I like most of the stories in this book (a merger of 2 seperate anthologies) but some are quite bad. Still tho, I like Holmes and he gets plenty of room here to show off his skills.

These stories are presented in chrological order of their publication in 'Strand' magazine and follow immediatly after 'A Study in Scarlet' and 'The Sign of Four'. Tho their timelines bounce around all over the place and it's hard to keep track.

My fave stories would be 'The Speckled Band' or 'The Engineer's Thumb'. Both of which are from 'Adventures'. The only story I really enjoyed from 'Memoirs' is 'The Silver Blaze'. Many of them seem to be rehashes of his older plots.

Tho highly regarded in the literary community I find Conan-Doyles writing style to be confusing and inappropriate. As most of you know the stories are told from the point of view of Watson, Holmes' sidekick. But his narration of the events takes a backseat to very, very lengthy dialogues (which are mostly overwritten monologues). The narrative shifts back and forth and all over the place. It's not uncommon to see '''" before a typical line of speech. If you get lost, don't worry...I did too. The story 'The Musgrave Ritual' especially is badly told, plain and simple.

Plus Watson's function in most of this hardly ever reaches out of 'The Casual Observer'. All he does is witness Holmes' crime-solving techniques. Which usually only last a couple of pages as most of each story (typical length 21 pages) devotes about 13 pages to set-up. Hardly well balanced is it?

The last story 'The Final Problem' isn't even a mystery at all and just seems like a badly thought-out excuse for Conan-Doyle to kill of a character he felt totally indifferent about. Even tho the public loved Holmes. Why Moriarty is seen as a massive villain is beyond me because he hardly does anything at all.

The overall quality of the short stories is average. The full novels is where Holmes and Watson REALLY have something to other than fool around in low-level stories. You'll definitely be interested in some of the stories in this certain edition, but they lack meaning or purpose.

This particular edition comes with extensive notes at the back with numbers for each story to help clear up any confusion. Some of them are helpful for when you are reading and the rest give away plot points and ruin some of the developements.

As I am a Holmes completist I stuck it out and finished every one of these stories. If you are too then I'd recommend this Penguin edition over the others. They seem to always print the best copies of Holmes.

THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES and THE MEMOIRS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES are here collected into a single volume in this Penguin edition. Two compediums of short stories published after the detective's introduction in the novels A STUDY IN SCARLET and THE SIGN OF FOUR, these are concise bits that are just as good a first exposure to Holmes as the novels.

Because the cases of Sherlock Holmes, dutifully chronicled by his companion Dr. Watson, may not appeal to everyone, I won't focus here on reviewing the stories themselves, as it is the features of this particular edition that are of note.

Iain Pears' introduction is quite enlightening, showing the tendency of Arthur Conan Doyle to make the troubles in Holmes' stories come from England's colonies, which is strange considering Conan Doyle's support of equality and respect for all peoples. Pears' also discusses the change in the style of the Holmes stories, from the rational youth of Conan Doyle to the latter days of his life when he was interested in spiritualism and mysticism.

There are footnotes to each story, compiled by Ed Glinert. An expert on literature set in London, Glinert explains the geographical settings of the Holmes stories, and defines anachronistic terms that are no longer use. He also points out the mistakes Arthur Conan Doyle frequently made in his stories, which are often quite amusing (Watson's wife calling him by the wrong name, contradicting timelines, etc).

Because of the illuminating introduction and the helpful footnotes, I'd recommend over any others this edition of THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES and THE MEMOIRS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES.

This book really is the story about a girl who lives in her books and learns to live outside of the imaginary world she creates. The book is a satire of the Gothic novel, but I think it is more than that. It's the story how the words one person says may be reflected onto someone else and how they can be interpreted to either enrich or ruin another's life. The way that John Thorpe, in order to make himself look better, "enriched" Catherine's story; the diverging opinions of James & Isabella; the general falseness of Isabella & John; and how the simplest statement can be misconstrued & almost ruin a friendship.

Catherine, by living in her novels (aided by Henry, of course), sees things that aren't really there when she visits Northanger Abbey. She makes mountains out of mole-hills. Thankfully, Henry acknowledges the role he had in creating these fantasies and is able to help her laugh it off.

This is a great Austen novel, and although you can tell that it was her first, I think it ranks right up there with the others.

I spent most of the story wishing to dance with the witty Henry Tilney, slap the artful and manipulative Isabella, lose my temper with the deceitful John, and give Catherine Morland a good shake to knock some sense into her.

That said, any book that can drag me into the characters' lives as Northanger Abbey did is praiseworthy. It's an easy read once you get the hang of the language.

I really enjoyed Austen's tongue-in-cheek lambasting of novelists whose heroines never read novels - "Yes, novels; for I will not adopt that ingenerous and impolitic custom so common with novel-writers, of degrading by their contemptuous censure the very performances, to the number of which they are themselves adding-joining with their greatest enemies in bestowing the harshest epithets on such works, and scarcely ever permitting them to be read by their own heroine, who, if she accidentally take up a novel, is sure to turn over its insipid pages with disgust." Her derision for the flights of fancy of the Gothic novelists of the day are readily apparent throughout the novel. Catherine imagines herself in romantic, mysterious situations (found in her favorite novel, Udolpho), as when she first thinks of her upcoming visit to the Abbey: "To see and explore either the ramparts and keep of the one, or the cloisters of the other, had been for many weeks a darling wish, though to be more than the visitor of an hour had seemed too nearly impossible for desire." Yet when she arrives she is disappointed in its modernity and normalcy - something that wouldn't be tolerated in a Gothic tale!

If the ends of books are like desserts, then the end of Northanger Abbey could be compared to Jell-O rather than Cherries Jubilee, but the readers should focus on the meat and potatoes instead. All in all, an enjoyable read.

While this was one of the last Jane Austen novels published, it was the first one to be written. I read this book before I was familiar with the conventions of the Gothic novel, but this book is a worthy send up of all of those conventions. Even if you are not especially familiar with the works of Anne Radcliffe or Monk Lewis, this novel is worth your time. The opening three pages which describe why Catherine Morland really isn't the heroine type are as funny as anything you'd read today. Other great passages are when Austen defends the reading of fiction in a passionate aside, and when Catherine becomes convinced that General Tilney is keeping his wife locked up in the dungeon of Northanger Abbey.

In this book, we have the beginnings of Jane's devastating wit as she tears apart society. We also have the benefit of some witty one liners, flighty characters and hilarious situations. (Of special note is the fact that it would seem that college men have ALWAYS been drinking and swearing type guys... although Austen discretely blanks out the 'dirty' words so as not to offend her readers.)

I used to rush home from work to read this book, and was not disappointed in it at all, from beginning to end. This is the best place to start with Austen (well, you could also read her juvenilia if you want... it is more silly than anything, but entertaining nonetheless), and it's definitely a fun read.

Worn out from a recent excess of cases, Holmes and Watson are taking it easy when a telegram reaches them from Inspector MacDonald, a man Holmes greatly respects. It seems that Professor Josiah Addleton, an eminent historian, had been killed under grotesque circumstances at the village of Little Stoke in the Vale of the Bittern.

Rushing off to the village, Holmes and Watson discover that Addleton had been excavating a barrow near the village. In addition to the prehistoric contents of the barrow, the Professor was also on a quest to discover treasure stolen four centuries before from a local monastery. In addition there are two equally ancient royal charters. These charters were needed to resolve a long standing argument over land holdings between two prominent local families - The Grey's and the Forrester's. Something the Professor knew triggered his murder, but what is a mystery.

Watson investigates the village, talking to the people and accumulating lore about local legends and myths. Children's rhymes and old men's tales. Little Stoke was the site of a colorful 16th century history, from smugglers to knights, as well as a rich prehistory full of barrows and cairns. Holmes, on the other hand, focuses on the chief players. Rowland Forrester, and William and Mary Grey are the opponents in the argument over land rights. Professor Frey and Portland Donner, were Addleton's partners at the dig. There are many others whose roles are less clear, but whose part in the mystery is undoubted. Holmes and Watson uncover layer after layer of mystery and deception as they seek the murderer, the missing treasure and documents.

The tale itself is mystifying and entertaining. I found myself immersed in each of the several stories that unravel under Holmes' piecing eye. There is something here for everyone, from horseracing to archeology, and the pictures of rural England make it a 19th century travelogue as well. Only a few qualms have kept me from giving the novel a 5 star rating.

The first is the writing style. Since none of Doyle's stories really classify as full blown novels, writers who venture into this territory must create a believable Watsonian style for themselves. In James Stefanie's case he had adopted some of the approaches that Doyle uses elsewhere, and backfilled with his own invention. Unfortunately, while the writing is good, it does not always ring true to Watson, showing much more attention to local color and far more philosophical brooding than Doyle's Watson ever demonstrated.

Throughout the first hundred pages of "The Charters Affair" you might ask yourself why James Stefanie included so much detail and description. If you did and continued to read until the plot took over, the answer became self-evident: familiarity. You gain a such feel for the area and its inhabitants that you almost become one of the people sitting in the parlor as Holmes unveils the perpetrator at the end of the story.

For a first-time reader of the Holmes genre, like myself, the Charters Affair included just the right amount of background and reminiscence to answer some of my questions concerning the relationship between Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. It also allowed me to see the two men as separate and distinct personalities. Holmes with his systematic, unidirectional, unbending, and often Machiavellian drive contrasted starkly with Watson's thoughtful, sometimes muddling, optimistic and occasionally flustered, all too human view of life. Seeing Holmes through Watson's eyes, with a doctor's concern for the physical wellbeing of a friend, was illuminating, and added depth to the narrator.

And as the story is a reminiscence, the author's use of somewhat antiquated language worked well. My studies in England acquainted me with the style and verbiage employed by Mr. Stefanie in telling this story, and for me enhanced the experience markedly.

Without giving away the plot, the tale is a complex interwoven fabric of many eras, including a tribal burial in pre-Druid times, the monastic middle ages, the granting and misplacing of land charters, the pirate trade, and a Holmesian-era expedition to excavate the tor that brings Holmes and Watson to the area to solve a murder mystery. All in all, great intellectual fun with twists and turns, a complex plot, and very interesting characters.

I had the good fortune to tip a pint or two with James Stefanie shortly after his novel was published, and after our conversation wondered not whether Sherlock Holmes had actually lived, but whether Dr. Watson had ever actually died.

I have read and re-read the Sherlock Holmes mysteries over and over for the past 60+ years. Mr. Stefanie has captured the essence and being of both Holmes, and Watson - a feat yet to be accomplished by writers of Holmesian stories in this day and age.The description of places and people in this book are without equal. If you've never been to England, you will upon reading this book, immediately want to pack your bags and seek out these bucolic villages and quaint places. If you've already been to England, the nostalgia will be overwhelming. His vivid descriptions paint a picture of Holmes' Victorian England that will send the reader back in time. Here is a writer who may be an alter-ego of Sherlock Holmes, or a reincarnation of Conan Doyle. This book is a "keeper" - to be read, and re-read, each time with the expectation of once more meeting the great Sherlock Holmes and his side-kick the erstwhile Dr. Watson ala Conan Doyle.

This book is written from black's point of view and will encourage you to play the Modern Benoni once again. Many of John Watson's (indeed most) suggestions are excellent. However be sure you try them out in some blitz games before staking yourself to a verbatim repetition! A couple are, shall we say, interesting? Especially requiring care are those concerning the dreaded f4 & Bb5+ lines. All in all very worth buying but requiring lots of independent thinking.

The Benoni is to me one of the hardest openings to master. A lot of schemes seem to be equivalent but they all differ in subtles move order or transpositions or piece manoeuvres. The book is excellent to understand the different systems, but the matter demands a lot of work.

First of all, for those who are new to the Modern Benoni, reading the book 'Modern Benoni' by Andrew Kinsman will help to grasp the general considerations for both black and white point of view.

In the future, if anybody asks me what a really good repertoire book should look like, I will point them to The Gambit Guide to the Modern Benoni. Noted author and theoretician John Watson provides his usual thorough analysis and insight, but he goes beyond even the normal call of duty here. This book redefines much theory of the Modern Benoni, and that makes it an extraordinary book.

In the book's forword, Watson notes that, inspired by the play of Mikhail Tal, the Modern Benoni was his first defense. This may have motivated Watson to put so much time and effort into rehabilitating some of the lines that are considered critical for black's survival. Time will tell whether these attempts hold up in praxis, but there can be no denying the serious effort that this book represents.

First, there is a great deal of original analysis - probably as much as in any recent book I've seen. In some cases, this translates into some revolutionary ways at looking at a particular line. In other places, it is the more workmanlike move tweaking that any strong player must do to maintain a high class repertoire. Combined, there are enough new ideas and analysis to confound the typically booked up player (as long as they do not own this book). In other instances, Watson takes existing theory and provides useful guidance. Throughout, there are abundant game fragments, and the author is willing to comment when he feels that positions have been evaluated incorrectly. In my opinion, that questioning attitude is one of the book's strengths.

While the "full coverage" approach to an opening is preferred, Watson sidesteps many of the general problems that arise with this more limiting repertoire approach. As with his earlier excellent repertoire books on the French, Watson generally provides two (or more) methods for playing the key variations. This reduces concerns that an author's choices might not fit with a player's stylistic (or other) preferences. It also provides an alternate method if theory busts a recommended line. Still, there are occasions where (even in this excellent book) I was disappointed that a line that interests me was not covered.

In return, the author can spend more space on the lines he recommends. This is a practical trade-off that Watson appreciates more than some authors. There are occasions where he chooses one of two playable alternatives because it does not require learning (and presenting!) as much theory. Many practical players have adopted this "theory saving" technique, and in the long run it will serve most players well.

It's not surprising that the largest chapters are devoted to pawn storm systems (including the Taimanov 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6 4.Nc3 exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.e4 g6 7.f4 Bg7 8.Bb5+) and the modern main line (6.Nf3 g6 where white intends to play a further combination of h3 and Bd3). Watson concludes that these are the most serious challenges to the variation, and they are, at the moment, white's most oft-played methods. However, there are plenty of interesting white choices against the Modern Benoni, and Watson provides good coverage throughout. Indeed, he suggests that many of the lesser-played alternatives create their own problems, and he is happy to wade into these even when other books don't mention them.

In conclusion, this is an outstanding book about a very interesting fighting defense. John Watson has greatly updated and re-evaluated the theory of the Modern Benoni. Any player interested in learning (or refreshing their knowledge of) a sharp, combative defense should consider this book.

This is really a good book for Java Developers who wish to develop XML based applications. Couple of chapters have good examples and explains concepts in a very clear format. Also the book is upto date with all the latest concepts in XML world.

I have been working with XML for a while now, and this book offered a great coverage of most aspects of what XML application developers need to know. I am not able to keep up with everything happening in this very broad part of the industry - and this book provided enough coverage of the areas I'm not able to focus on on a regular basis to help me stay current. I'd recommend it for anyone who's working with specific areas within XML and want to stay current with the broader scope of what is going on. I'd also recommend it for anyone who is new to XML and wants to know the various Java APIs out there.

This is surely one of the Best Books availale in Market for Java Developers. I have been waiting to read a Book which covers all the latest XML API and how use them using latest Java Tools. Thanks to Wrox Publications for bringing this book to us. It covers how to do XML programming using all the latest Java API line I/O Sockets, Developing Presentation Logic, Developing Configuration and Deployment logic, Using XML in B2B applications. In short no other book in Market provides such a clear understanding of how to develop Java Based XML Applications.

Also it clearly explains how to use the latest Java Based XML Parsers like Xerces, Xalan and more. Friends if you need to get upto date with all the latest Java Based Parsers and different XML API, then this Book is really the Best one.

June Thomson is a British mystery writer who has published about 18 novels concerning her own characters, and three pastiche collections of Sherlock Holmes short stories. What she seems to be doing here is getting another book out of her research and thoughts about the Holmes and Watson characters, as accumulated during the writing of the three short-story collections.

There is not much that is original here, and Thomson leans particularly heavily on D. Martin Dakin's SHERLOCK HOLMES COMMENTARY. What is good is Thomson's refusal to speculate wildly. She hews in a Fundamentalist way to the letter of the Canon; and, her main interest is the changing relations between Holmes and Watson, particularly as affected by Holmes' increasing deteriorating mental stability, and Watson's two marriages.

Thomson's two claims of originality lie in her identification of the person Watson disguised as the "King of Bohemia"--- an identification I don't buy at all; and, her identification of Watson's mysterious second wife, an identification I find brilliant and completely convincing.

This 2001 ... edition seems to be printed directly from the plates of the 1995 British edition, and the type shows quite a bit of damage, with a number of missing letters.

If you are a lover of the Canon, and of Holmes and Watson, you'll find much to ponder in this organized review of what few hints the Canon gives us on matters of the actual dates of various cases, and on the day-to-day life and relationship of the Great Detective and his faithful Boswell.

June Watson has written several books of Holmes short stories (under the titles 'The Secret of Sherlock Holmes' - File, Chronicles, Journals) but here writes a biography of both Holmes and Watson, with especial attention to their friendship.

In writing this book, she draws heavily upon the writings of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (things written by anyone else is ignored) and establishes a chronology of the stories, espouses her own theories and makes reference to those of other Holmesians and Sherlockians.

This is a well-trodden path - first treader, as far as I know was Baring-Gould - but Ms. Thomson does a good job. The whole thing hangs together wonderfully - she foreshadows future ideas, she refers back to her previous views, and has plainly thought this project through.

And, yes, she addresses the age-old questions - was Watson shot in the shoulder or the leg, why does Mrs. Watson call her husband John "James", how many times was Watson married and to who, who was Mrs. Turner, which university did Holmes go to, etc.

If you are interested in the Holmes canon (as opposed to the stories) you may want to read this one.

Excellent "biography" (originally published in 1995) of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson from an accomplished mystery writer and Sherlockian scholar. The details and discussions are drawn directly from the original Holmes stories and features none of the unfounded or fanciful speculations that clog so many other Holmes "biographies". Thomson does offer other scholars' differing or dissenting opinions and interpretations, conjectures, and so on, where appropriate for a well-rounded text. The writing style is excellent and eminently readable, avoiding the dry scholarly style of some other studies. Well documented and footnoted, this is almost as entertaining to read as the actual Holmes stories themselves. Highly recommended.

I would rate this book as being among the top 3 books out there on C# right now (the other two being C# and the .NET Platform by Andrew Troelsen and Programming C# from Jesse Liberty). The language is clear and each topic is succintly covered without sacrificing content. However this is not the book for advanced users given that the book does spend a good deal of time discussing programming fundamentals.

In order to get the most out of this book be sure to work on the case studies found at the end. These do a great job of tying everything together.

I wanted to learn C# (and learn more about .Net), and I'm coming from a mostly VB and ASP background. I was happy with Wrox's "C# Programming with the Public Beta" book (co-written by Watson), but wanted something that was more complete. At close to 1000 pages, this book certainly FEELS complete. It is also smartly outlined with excellent examples and exercises at the end of each chapter (but where are the answers??). Best of all once you step through the chapters on Windows and the web, there are TWO complete Case Studies (something I love about the Wrox books), and an article about building an Online Shopping Cart Using C#.
This book is similar in quality to Ivor Horton's "Beginning Java 2" books. (Only with better examples, in my opinion).

Wanting to move up to a more sophisticated WEB language (from ASP,VB) I've bought quite a few books on .Net and C#. However, all of them left me with a lot of questions on how to just get started with the language.

This book solves all those problems. Anyone new to C# or just object oriented programming, can learn from this book.

The way that Karli eases you into the concepts and describes what each line of code does is extremely helpful.

This book is probably NOT for the Intermediate to Advanced programmer as Karli covers a lot of basic programming concepts. However, It also is a great primer for anyone wanting exposure to the language.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was very impressed with it. I checked it out from the library to read it but I'm definitely buying a copy for myself. First of all, it was just a well written and entertaining book. Some scenes were hilarious while others were postively heartbreaking. Secondly, I found it to be very true to the spirit of Doyle's stories and to his Holmes and Watson. I felt that Meyer did an excellent job with Holmes' character. Holmes was slightly different from what he was in the canon but I felt that this could have been how Doyle would have written Holmes had he ever chosen to write a story such as this. Meyer also had Holmes and Watson's relationship down to perfection. I loved how he seemed to realize how important Watson was to Holmes. The deductions in the book were also very good. Most of them were worthy of Sir Arthur himself. I also liked Meyer's footnotes. I thought they were cool. What I loved most about the book though was that I got the strong impression that it was written out of a love for the canon and not out of a love for the money. The book appeared to have been written by someone who had read and re-read the canon and not by someone who was getting all their information from the Basil Rathbone movies.

I should add that the book does deviate from the canon so I have to advise caution if you're a purist. The book gives a different explanation for the Great Hiatus and Moriarty isn't portrayed as Doyle wrote him. I can understand how some people could have a problem with this. I admit that I did too at first. But I don't anymore. Although I love Doyle's Holmes stories, I realize that they are not perfect. They are not without their faults and contradictions and I feel that those who love the canon the most are the ones who will try to correct the faults and explain away the contradictions. And I felt that that was the reason for the book's deviation from the canon. So I would highly recommend it unless you just can't tolerate a deviation from Doyle's work.

THE SEVEN-PER-CENT SOLUTION is a story unparalleled in the annals of criminal detection. Discovered in Hampshire, England, where it had lain neglected since 1939, then painstakingly researched and annotated for two years by editor Nicholas Meyer, THE SEVEN-PER-CENT SOLUTION marks the first publication of a heretofore unknown and astounding episode in the career of Sherlock Holmes as recorded by his closest friend and chronicler, Dr. John H. Watson.

Even more remarkable than the historic discovery of Watson's transcript are the revelations it contains concerning the real identity of the heinous Professor Moriarity, the dark secret shared by Sherlock and brother Mycroft Holmes, and the detective's true whereabouts and activities during the Great Hiatus when the world believed him dead.

Most astounding of all, THE SEVEN-PER-CENT SOLUTION details the events that led to the meeting in Vienna of the world's two most brilliant investigators and their collaboration on a sensational case of diabolic conspiracy.

John Hamish Watson was born in England in 1847. After a childhood spent abroad, he returned in 1872 and enrolled in the University of London Medical School, where he took his degree six years later. After finishing the course at Netley prescribed for Army surgeons, he was attached to the Fifth Northumberland Fusiliers and sent to India. Severly wounded by a Jezail bullet at the Battle of Maiwand during the Second Afghan War, in 1880, he returned to England, his health ruined, with no specific plans other than to live as best he could on his Army pension. In January of the following year, quite by accident, he met Sherlock Holmes, who was then looking for someone to share his lodgings. The ensuing friendship, which lasted until Holmes' death found Watson his niche as the great detective's biographer through more than sixty cases. In his spare time he resumed the practice of medicine. In 1889 he married Mary Morstan. He died in Britain in 1940.

First, the review from "henry@coombs.anu.edu.au" contains several mistakes. Lestrade does not appear in "The Valley Of Fear", and that story is a prequel to "The Adventure Of The Final Problem". Second, it is probable that Watson altered events in FP in order that it would appear as though it was his first look at Moriarty, since it was the reader's as well. By "Valley Of Fear", readers know who it is, so it is unnecessary to do the same thing. Watson has plainly stated that he altered facts to make stories suitable for the reading public. Third, there is no "official" Holmes continuity. You accept what you, the reader, wish to accept. Nothing more. I disagree with his thoughts on the later Doyle stories, but that is a matter of opinion.

That said, this is a great book which does what Doyle never bothered to do; make the narrative an intense character study where we find out some of the deepest corners of Holmes' mind. This is Sherlock Holmes at it's best, filled with splendid characterization and a cunning mystery. The drama is this story is incredible; Holmes' confrontation with Sigmund Freud is heartstopping, and his moments of weakness are heartbreaking. There are also many nice touches that warm a reader's heart, like examining Watson and his wife, Mary Morstan, and her references to "brandy and soda" and calling him "Jack".

The mystery is also quite good, and appears halfway through the book (but does not forget to deal with Holmes' addiction). There are moments of high drama and action which are integrated nicely and paced swiftly. Holmes' deductions are excellent and well thought out.

If you have ever felt that Doyle's stories lacked emotional investment for the reader, then this is the book to read.

Doyle was an excellent writer, but he did not truly understand what a wonderful character he had created in Sherlock Holmes. He saw him as merely a calculating machine, perhaps never noticing the hidden passion that he placed within the character; the kindness and heart within Holmes.

But Nicholas Meyer did.

And he displayed it in a novel that was a bestseller, that led to a feature film, and revitalized Holmes in the late twentieth century. With creators like these, with people that care so deeply about him, Sherlock Holmes will survive for another hundred years.

Final notes. Meyer is the director of several movies, including the movie adaptation of this novel, and a few Star Trek movies.

This book does have it's mistakes, and one is that if Moriarty is what he is in this novel, then "Final Problem", "Empty House" and "Valley Of Fear" are lies that slander an innocent, if annoying man.

Being a huge fan of both Sherlock Holmes and vampires, I pounced on this book when I first saw it. I expected great things from two of my favorite genres put together!

Alas, it was not to be. The story is only a rewrite of Stoker's "Dracula" with Holmes kind of thrown in for flavour. There is absolutely no point for Holmes' involvement and, in fact, the client who brought him the case in the first place just sort of disappears. The story remains more-or-less true to the origional which, as I said, means there is no reason for Holmes to be there. The action, such as it is, is confusing and unnecessary. For example, a lot of space is taken up with a boat race which seemed like it was written in just to put some action in the story.

As much as I wanted to recommend this, I can't. A much better mix of Holmes/Dracula is Saberhagen's "The Holmes/Dracula File". Give this one a miss.

A rather clever retelling of the Bram Stoker tale with Holmes as a character, narrated, of course, by Watson, and purporting to be a part of the main canon. Estleman is good at recreating the Holmesian aspect: the boughs howling in moonlit graveyards, the gas-lamps' blobby light in thick fog, etc. He's done his research as to the period and the writing style, and it does work. (Less present is the macabre horror of Stoker's novel.) On the whole, it's a great idea, and the book presents Victorian thrills and action and chase scenes aplenty. Only the end of the book is a disappointment: in order not to rewrite too disruptively the Dracula side, Esteleman must leave Holmes out of the finale altogether, making for a rather anticlimactic ending.

What a read! This is a terrific book, fun to read and full of atmosphere as Holmes and Watson become involved in the Sanguinary Count's attempt to leave Transylvania and make England his home. Estlemen has written this chronicle, of course, as John H. Watson, M.D. It is Watson's account of Sherlock Holmes part in the Dracula saga, written to rectify this important omission in Bram Stoker's account, at Professor Van Helsing's request, according to Watson.

There is a fun exitement to this account, true to the flavor of the origional adventures. From the time a ship is discovered off the English coast, no crew but a dead captain with unusual puncture marks on his neck and a cargo of full of Tranylvanian earth, Holmes and Watson know this is going to be no ordinary case. Reluctant at first to believe in the possibility of Vampires, Holmes, and more unwillingly, Watson, finally accept the existence of the undead.

When Holmes and Watson track down the "Bloofer Lady" through the strange abduction of children, later found alive but disoriented from blood loss, she turns out to be none other than Lucy Westenra. Their chase culminates in the witnessing of her impalement at the hands of Van Helsing, Harker and the gang from "Dracula". Van Helsing is a little annoyed that Holmes knows who he and his companions are already and much more. Helsing and his friends fill Holmes in on the tale of Count Dracula but Helsing dismisses the offer of help from Holmes and Watson. Holmes and Watson go it alone while the Dracula crew continues their own well chronicled pursuit.

There is more than one dangerous encounter with the evil Dracula and when he uses Watson's beloved wife Mary as a deadly pawn, Sherlock Holmes must use all his intellect and cunning to save her life. Watson's bravery and the help of the Baker Street Irregulars play a part in this marvelous and thrilling adventure. There isn't a dull moment in this fast and fun read and you'll be sorry when it's over.

... The boat chase near the end as Holmes and Watson must thwart Dracula's attempt to flee to America, while saving Mary's life, is a particular highlight in a book full of them. So come, Amazon buyer, the game is afoot, and time is of the essence!

This is part of the whole cottage industry which produces riffs upon and spin-offs of Arthur Conan Doyle's classic Sherlock Holmes stories. The author is actually listed as "John Watson, M.D." and Millett is listed as the "editor" in order to preserve the total illusion that this is a "lost" manuscript only recently recovered and edited, complete with footnotes of explanation. This premise, although hokey in one sense, was actually quite effective in getting me into the spirit of the book. This book alleges to account for some of the missing time of the dynamic duo by placing them in Minnesota in 1894. I confess to being a neophyte to the Holmes canon, having read only a few stories and been mostly exposed to it via the excellent British television productions. Thus, I am in no position to comment on the books faithfulness, or lack thereof, to the details of the series, or to the replication of writing style. However, it is a fun read. Based on a great deal of historical research, the book has Holmes and Watson hired by a rail baron to solve the mystery of a mysterious outbreak of arson attacks on his line. The mystery itself isn't too tricky, but a rousing conclusion more than makes up for any other deficiencies. A must for Holmes fans, and a good period mystery even if you're not a big Holmes reader.

The first of Millett's Sherlock Holmes in Minnesota series, I read this after "Ice Palace Murders," but the order of reading isn't crucial. If you like one, you'll like the other. This one has more adventure and is probably a little truer to the Doyle stories, though I must admit I was constantly picturing Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce as I was reading the book, and, since I love those movies, that is meant to be a compliment. As with the Ice Palace book, I found the footnotes to be bothersome, and again, the villian's identity is kept from us long after even Watson knows. The villian himself is a fairly minor character, so the ultimate unmasking, especially since it comes after a thrilling battle on a burning bridge, is anti-climactic. Still, quite enjoyable. I'll be looking forward to the next one in paperback.

This is a must read for fans of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Holmes solves a satisfying mystery in the northwoods of Minnesota in one of the best Sherlock Holmes stories that I have ever read including the originals. The background setting is accurately painted by the first-time novelist, and the book is very well written. All of the elements that make Doyle's characters so popular can be found in the novel as well. There are a cast of interesting characters that can puzzle a reader as to who the red demon is. I guessed who the villian was......