James Lovegrove's Sherlock Holmes & The Three Winter Terrors - Review

Sherlock Holmes and The Three Winter Terrors by James Lovegrove

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Three cases of suspicious death surrounded by superstition for the master detective to unravel.

1889. Holmes investigates the drowning of a teenage boy that has been determined as accidental, while whispers of a curse cast by a witch centuries earlier are causing much unease. But, if foul play is at work, Holmes is convinced a human hand is behind it.

1890. A businessman demands Holmes aid him in uncovering the truth behind several unexplained events that suggest he is being haunted. The man is soon found dead, apparently frightened to death by a malign entity. Holmes, however, remains convinced there is a more rational explanation.

1894. Holmes is requested to investigate the death of an esteemed academic, following the cause being declared as an animal attack. But the bite marks on his body were human; suspicions aroused that he has been murdered by a cannibal.

‘The Three Winter Terrors’ is the third in this continuation series by James Lovegrove, following ‘The Christmas Demon’ and ‘The Beast of the Stapletons’, which sees Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson once again investigating murders, supernatural phenomena and folkloric history. Here, Watson presents three novellas, with threads linking them together, hence their collection in one volume.

Featuring the perfect Holmes blend of mystery and suspense with a dose of action and adventure, masterfully entwined with hints of the supernatural, all dominated by Holmes’ deductive brilliance, these three stories thrill on every page, taking us back to the late nineteenth century with vivid description, creating a sense of nostalgia for a time that none of us were yet born to witness. Watching Holmes at work through the eyes of Watson is always entertaining; as well as Holmes’ detective skills, the relationship between the two men makes Conan Doyle’s stories shine and Lovegrove captures that brilliantly, while also developing the supporting characters well throughout these fast-paced narratives.

The narrative mirrors Arthur Conan Doyle’s storytelling style and the voice of John Watson superbly, and the characterisation of Sherlock Holmes is perfection! A lot of attention to detail is paid to the timeline of Conan Doyle’s stories and their publication, with allusions to many of them as well as Lovegrove’s previous two novels, slotting the series perfectly amongst the canon of four novels and numerous short stories, as if these are indeed additional chronicles scribed by John Watson himself. If I had to choose a favourite amongst the tales, it would probably be the first, ‘The Witch’s Curse’, but I enjoyed them all immensely. Having devoured all three books over the last three winters, I very much hope we shall be treated to a fourth in the series.

‘Sherlock Holmes and the Three Winter Terrors’ is a gem for lovers of Sherlock Holmes, detective fiction and Victorian mysteries, as well as those who enjoy fiction with hints of the gothic and the supernatural in the heart of winter.



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