Reviews

Murder in the Vatican: The Church Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes by Ann Margaret Lewis

sarahareinhard's review

5.0

Reading this book reminded me how much I enjoy a good mystery. I remember reading Sherlock Holmes way back when...and I remember reading this level of writing more often in those books considered classics, too. Lewis really brings it to the table with this book: great storytelling all around. Her characters are solid, her setting is impeccable, her mystery is gripping. Where, I have to ask, is her next book? Because I'm ready for it! Highly recommended.

impreader's review

2.0

A bit on the weak side, this immensely interesting book in terms of subject matter falls rather short in its delivery. It is a collection of three short stories detailing Holmes unrecorded--though briefly mentioned--forays into the Vatican. While Lewis writes a lovely voice for Pope Leo, she seems to invested in placing the Church in il cuore degli sui racconti. Sans the tension between Holmes God of Reason, and the Pope's God of Grace, there is little tension outside the trade tautness of murder and mystery, and thus the characters become too cut-out, too controlled--Holmes too tame, Watson near indiscernable. Though it is worth noting that Lewis's Pope Leo makes an excellent recorder of Holmesian escapades--if only her Holmes were up to snuff to be recorded.

margaret_hovestadt's review

5.0

I really enjoyed this. Not the most perfect book, but it made me smile and drew me in. I found myself wishing for more stories like this.

bev_reads_mysteries's review

4.0

In Murder in the Vatican: The Church Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes, Ann Margaret Lewis successfully brings us three tales that John Watson mentions in his stories but never gave readers the details. The Great Rat of Sumatra has often been the subject of authorial speculation, but this the first time I have found renditions of "the sudden death of Cardinal Tosca," "the Vatican cameos," and "the two Coptic Patriarchs." Lewis handles the well-known characters of Homes and Watson with great care and attention to the ways and writings of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. And in the second story (cameos), she turns the narration over to Pope Leo XIII and manages a charming narrative that remains true to the spirit of Holmes.

Unlike many Americans who have written Holmes pastiches, Lewis makes us believe that these really could be stories penned by Dr. Watson and discovered in that battered dispatch box. The details are vivid and the tales feel authentic. She also manages to work theological explanations into the narrative without making readers feel as though they have sat through a religious lecture. Full marks for Holmesian atmosphere as well as pretty little puzzles for the master detective to unravel. Holmes is given full scope to exhibit his famous observational powers and deductive reasoning. An added bonus is his interactions with a certain soon-to-be Father Brown and the period-style pen and ink illustrations.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.

elinorgray's review

5.0

This was a lovely trio of short Holmes mystery pastiches. Very true to the tone of the Canon, lighthearted and very clever. Holmes's voice is perfect (the reader can hear Clive Merrison or Jeremy Brett as they prefer, as Holmes speaks), and Watson is as reliable a confidante as ever. Pope Leo XIII makes a good mystery solving companion as well in "The Vatican Cameos"!

Enjoyed this a lot. Read it straight through beginning to end.