The Mystery of the Yellow Hands

The Baker Street Mysteries #1

by Luke Thoene, Luke Thoene

When Sherlock Holmes needs help solving some of London's greatest crimes, he calls on the Baker Street Brigade for assistance. Danny Wiggins, P.T. "Peachy" Carnehan, and Duff Bernard are able to travel freely and without suspicion throughout the city providing Holmes with all the right information to catch the bad guys! From rescuing a kidnapped friend to uncovering the conspiracy trying to delay the construction of the Underground Railway, the Baker Street Detectives are on the job to uphold justice!

Genres: Mystery, Childrens, Young Adult, Christian

144 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

son of Bodie Thoene & Brock Thoene

Reviews

[Kate Willis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite the delightful romp. I didn't expect Holmes to be in this as much as he was, so that was a nice surprise. I especially loved how he took on Duff as his assistant. The boys were fun characters, a little hard to keep straight sometimes but maybe that's just me. 😉 I enjoyed the mystery (though I figured it out early on 😎), and I'll definitely continue the series.

Favorite quote: "Yes, Inspector Avery," Holmes chuckled. "And were it not that I am me, I might have died."

CW: kidnapping, mention of blood. Some mild stereotypes of foreigners and mentally disabled people that are resolved by the end.

Thanks for the loan, Joshua. 😉

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars
Sherlock Holmes hires Danny, Peachy, and Duff as the Baker Street Brigade to help track down a gang of kidnappers. The boys can't seem to find any clues, but they keep looking around the docks and warehouses on the banks of the Thames. They befriend a policeman's daughter, Clair Avery, and when she is also kidnapped, the boys are more desperate than ever to solve the case.

This book was okay. The plot is fine, but the mystery is not that intriguing. I liked the boys, and the fun camaraderie they share. They all live in a school for orphan boys and spend their days selling newspapers on street corners.

The writing is just not that good. There are really long descriptions in every chapter that slow down the plot. The dialogue is lackluster. The characters are one-dimensional. Even Sherlock is lacking the energy and wit of the original.

There was one scene that bumped it up to 2.5 stars instead of 2 stars. Danny and the boys are asleep in the orphan school when they hear a little boy crying. They know the child is wishing for a mother and father, because they are all doing the same thing. Duff speaks up and says that he has a father. The other boys don't believe him. Duff explains that God is his Father. God watches over all orphans and is always with them, taking care of them like a Father. That scene was so touching that it made me cry!

Other than that, the rest of the story is mostly forgettable.

[Katie Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a book I have fond memories of reading when I was much younger

[Chance Hansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

First thing I would like to say is that I have never read a Sherlock Holmes mystery. I don't have any references other than the TV show Elementary. (Which I find really enjoyable.) The classic London Sherlock Homes vibe is spot on. The characters do seem stereotypical but it fits the book really well. You have Duff the muscle of the team. Danny the all around leader and Peachy the tough guy(?) (Honestly I can't remember his role in the team.) Clair the girly-girl daughter of the Inspector. (Although not initial part of the team is typical.)
The one issue I found was that Danny ends up finding a contact/advantage that would help him in a jam BUT it seems to become forgotten and it doesn't go anywhere. (Maybe it does in later books.)
I did find the villain was pretty obvious BUT the motive and every other part almost unpredictable. I think it's really good for it's age group and kids would find it interesting.

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Holmes pastiche offering up the origins of the Baker Street Irregulars--named here as the "Baker Street Brigade" for reasons best known to the authors. When a man with yellow hands starts kidnapping children in London, Sherlock Holmes is on the case. The kidnapper gives specific instructions to the parents to ensure the safe return of the children. But despite the first money drop going off without a hitch, the money wasn't returned. The police bungled the second drop by being too readily observed on the scene. Holmes is determined that the third time won't be as unlucky.

A chance remark causes Holmes to consider the children of the streets as an unofficial detective force, so he recruits Danny Wiggins and his friends Peachy and Duff to help look for clues. Details in a picture sent to the first set of parents (to prove that the kidnappers had their son) make Holmes certain that the children are being kept near the docks. He sends the boys out to look for clues in the hopes that children won't be noticed in the same way as an adult.

Circumstances lead Holmes and the Yard to an arrest, but when Clair, the daughter of Inspector Avery of Scotland Yard--and a recent acquaintance of the boys, disappears, Danny, Peachy and Duff are sure the grown-ups have made a mistake. Will they be able to find the real kidnappers in time?

First up--the difficulties: The story supposedly offers up the backstory for the Irregulars (who appear in a few of the Doyle stories). But there isn't much logic in Holmes' choice of the boys. Here we have Holmes out on the street and someone makes a random comment that makes him think [my paraphrasing], "The missing children are being held near the docks. "Wharf rats" (children in the area) could look around and not be noticed. Hey--over there are three street children selling newspapers. I bet they'd be perfect." My first thought--would the children selling newspapers be familiar enough with the docks to know what to look for? He wants them just to look for anything "out of place." How would they know? Second thought: He just selects these random boys. Because they're there when he has the idea. It would be much more plausible if a scene had been set up where Holmes is obviously interested in someone in the area where the boys sell their papers. He questions them and the boys prove to him that they're pretty good at noticing details or whatnot. When the idea occurs to him that boys could be useful as undercover detectives, then he immediately thinks of those bright newspaper sellers. And last, as Holmes introduces Danny, Peachy and Duff to the methods of detecting, he repeatedly tells the eager young sleuths to NOT jump to conclusions. To wait until they have all the facts. So what does Holmes do? He jumps to a giant conclusion and arranges for Captain Mewsley to be arrested as part of the kidnapping gang. Not something Holmes would have done in the Doyle stories.

Okay, now that I have that out of my system: The mystery plot is a pretty good one and fairly sophisticated for what is essentially a children's story. Once the boys got the hang of detective work they did a really good job and were important to the wrap-up scenes at the end. Children reading this will be pleased with the amount of adventure and excitement as well the focus on the boys. An enjoyable read with a few hiccups for those of us familiar with the world of Sherlock Holmes.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good book. It’s an easy read. I originally started skimming it so I could pass it on to my kiddos. I ended up reading the entire book! I needed to know “who did it”!

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

While not really a "fun" read for me, it was an interesting way to tell a Sherlock Holmes story in a different manner. I probably would have enjoyed it more as a child.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book to my children and they really enjoyed it.

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sherlock Holmes enlists some youths to help track down kidnappers

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid kid mystery.

[Miquela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kids really enjoyed this; they give: 4.5, 5, and 5 stars

[Abigail · Rating 2 out of 5]

I probably would have enjoyed this a lot more when I was younger, but the writing wasn't good and the characters had no depth.

[Book Tea 🫖 with Jai]

The famous Sherlock Holmes employs three orphan boys. Their mission: to help him figure out who is kidnapping certain London children and why. Holmes is concerned for the kidnapped children and cares for his troop of “irregulars”.
Dubbed “the Baker Street Brigade”, Danny, Peachy, and Duff are searching every corner of the streets to find these lost kids.
Danny, Peachy, and Duff are more than willing to help wherever they can.

But the best part about this wonderful book is that the bad guy is caught and stopped. To get more in site on this book. Please read....anyone who love Holmes and mystery would love this spin on mystery.

[C.O. Bonham · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book and the other three in this series when I was younger and I remember loving it. Now that I am older with a lot more Conan Doyle under my belt it isn't as good, so three stars for not standing the test of age.

First of all there is no Watson. You can not have a Holmes story with out Watson. Though one can make the argument that this is not a Holmes Story it is a Children's story about children who solve a mystery that Holmes can not. Sherlock is not very present in the Tale and is really only used as kind of a deus ex machina in order for the boys to have some pull with the authorities.

Still Kids will like it. I know I did, when I was a kid.

[K. Orme · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the incomplete series of the Baker Street Mysteries in a rather sour teacher's classroom. He either had three of the four or two of the four. I read the two or three of the four in one sitting.

When it comes to The Mystery of the Yellow Hands, I found it to be a pleasurable read with good suspense that kept me (at the time 20 years old) entertained. It also had a good Christian message that wasn't so very in your face ha ha, I'm a Christian book. (I can't stand books like that.... it's too... forward.) This proved to show a good balance of story-telling and Christianity to which I was happy with.

I do recommend this book as a good pastiche and light read.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite entertaining, though Mr. Holmes' intelligence doesn't seem up to his usual standard. The characters were fun, and no doubt children would like the story. Only a bit of a Christian message included. It's an adventurous, well-written story, with a few twists, though not particularly hard of a mystery. There is a glossary in the back for British words.

[The Third Place A Teen Library]

F THO bsm bk.1

[G T · Rating 4 out of 5]

really good story of how Sherlock Holmes takes in 3 orphan boys to help him in his cases