This was a fun and quick read. Mick Finlay does a great job with the location and time period. The dirtiness and grit of London at that time was palpable and reminded me of The Suspicions of Mr Whicher and Oliver Twist. Arrowood is such a character - his ridiculousness and bombast at times made me laugh and at other times I found him as annoying and exhausting as everyone around him did. The actual crime tale itself wasn’t very sophisticated, but enjoyable enough to keep me turning the page to see what came next. I will definitely be interested in reading the next installment. ( )

It looks like this is the second book this year to make a link to Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson.
Arrowood can't stand Holmes. Since they live at the same time, Holmes' successes keep coming up. Arrowood's companion Barnett doesn't see it so closely.
A young French woman hires Arrowood and Barnett to find her brother. Unfortunately, she only tells them the truth in bits and pieces throughout the book. This puts not only Arrowood and Barnett in danger, but also many people very close to them. It starts with the two having to go into the territory of Stanley Cream, who threatened them with death on a previous case if they came near him again. In addition to Cream's gang, the Irish Feniers were also breathing down their necks. Unfortunately, they could not count on the help of the police either. Either they were corrupt or they were assigned to Holmes. ( )

I just can't resist reading a book that is set in the same time as Sherlock Holmes. And, the book did seem really promising with Arrowood being the poor man's Sherlock Holmes. However, I had some problems with the story. First, with Arrowood himself and his Sherlock envy. I mean his alias is Locksher and he can't seem to be able to deal with Sherlock Holmes being so popular. Several times does he rant about that. And, it was irritating, and it didn't get better as the story progressed. Thankfully his trustworthy assistant Norman Barrett saves the day. He is, in my opinion, the one that saved this story and made continue reading. Barrett is also very clever and has not the temperament that Arrowood has. Barrett may be Arrowood's Dr. Watson, but Barrett is pretty clever himself and honestly, he would probably do better on his own.

As for the story. It was not easy to get into. The first time I tried reading it did I put it away because the intro didn't grab hold of me. This time did it go better, but I did feel now and then that the story just didn't hold my interest. What kept me going is that I wanted to know the truth about the missing Frenchman and I also hoped that Sherlock Holmes would make an appearance. All and all the mystery was OK, although I had a hard time remember all the characters that showed up. And, to be honest, Arrowood isn't as clever as Holmes and without Barett would he be at a loss.

So, would I read more books in this series? Only if the author promised me that Holmes himself would be in it, otherwise I do not have much interest in reading more books. This one was OK, but reading more about Arrowood isn't something that interests me much.

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review ( )

I just can't resist reading a book that is set in the same time as Sherlock Holmes. And, the book did seem really promising with Arrowood being the poor man's Sherlock Holmes. However, I had some problems with the story. First, with Arrowood himself and his Sherlock envy. I mean his alias is Locksher and he can't seem to be able to deal with Sherlock Holmes being so popular. Several times does he rant about that. And, it was irritating, and it didn't get better as the story progressed. Thankfully his trustworthy assistant Norman Barrett saves the day. He is, in my opinion, the one that saved this story and made continue reading. Barrett is also very clever and has not the temperament that Arrowood has. Barrett may be Arrowood's Dr. Watson, but Barrett is pretty clever himself and honestly, he would probably do better on his own.

As for the story. It was not easy to get into. The first time I tried reading it did I put it away because the intro didn't grab hold of me. This time did it go better, but I did feel now and then that the story just didn't hold my interest. What kept me going is that I wanted to know the truth about the missing Frenchman and I also hoped that Sherlock Holmes would make an appearance. All and all the mystery was OK, although I had a hard time remember all the characters that showed up. And, to be honest, Arrowood isn't as clever as Holmes and without Barett would he be at a loss.

So, would I read more books in this series? Only if the author promised me that Holmes himself would be in it, otherwise I do not have much interest in reading more books. This one was OK, but reading more about Arrowood isn't something that interests me much.

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review ( )

Move over Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson-there's a new pair of consulting detectives in Victorian London. William Arrowhead and Norman Barnett take cases from the lower class of London. The first in what looks to be a good series. ( )