday” vocabulary which adds to the late 19th-century ambiance. It doesn’t feel time-displaced and adds to the authenticity of the story.
As for the plot, it’s just convoluted enough to be entertaining while still making sense. I couldn’t pick up on any plot holes, which is always good. I genuinely couldn’t put it down. The slow burn is clearly evident: the mystery’s end is finished at an agonizingly slow pace. It makes you even more jittery, like wanting to scratch at an itch but you don’t even know where it is. The plot doesn’t give up on itself quickly which in turn makes you want to gobble up the book. I think I ended up reading 200 pages in one day!
The characters are really dynamic so you get a pretty picture of them, even though there are more than five. Small details about each character are cleverly weaved within the plot itself, which makes for a pleasant, continual build-up of each character. This isn’t an easy task, but Lovegrove manages it well. The way in which the author writes also paints vivid pictures of the castle, the landscape, the fear, and the winter chill. Plus, you don’t even suspect the resolution to the mystery until the very end!
If you’re a fan of the brusque detective novel and a lover of slow burns, this book is for you. You’d do good to sit down with a cup of coffee, hot chocolate or tea and start to read it.
evia_booklover's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lenny_c's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0