Review of Sherlock Holmes and A Hole in The Devil’s Tail
“Another tale about the True Holmes!
I believe that this is Mr. Messick’s first Holmes adventure, and it starts in the right direction by telling us more about the true Holmes, and just keeps going. Set in the 1890’s, Holmes is faced by two mysteries, a locked room puzzle related to the mysterious murder of a solicitor, and a series of connected murders linked by their ferocity, along with Tarot cards found on the victim’s bodies.
This convoluted tale moves back and forth between the two cases, and Holmes finds himself threatened by the Tarot killer, who promises that, if Holmes does not cease his investigations, retribution will be swift – not on the detective, but rather those that he cares about.
One of the things that I enjoyed most was the investigation of the locked room puzzle, and how it relates to the Hole in the Devil’s Tail, as mentioned in the book’s title. It isn’t what you would expect. And I always enjoy when something is thrown in that teaches me something at no extra charge – in this case, how cracks were repaired in marble statues in ancient times. The way that this bit of information is relevant is a treat, as is the way that Holmes reveals it.
I’ll be looking forward to Mr. Messick’s next offering from Watson’s Tin Dispatch Box.”
Reviewed by David Marcum
Sherlock Holmes and A Hole In The Devil’s Tail is available from all good bookstores including The Strand Magazine, Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK and for free shipping worldwide Book Depository. In ebook format it is in Kindle, Kobo, Nook and Apple iBooks (iPad/iPhone). Also available on Audible.
I believe that this is Mr. Messick’s first Holmes adventure, and it starts in the right direction by telling us more about the true Holmes, and just keeps going. Set in the 1890’s, Holmes is faced by two mysteries, a locked room puzzle related to the mysterious murder of a solicitor, and a series of connected murders linked by their ferocity, along with Tarot cards found on the victim’s bodies.
This convoluted tale moves back and forth between the two cases, and Holmes finds himself threatened by the Tarot killer, who promises that, if Holmes does not cease his investigations, retribution will be swift – not on the detective, but rather those that he cares about.
One of the things that I enjoyed most was the investigation of the locked room puzzle, and how it relates to the Hole in the Devil’s Tail, as mentioned in the book’s title. It isn’t what you would expect. And I always enjoy when something is thrown in that teaches me something at no extra charge – in this case, how cracks were repaired in marble statues in ancient times. The way that this bit of information is relevant is a treat, as is the way that Holmes reveals it.
I’ll be looking forward to Mr. Messick’s next offering from Watson’s Tin Dispatch Box.”
Reviewed by David Marcum
Sherlock Holmes and A Hole In The Devil’s Tail is available from all good bookstores including The Strand Magazine, Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK and for free shipping worldwide Book Depository. In ebook format it is in Kindle, Kobo, Nook and Apple iBooks (iPad/iPhone). Also available on Audible.

Published on December 30, 2016 11:58
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Tags:
book-review, mystery, sherlock-holmes
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Musings of a Sherlockian Publisher
Sherlock Holmes publishing is my passion, and I am very lucky to work with over 50 of the world's best Holmes writers. We also organise The Great Sherlock Holmes Debates and are ardent supporters of S
Sherlock Holmes publishing is my passion, and I am very lucky to work with over 50 of the world's best Holmes writers. We also organise The Great Sherlock Holmes Debates and are ardent supporters of Save Undershaw. We're proud winners of the 2011 Howlett Award (Sherlock Holmes Book of the Year) with the stunning 'The Norwood Author' by Alistair Duncan. The real talent is with the writers - we just get the books out there.
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