Sherlock Holmes and the Greyfriars School Mystery

Sherlock Holmes #4

by Val Andrews

1912. Dr Watson asks for the help of his retired detective chum, Sherlock Holmes, to help his old school master and solve the mystery of a missing manuscript at the Greyfriars School. Tensions rise as Holmes and Watson are also needed by the local inspector, Grimes, to discover who is behind a local jewel theft and murder. However, things are not always what they seem and Holmes unlocks the key to more secrets than originally anticipated as the desperation to retrieve the manuscript grows. More mysteries unravel as what seemed like a simple case of schoolboy rebellion has turned into a story of mystery and excitement packed with plot twists and questions. Will Holmes be able to succeed against rebellious school boys and catch the culprit? Is there something more sinister walking the halls of Greyfriars School? And why is Dr Locke really so desperate to have his manuscript returned? What could it be hiding? Full of excitement, tension and school-boy antics, ‘Sherlock Holmes and the Greyfriars School Mystery’ shows that the great detective is still top of his game. 'A treat for any fan of the master detective.' - Tom Kasey, best-selling author of 'Cold Kill'. Val Andrews (15 February 1926 – 12 December 2006) was a music hall artist, ventriloquist and writer. Andrews was a prolific writer on magic, having published over 1000 books and booklets from 1952. He also authored Sherlock Holmes pastiches and Houdini's novels.

Genres: Mystery, Novella, Fiction

109 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 1997

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Val Andrews was a music hall artist, ventriloquist and writer.
Andrews was born in Hove, Sussex, England a few hours after Valentine's Day, hence his name. Son of an architect, he was introduced to magic by his father. Andrews was a prolific writer on magic, having published over 1000 books and booklets from 1952. He also authored Sherlock Holmes pastiches and Houdini's novels. He lived for a number of years in Brighton, then in London (from 1943 onwards) where he joined the London Society of Magicians.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

1912 and Dr. Watson has been called back to his old school Greyfriars by Dr. Locke the headmaster. It would seem that someone has stolen a manscript being written by Mr Quelch of the history of the school. Watson asks for Holmes help in the investigation.
An enjoyable mystery

[John Purvis · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Sherlock Holmes and the Greyfriars School Mystery" eBook was published in 2015 (original paper edition was published in 1996) and was written by Val Andrews. Mr. Andrews published more than 20 Sherlock Holmes mysteries. In total, he published over 1000 books and booklets, including Houdini novels and books on magic. 

I ordered this novella from Amazon when it was being promoted by the publisher. I categorize this novella as ‘PG’ because it contains scenes of Violence. The story is set in 1912 England with the familiar characters of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. 

Both men are retired now. Watson has been called on by his former schoolmaster for some assistance. One of the staff, Dr. Locke, has been working for years on a history of the Greyfriars School, but it has now gone missing. Watson is asked if he will convince Holmes to come out of retirement and help find the manuscript. 

Holmes leaves retirement and his bees behind briefly as he and Watson visit Greyfriars School. Once they have arrived at Greyfriars, they are unexpectedly drawn into the search for the murderer of a local jeweler. They find themselves confronted with rebellious school boys, a not altogether forthcoming Dr. Locke, and a desperate killer. 

I enjoyed the 2+ hours I spent reading this 109-page mystery. This mystery is written very much like the original Holmes stories. I think that the cover art is appropriate. I give this novella a 4 out of 5.

Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/. 

[Michael Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a Holmes or a Greyfriars fan, then this book is for you. Quelch's "History of Greyfriars" manuscript goes missing and he asks "old boy" John H Watson to help him find it by bringing in Sherlock Holmes (now retired) to find the irreplaceable manuscript for him, which he does, also finding out Quelch's darkest secret. All the characters are well fleshed out, including the boys, masters and others in the Greyfriars stories and it is an easy and charming read. One could have wished that the late Val Andrews had written some more stories based on Holmes and Greyfriars.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

another enjoyable post retirement Holmes story

Watson goes to see Holmes in the country where he has retired with his bees. He asks him to help solve a mystery at his old public school. They journeyed to the school where Holmes embarks on a varied and surprising investigation. In between that he also solves a robbery turned murder for the local constable police. A fun read with a surprise ending

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

An amusing and light read.

Watson and Holmes return to the doctor's alma mater at the request of the Headmaster to investigate the disappearance of a master's cherished manuscript of a history of Greyfriars.

Many of Frank Richard's characters make an appearance.

[Italo Italophiles · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are problematic elements for today's readers in is this book: corporal punishment of children, British public-school (private school) terms, fat-shaming and equating it with stupidity, odd paragraphing not separating the various speakers. I did not enjoy the book for those reasons.

[P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A whole smattering of local color side stories in this one, which is just as well, since the impetus of this investigation is a truly unlovable school master. A nice read in spite of him.

[Bonnye Reed]

Endeavor Press Sherlock Holmes Adventist Calendar 99

[Pat K Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Sherlock Holmes tales

It’s always fun to see how Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson solve the mystery and bring the culprit to justice

[C. John Kerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book at all. I have read some of the Greyfriars/Bunter stories so I was familiar with many of the school characters in this novel. I am not sure if all of the Greyfriars personnel encounter by Holmes and Watson appear in Frank Richards original stories but certainly some of them do. Mr. Andrews does do justice to the creations of Mr. Richards. I did find it amusing that there is in fact references to Amalgamated Press which published the Greyfriars stories appeared, and to both The Magnet(where they were the lead feature) and The Gem (where they were the serialized back-ups to stories set in another in boys' school. There was one tiny mistake I noticed though. An incidental character refers to both as 'comics'. They were in fact story papers. Bunter and company would in fact appear in the comics but at a later date and different publications (The Knockout and Valiant to be precise). All in all, though perhaps not up to Conan Doyle's level, this was a reasonably good Sherlock Holmes novel, and better than some others I have read. One I would not mind adding to my own library, if only for my oldest son to eventually read.

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sherlock Holmes and the Greyfriars School Mystery Val Andrews

Doctor Watson is called to his alma mater, Greyfriars School in Kent,by his old headmaster, Dr Locke. Dr. Locke has a problem that he wants Holmes to solve for him, yet Holmes has retired to Sussex to keep bees.

Professor Henry Samuel Quelch has worked for years on a manuscript concerning the history of Greyfriars School. Now, someone has stolen the manuscript!

Holmes comes to the area as a favor to Watson. It seems likely that one of the students has taken the manuscript. Two are especially suspect. Herbert Vernon-Smith has a reputation of being the “Bounder” and is high on the list of suspects. Harold Skinner has been gambling and is in over his head. Then there is fat William "Billy" Bunter, who is trying always to con someone out of money to spend on food.

When Quelch himself is tracked by Doctor Watson and seen to visit places in disguise, the plot thickens…

I give this one four stars…

Quoth the Raven...

[Michael P. · Rating 2 out of 5]

An OK style is undermined by a desultory story. To be fair, this may be the result of this book interacting with another by a different author that I have not read and do not wish to read, but I suspect that most people who read this book (and these comments) will not have read it either. This is only for those driven to Sherlock Holmes pastiches.

[sherryn brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always love great Holmes story and was not disappointed. The tradition carries on......the game is afoot!!! All wishing to be a part of the tradition will enjoy and look for more

I love the Holmes tradition and it carries on ....."The game is a foot "!!!! All wishing to be a part of the Holmes tradition will enjoy and look or more

[Eugene · Rating 4 out of 5]

although this might appeal to Baker Street Irregulars, I think that you would want to be a fan of Greyfriars to get the most out of it. Damn Val's eyes for mashing the two genres together so well

[Bonnie Dale Keck · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kindle Unlimited One of several Sherlock Holmes stories by an assorted group of authors, wanted to go through them all. Liked it, just didn't love it, sort of the right style and all but....