Val Andrews (1926–2006)

This Christmas Sherlock Holmes spin off novella did not really convince me. While the portrayal of Holmes and Watson was reasonably authentic, there was something slightly off key about it in places, especially in the case of Holmes, that I cannot quite put my finger on. The premise was suitably intriguing: a client comes to Sherlock Holmes with what seems like a trivial issue: he has been invited by a near stranger to keep Christmas at his manor house and to bring as many friends as he show more wishes for a long stay into the new year and wonders at his host's motives - needless to say Holmes and Watson accompany him to find out. Of course, all is not as it seems and it is no spontaneous gesture of kindness. The host's true motives form a reasonable plot, though his means of achieving them rather far-fetched. This resolution is reached just over half way through the story, with the remainder taken up by sub-plots that combine to give a happy Christmas ending (though it takes until the following Christmas to reach its full resolution). There was an air of unreality about the whole thing. (Plus for true Holmes fans like me there is a problem with the dates as this story supposedly takes place over the course of a year in the early 1890s, but Holmes was missing for three years from 1891-94 during the "Great Hiatus" following his struggle with Professor Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls; that said, Conan Doyle himself was not consistent over dates either). show less

aargh. If the author would stick to one plot instead of trying to do so much in the short amount of space he has, I'd be grateful. The main plot of this novel was good -- Sherlock Holmes is called upon by a stage magician who had the honor of performing for his majesty King Edward VII at Sandringham House. While there, a theft of a valuable Rembrandt painting occurred, and even though the magician has been cleared of the theft, he worries that his reputation will suffer if word gets out. So show more he asks Holmes & Watson to help him. The magician has been invited to return to Sandringham House to once again perform, and wants Holmes & Watson to accompany him & investigate the theft. Now that is a good plot, but instead of trying to flesh that out somewhat, we have two other plot lines that muddy what could have been a good story. -sigh-

If you're planning on trying this as your first Holmes pastiche, don't. Try some others, then come back around to this one -- it's not as enjoyable as others I've read. show less

This spin-off Sherlock Holmes novel sees the detective and Dr Watson coming out of retirement in 1921 to help Charlie Chaplin find his mother who, suffering from intermittent poor mental health, has disappeared from her carers. But there is more to this than meets the eye. Holmes of course tracks her down (can't give plot details due to spoilers), so that her famous son can ensure she is properly looked after for the rest of her life. A decent read, I enjoyed this more than the author's show more Sherlock Holmes and the Yule-Tide Mystery that I read a few Christmases ago. show less

Holmes and Watson are invited to a Yule-tide party at Shaw Manor by James Harding who was invited to it by the owner, Gerald MacMillan. Holmes has looked into MacMillan's background and knows he is a conman. They all go and meet others who have been invited in the same manner. Mr. MacMillan portrays a jovial man but has his moments when his mask drops. While there they meet Mr. MacMillan's aunt. She is murdered. Who did it? Can Holmes catch the killer?

I found this story a bit slow. Holmes show more is very clever as he explains the murder. I liked the other characters who meet at Christmas. It is an eclectic group of sensible people which Mr. MacMillan figures will be to his advantage as the truth comes to light on many things about him.

I also liked the secondary story arc. I liked that ending. Holmes has an interesting way to end that mystery. show less