Sherlock Holmes and Mrs Hudson are faced with a new challenge…Dangerous magicians! Precious gems! Dastardly Plans! Sherlock Holmes is just the man…But what if Holmes isn’t the only brains at Baker Street?As snow falls on Baker Street, the wintry city is abuzz with excitement: the Malabar Rose – a fabled and enormous ruby – has been sent as a gift to Queen Victoria by the Marharajah of … Victoria by the Marharajah of Marjoudh. An extraordinary condition is attached: the gem must be displayed at London’s sumptuous Blenheim Hotel. How can the safety of this priceless jewel be assured? The authorities wisely enlist the help of Sherlock Holmes and his colleague Dr Watson… but fortunately for them, they are also on the receiving end of help from Holmes’s redoubtable housekeeper Mrs Hudson and her able assistant, Flotsam the housemaid.
The Malabar Rose isn’t the only exotic attraction stirring up excitement in the city, however. World famous magician the Great Salmanazar will be amazing the lucky few who can secure tickets at a once-in-a-lifetime spectacular. Not only that, but the world’s most beautiful woman – the glamorous, if rather risqué, fire dancer Lola Del Fuego – will be joining him on the bill.
With all this excitement and a peculiar disappearance in Ealing, Mrs Hudson and Flottie have their hands full this festive season. Their investigations take in snow-shrouded streets, a toyshop full of wonders, a tumultuous Covent Garden as the New Year rings in and even theatre dressing rooms in Stepney.
This fresh twist on classic Victorian mystery will delight fans and new readers alike.
Martin Davies grew up in north-west England. All his writing is done in cafes, on buses or on trains, and all his first drafts are written in longhand. He has travelled widely, including in the Middle East, India and Sicily. In addition to the Holmes & Hudson Mysteries, he is the author of four other novels, including The Conjurer’s Bird, which sold over 150,000 copies and was selected for the Richard & Judy Book Club and Havana Sleeping, which was shortlisted for the 2015 CWA Historical Dagger award. He works as a consultant in the broadcasting industry.
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If you like Sherlock Holmes, you’ll enjoy this book. The setting is spot on. Mrs. Hudson, Holmes housekeeper and her assistant do some investigating on their own and help solve cases with Holmes and Watson. I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more of this series.
This and his other Mrs. Hudson books are very enjoyable. True to Sherlock in every way with the added incites of Mrs. Hudson. Not at all gimmicky and very good plots.
It’s written in the typical British mystery genre ( Agatha Christie style), but it’s an easy read, entertaining, and not until near the end does one begin to suspect who the villain is.
Loved this book! Mrs Hudson takes a leading role in untangling this mystery, and it is fun to see how it puzzles Watson and Holmes to find her a step ahead of them. A new character, Flotsom, is endearing and insprational.
Nice Victorian mystery, good plot, fun characters. Sherlock would be proud o Mrs. Hudson.
Old fashioned, but fun and easy to read.
I loved it, the character Mrs. Hudson, and the narrator (the tweeny). Great tongue in cheek mystery.
Sherlock gets bested by the inimitable Mrs. Hudson. Suble commentary on the role of women in the 1900’s. New profile of her. And she has a girl orphan to instruct. Intelligent story line. Descriptive prose. Involved plot. If you like the Holmes genr enjoyable reading.
I liked the presentation of 2 intelligent women solving the case in spite of class handicaps.