It all started in 1891 when Inspector Lestrade is sent to the Isle of Wight. There he investigates the death of a man who has been walled up in Shanklin Chine. But this is just the start of the random killings. Is there a serial killer stalking England.
Interesting mystery which did take it take time to get going, but there were moments when I felt it was verging towards a comedic story which I believe let it down.
A NetGalley Book ( )

I found this hilarious and delightfully clever. Poor Lestrade suffers indignity and humiliation throughout his pursuit of a serial killer who bases his spree on the text of Struwwelpeter.

The sort of book you wish you'd written. ( )

The period prose and references make it a bit difficult to follow at times unless you're well acquainted with 19th century England (which I'm not, especially), but I found this a fun Victorian murder mystery. In this first book of a series, Lestrade is the protagonist. He's still a bit of a bumbler, certainly not a genius, but he's not a complete dunce. Holmes and Watson, on the other hand, are portrayed as detective wannabes, although they only appear as peripheral characters. At the end of this whodunit, I still was unsure who done it. I had three candidates. The culprit did turn out to be one of them. I can recommend this for original Holmes fans and others who might like a light read in the tradition of the old serials. ( )

I found this hilarious and delightfully clever. Poor Lestrade suffers indignity and humiliation throughout his pursuit of a serial killer who bases his spree on the text of Struwwelpeter.

The sort of book you wish you'd written. ( )

This is not a book for those who are committed to Holmes orthodoxy. This book follows Holmes's Scotland Yard contact, Inspector Lestrade, as he investigates a series of grisly murders. The murders seem to be following the text of a nursery rhyme, and the killer's methods are particularly grotesque. Lestrade is under significant pressure to catch the murderer.

Holmes and Watson both appear in this book, though they look quite different from their Conan Doyle counterparts. Conan Doyle is also a character, hired by Watson to write stories that make Holmes look good. Holmes is little more than a bumbling amateur in this volume.

The entirety of the book is characterized by a dry sense of humor, and I would certainly recommend the book to those who have a sense of humor about their Holmes and their mysteries. I did manage to deduce the murderer before the end, but this was still and entertaining read, and a good bit of parody. ( )