Book Review: “The Secret Journal of Dr. Watson” by Phil Growick

Friends, I am excited to begin what shall be a series of reviews. I am currently digesting a slew of Sherlock Holmes related books and will be reviewing each one upon its completion. The first of which is Phil Growick‘s “The Secret Journal of Dr. Watson.”

[image error]The premise of this book is rather pleasing, one last Holmes adventure chronicled by of course Dr. Watson. However unlike other novels with the same premise, this one stands apart in several ways, all of which are nothing less than enthralling. While elements of the book must be kept secret for the to-be, I can tell you that a descendant of the good Doctor finds himself in possession of this secret journal, and this, is by Dr. Watson’s own design. A wonderful hook right at the start of this book and yet only the beginning of what shall be a most epic journey.

Mr. Growick’s attention to detail and intricate knowledge of geography and world history is staggering, throughout this book we find Holmes and Watson in the middle of a series of world events. Events that due to his superb writing style marry fiction and non-fiction in such a way that you begin to believe that not only did Holmes exist, that he may have had a hand in the course of our natural history. This is a rather pleasant sensation and one that will remain with you throughout the book.

Growick clearly loves to take you down a path, then throw you off the path only to then make you wonder if that path ever existed at all. The ploys, ruses and plots that constantly unfold throughout the book are brilliant, well crafted and nothing less than what we would expect of Holmes. As most of us know I adore the deductions of Holmes and draw many of my conclusions from the authors use of them as well as their plausibility and substance. Phil Growick does not disappoint.

The deductions of Holmes in this book are beyond excellent, extremely engaging and worthy of re-reading quite a few times, I certainly did. However some of the best deductions and moments of logical thinking come to us in a contemplative form. We peer in to see Holmes thought process quite often as he often confides to Watson what is going through his mind. Seeing as how Sherlock is rightfully suspicious of nearly ever character he comes into contact with on this journey, we are fed plenty of well crafted deductions and extremely elegant breakdowns.

As you follow Holmes and Watson through this non stop adventure you find yourself right there with Sherlock, asking questions, developing answers which lead you to even more questions. You begin to read faster, the sound of the turning pages ever increasing like an out of control metronome.

While some books end with a sense of closure, others with a feeling of confusion, this wonderful [image error]tale leaves you literally begging for just a few more pages. You find yourself examining the back cover closely to see if Mr. Growick has sealed inside some hidden envelope with the answers to a few tantalizing cliffhangers. Something, upon reading his work I would not put it past him to do.

Get this book, download it to your favorite device or sit back on the couch with the paperback copy as I did. However you prefer to read it, just do so and you will not be disappointed. This is an epic journey that spans the time frame of nearly a century. As I sit here typing this I still find myself with the urge to contact Mr. Growick and offer him bribes for an envelope with just one more page in it…

-Joe Riggs

Follow Phil Growick on Twitter.

Buy “The Secret Journal of Dr. Watson” on Amazon.

—————————————————————————————————

Joe’s book (raising funds for Save Undershaw) ‘The Real Sherlock Holmes‘ is available all good bookstores including Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and in all formats including Amazon Kindle and now on the iPad too. Fans outside the US and UK can get free delivery from Book Depository.