Reviews

The Baker Street Letters by Michael Robertson

exurbanis's review against another edition

4.0

3.5 stars

couillac's review against another edition

3.0

A satisfying enough mystery though there's a distressing lack of realistic roadblocks. Reg, in spite of a lack of detective experience, seems to have a superhuman ability to unearth and translate clues as well as enough money to do whatever he needs to do. In spite of being a suspect in two murders, he's able to come and go between two countries with little to no pushback from authorities. The bodies pile up without much concern for those who died, and we're supposed to care an awful lot about two privileged gentleman detectives without much introduction to them at all. Still, it's easy to read, and the plot unfolds in such a way to keep readers interested and guessing until the end. I'm not sure yet if I'm invested enough in the characters to continue with the series, but the premise is an intriguing one.

eringow's review against another edition

4.0

A quick, fun read that captures the spirit of Sherlock Holmes, the best of the American gumshoe tradition, and two very different cities.

carolsnotebook's review against another edition

3.0

This one doesn't make my "you have to read this list." However, if you're like me and anything with Baker Street calls to you, it's enjoyable.

See my whole review on my blog, Carol's Notebook.

peacefrog's review against another edition

1.0

Found it to be a bit disjointed. Difficult to get attached to the characters.

magicandmystery's review against another edition

4.0

Loved this book! It kept me engaged the entire time. Having been to 221 B Baker street (which is not really a real address, but sandwiched between two unrelated street numbers) I was highly amused by the book. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of British mystery (even though the majority of it is set in Los Angeles. Although not similar to Sherlock Holmes mysterys it does pay homage to a great figure in the mystery world.

eunicek82's review against another edition

2.0

I listened to the book. It was just ok. I found the story to be entertaining enough to keep my interest, but that's about it. I think if I didn't have my expectations set high for a Sherlock Holmes related novel I would've enjoyed it more. I don't think I'll be getting book #2.

beckylej's review against another edition

4.0

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.

lem119's review against another edition

2.0

Maybe I was naive to assume that a novel called The Baker Street Letters that had a premise featuring two brothers solving a crime after receiving a letter meant for Sherlock Holmes would actually relate in some way to the detective. The fact is, apart from the flimsy set-up: the brothers work on the 200 block of Baker Street and therefore receive mail addressed to Holmes, and one of them decides to take a case, the story has absolutely nothing to do with Holmes or any of Doyle's stories. In fact, the action quickly moves to L.A. and doesn't even take place in England. Beyond that, there is very little detective work, particularly not from the protagonists. "Protagonist," I should say, as Nigel, the younger brother, gets barely enough characterization to be called a major character, let alone the lead. However, he still fares better than the older brother, Reggie, who is almost completely unlikeable and not in a brilliant-but-socially-inept Holmes-ish way. The mystery and the plot itself are confusing and muddled, and the conclusion is unsatisfying. Perhaps the loose ends are tied up in the sequel, but I don't care enough to find out. 

mylhibug's review against another edition

4.0

Fun read! Quick too! How's that for a review?

The Heath brothers have an office at 221B Baker Street, the former home of an infamous and fictional detective you may have heard of, Sherlock Holmes. Paper of their lease agreement is to answer any and all correspondence to Mr. Holmes. That concept alone hooked me into starting this series and I'm very happy I did. If you like British humor I think you'll get a kick out of this book, even when the author gives the US and us Yanks a back-handed compliment or ten.

I think the best compliment I can give this book is that I already have the next one lined up in my queue, just waiting on the library now.

Happy reading!