The Case of the Haunted Haunted House by Drew Hayes

The Case of the Haunted Haunted House by Drew Hayes

It was an utter delight to see Sherman Holmes and Watson back in the pages of another novel. Watson is still trying to help Holmes learn to process the world after his exposure (detailed in the first novel) to a mysterious drug that turned him into a genius—for five minutes at a time. Sherman, trying to follow in the fictional Sherlock’s footsteps, has opened a consulting detective practice and he and Watson are hired to find out who is messing with a “haunted” house. The building in question was the home of a genius, but paranoid, inventor and is rumored to have a great treasure hidden somewhere within it. Unfortunately, it’s also filled to the gills with deathtraps. The current owner has disabled many of the traps and is trying to turn it into a tourist attraction, but things are not going smoothly.

 

There’s no question that this is a fun novel with great puzzles and fabulous banter between Sherman and Watson (and Sherman and the world, for that matter). Unfortunately, I also felt that it dragged at times. There is a lot going on, but the pacing wasn’t always quick enough to keep me satisfied. That being said, I’m still looking forward to the next book.