The Red Tower

The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Titan Books #13

by Mark A. Latham

It is 1894, and after a macabre séance at a country estate, someone has been found dead in a locked room.

When Dr Watson is invited to a weekend party where a séance is planned, he is prepared to be sceptical. James Crain, heir to the estate of Crain Manor, has fallen in with a mysterious group of Spiritualists and is determined to prove the existence of the paranormal. Confronted with a suspicious medium and sightings of the family ghost, Watson remains unconvinced - until someone is found dead in a room locked from the inside. Holmes is called to investigate the strange events at Crain Manor, but finds that every guest harbours a secret. Holmes and Watson must uncover the truth, and test the existence of the supernatural...

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Detective, Historical Mystery, Historical, Thriller

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 20, 2018

About the author

Mark A. Latham is a writer, editor, history nerd, proud dogfather, frustrated grunge singer and amateur baker from Staffordshire, UK. An immigrant to rural Nottinghamshire, he lives in a very old house (sadly not haunted), and is still regarded in the village as a foreigner.

Formerly the editor of Games Workshop’s White Dwarf magazine, Mark designs tabletop games, and is an author of strange, fantastical and macabre tales.

Reviews

[Stephen Robert Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

What you have to rember is that towards Conan Doyle end of his life he got into the supernatural which was very odd as more than once his creation Holmes called ghost, mediums & fay load of bunko.
Yet Doyle beloved in Fairies & tried to contact his late wife.
This perhaps makes you wonder did some other person write Holmes ?
Here we have Holmes debunking Ghosts as Watson is a recent widower after the death of Mary (why Doyle killed of Mary is puzzle)
Unlucky Sad Watson is mad to go to séances weekend, and made to believe Mary contacting Him. ,Holmes thinks he's mad & warns him to be careful. His host is mad with grief & much like Houdini wants to contact his mother This lot like the famous escape artist who spent his life debunking Mediums but always hoping. .
This a locked room mystery ,a ghost murder & supernatural events at Crain Manor touch of the Hound in the shadows of The Red Tower .
Madam Farr proves by page 36 for me that she is twit she does so called Tarot four card spread for Watson
1)5 of Cups 2) The 3 of Coins reversed 3) 6 of swords. I read Tarot so the true meaning is 1)Marriage without love,the past .2) Lack of any skills & a loss of wealth 3) To go on successful voyage. But is not Madam Farr says. 1) She claims his love for Mary & his loss of her. 2) A struggling to find a new romance 3) Death all around him (The 10 of swords is the death card not the Death Acrarna card ) 4) The Death card she keeps going on about death But Death card is not death but rebirth .Utter crap if you are going to use Tarot use the Major Arcana cards not the Lesser & do try to look it up. This reading is to do with the story but it's all bogus So Watson's reading is 1-4 In the past he lost his wife,crossed by money problems which could be that the Strand is not buying his stories ,he soon will go on the journey that could be anything from back home to turning over new leaf as finial card is rebirth a new start & not death as Madam Farr claims.
This book does pull but over hundred pages with only Watson & no Holmes is disappointment all that Tarot card useless waffle was not needed & far too much on Mary if Mark brought Holmes in first then had Watson tell it in flashback this would been more interesting .But of course once Holmes does appear the Ghosts leave .
I have great belief in ghost & have seen over 10 different sightings as well as been physic & Tarot reader. But I do not truest Mediums as 99.99% of them are fraudsters it is rare few that are true .This what Holmes talks about.
The last part of this book is action packed & worth the wait.
THE COVER STINKS

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sherlock Holmes: The Red Tower by Mark A. Latham does a fantastic job bringing some of my all time favorite classic characters to life. I love that in this story we get to see a little more of Watson on his own than usual. I'm also a fan of the spiritualism aspect and seeing how Holmes and Watson handle that topic. Holmes deals with it in exactly the way you would expect. Finally, while the ending was satisfactory enough, I wouldn't call it a favorite wrap up to a Holmes story.

[Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

“No ghosts need apply.”—Sherlock Holmes

Watson is struggling with his decision to return to 221b Baker Street after the death of his wife, Mary Morstan. The offer by Doctor Verner is tempting, but the house and practice hold strong memories.

Watson is asked by a friend named Theobald Crain, the son of the Marquess of Berkley to come to Crain Manor for a visit. Crain knows of Watson’s recent bereavement, being Mary’s friend as well.

Crain writes that he is convinced a certain Madame Farr, a spirit medium, is the real thing. He claims to have been in contact with his deceased mother, and the peace he has discovered through spiritualism he hopes to share with Watson. He hints that Watson may make contact with Mary through Madame Farr.

Against Holmes’ advice, Watson decides to go. He hopes to expose the medium himself. At Crain Manor, there is an addition known as the Red Tower. The tower is said to be haunted…

Now history tells us of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s belief in spiritualism. It wouldn’t be unusual at all for him to have written an adventure in which spiritualism would play a major role. Yet although Doyle himself wrote about the “no ghosts need apply” I think he would have wanted Holmes to prove spiritualism—not the other way around.

That said, if you are not a Holmes purist, the book is a great read. The pace is sometimes frantic. There are a dozen and one false leads, the character interaction is superb, and the final reveal of the case well thought out. After the reveal, one can easily go back through and see the tantalizing clues that Latham has spread throughout, but you may not see them on the way through. Like a magician, Latham uses misdirection and verbal smoke and mirrors to great effect. I really liked this one!

I give the book five stars!

Quoth the Raven…

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time spent with Sherlock Holmes, as I am very fond of saying, is never wasted. I really enjoyed The Red Tower for a number of reasons. One: We get to spend a great amount of time with Watson. The first third of the book is all Watson actually and this is great-people often treat Watson as a dullard but that is an image promulgated by the early movies. Watson is an actual medical doctor who did not get his degree from a crackerjack box, his intelligence is simply not structured in the same manner as Holmes'. Two: Holmes gets to take the starch out of a group of shady spiritualists (this is not a spoiler read the back of the book) and I really enjoyed him taking them down. Three: this is a crackerjack mystery that is really enjoyable. Parts of the solution are obvious, but there are many devious twists and turns. There is a lot of fun to be had here Constant Reader.

[Toby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unread shelf project 2023: book 13.

3.5 stars. A fairly good story; I do enjoy this series of “new Sherlock Holmes” mysteries. Although they are obviously not the same as if Conan Doyle had written them, they are fun romps in Victorian England and I like the dabbling in the occult and spiritualism because that is a topic that’s fascinating to me.

[Ken B · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 STARS

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like three and a half. The subject matter -- Victorian spiritualism -- is one I'm personally fascinated by, and the first third of the book was crackerjack, with the introduction of a large cast of characters that nonetheless held my interest and keep things moving. Alas, the action stalls just when Sherlock Holmes arrives; most of the rest of the book is taken up by interviews and clue-examinations, until the grand finale when the action perks up a bit. All Holmes stories should be mysteries, of course -- but they should also be *adventures*, and I needed a little more ebb and flow of action in the plot and pacing. But the characterization was spot-on, and I liked the themes and small character arcs.

[Florina · Rating 4 out of 5]

My second Holmes pastiche and oh, what fun! I enjoyed this one a bit more than the previous because country house mysteries are a favorite subgenre of mine. Add to that the subject of spiritism & the occult, and the Victorians' obsession with both (Conan Doyle himself dabbled in the supernatural, see his views on fairies) and you have a recipe for a very good time. The author captured Doyle's style quite well, but it's his Dr. Watson that really shines, particularly some very human moments that Latham delivers with lovely subtlety. His Holmes is very good too, but I like the decision for him to arrive a bit later in the novel, because it gives us the opportunity to try and be Sherlock in absentia. The mystery itself is quite good and well-researched, even though a tad implausible here and there, but hey, if the author is spinning a good yarn, it doesn't matter; you're here for the ride. Definitely will pursue more of these pastiches! (and hopefully will not stay up all night reading them lol)

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr John Watson is invited to a weekend party where a medium is in residence and a seance is planned. When the sister of his host dies in mysterious circumstances, Watson sends for his good friend, Mr. Sherlock Holmes.

"The Red Tower" brings together two of my favourite mystery tropes: the house party, and the locked room.

Mark A. Latham creates a fun story brimming with atmosphere. His original characters are strong and interesting. His handling of the friendship between Holmes and Watson skillful.

For me the added bonus was the presence of Inspector Lestrade. I make no secret of the fact he is my favourite of the Scotland Yard men.

"Sherlock Holmes" The Red Tower" is an excellent pastiche and one that I think Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself would have enjoyed.

Highly recommended.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me, a very entertaining Sherlock Holmes mystery-though I have not read many of the originals.
This one involves Dr. Watson on a weekend holiday at Crain Manor. Watson's friend James Crain (heir to the estate) plans for a seance. Watson of course is very sceptical.
Soon a person is found dead in a locked room, and Holmes is summoned...
Again, I enjoyed this one.
I did guess a few minor clues ahead of time.
But I'm no Holmes.
I plan to read more Holmes mysteries by this writer.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Watson's invited to an old friends manor for a weekend party and a planned seance. Watson ever the sceptic is left shocked and confused when he is visited by his beloved dead wife Mary. Watson and rest of the house guests witness the ghost from the red tower, an old family curse that carries a message of death, but ghosts can't commit murder... Or can they?
Sherlock is summoned by his friend Watson to investigate.
A supernatural story with lots of twists and turns.

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5!

[Sam Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great mystery storytelling in one of my favorite settings. 👻

[Kenneth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holmes doesn't show up until late. For most of this book we are seeing things through the eyes of the intrepid Watson. Once on the scene Holmes makes short work of the mystery. That set up has robbed stars from the book in the opinion of other reviewers, but it didn't bother me. Perhaps knowing about it ahead of time made it less an issue.

[Lois Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Sherlock Holmes - everything I expected and then some.

[Tangled222 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here’s what you need to know. If you are a fan of the original Sherlock Holmes stories written by A. Conan Doyle, then you should read this book. If your only experience with Holmes and Watson is through television or film, then you should read this book. If you think Holmes is the main character of these stories, well…you’ll have to have a little patience. There is a whole lot to like about Mark A. Latham’s latest contribution to the Sherlock Holmes collection of books currently being published by Titan Books. Sherlock Holmes: The Red Tower is just the fourth book of the year to get a five-star rating from me. I loved this book and couldn’t have asked the author to do anything more, and one of the best parts is that I had no idea what the solution to the puzzle was until I got to the very end of the book. The Red Tower is a great read, and though it’s not currently available from my local library, it was worth every single dollar from my book budget.

The story begins with a somewhat emotional foreword from Dr. John Watson. He explains that the story he is about to tell us concerns events that took place in 1894, not long after Sherlock Holmes’ return from the dead and the death of his wife, Mary. Careful readers will immediately notice the diametrical opposition in which we are set to view Watson and Holmes. Although Watson has, over the years, started to employ some of the same skills of observation espoused by his friend Holmes, he still allows his emotions and own personal experiences to color his deductions and worldview. While he is not as different from Holmes as he was at the beginning of their association, he still remains the character through which we get a greater understanding of Holmes himself. Further still, it is through his association and friendship with Holmes and his narrative of their adventures that we see the ways in which Watson grows, develops, and changes as a character. Watson does change and grow, while Sherlock remains the same, and this is only one of the reasons I’m in the camp of readers who identify Watson as the main character of the stories. The story of The Red Tower is very much about Watson and his struggle to move forward after the death of his wife and start living again.

Many of the Sherlock Holmes stories begin with Watson and Holmes at 221B Baker Street. The Red Tower is different in that it begins with Watson traveling from London to Berkshire to spend a weekend at the country estate of his friend, James Crain, the Lord Beving. Crain is an old friend of Watson’s and his wife, Mary, and Watson looks forward to reconnecting with him. He also plans to use the time out of London to decide whether or not he will sell his medical practice and leave the home where he and Mary lived as husband and wife. He’s reluctant to leave the house and return to the life of a bachelor as well as his rooms in Baker Street, but determined to make a decision by the time he returns to London. Like Watson, Crain has lost someone very dear to him—his mother died several years ago and he has not been able to move on from her death or forward with his life. Indeed, he is intended to be a mirror image for Watson. After Mary’s death, Watson consulted a spirit medium in the hope of making some kind of communication with Mary, but his experiences only further made him suspicious of spiritualism and those proclaiming themselves to be able to speak with the dead. Crain has also consulted a medium—Madame Farr—but unlike Watson, he is a true believer. Crain has invited Watson to the weekend party with the hope that his skepticism regarding spiritualism will be overcome by Crain’s guest of honor, Madame Farr. Should Watson give his stamp of authenticity to Madame Farr’s skills as a spirit medium, Crain expects that such validation by a man of science and the known associate of Sherlock Holmes would allow Madame Farr to help more people reconnect with their departed loved ones. Early in his visit, Madame Farr does a tarot card reading for Watson that causes him great unease, and that night, he sees an apparition that looks like the ghost of Mary. Thus Watson’s time at Crain Manor is greatly unsettling for him, and though he tries to employ Holmes’ logical rationality while observing all the events unfolding around him, Watson’s emotions and previous experience with spiritualism continue to color his conclusions.

As I said above, if you are in the camp of readers that sees Sherlock as the main character of the stories, then you’ll have to be patient because the Great Detective does not appear in the narrative until Chapter 9 (about 40% of the way through the novel). In this way, The Red Tower reminds me a lot of The Hound of the Baskervilles, where Sherlock is MIA for a great portion of the story (in fact, Holmes makes a direct reference to this adventure in the novel). Watson calls upon his friend to come to Crain Manor to investigate the death of one of the weekend party guests, suspecting foul play due to the fact that the death occurs in a locked room. Sherlock comes at once, and Watson relates every single detail he can remember. Although he is at first hesitant to confess to believing he has seen the ghost of his dead wife, he reveals this event to Holmes as well. I point to this moment in particular because when Holmes learns of this specter appearing to his friend, he is greatly incensed. Emotion is not something we see from Sherlock often, but we see it in this moment. He implores Watson to be sure of what he believes to have seen, and when Watson confirms that he does believe he saw Mary’s ghost, Sherlock’s resolve to expose Madame Farr as a fraud intensifies exponentially. It is in this moment where we see the depth of the friendship between Sherlock and Watson. It’s genuine and poignant, and it’s only one of many clues that shows Latham’s appreciation for the original canon of stories and understanding of the characters Doyle created. He knows what makes Watson and Sherlock tick, and it makes reading his novels within this collection incredibly enjoyable and engaging.

Read this book. If you like it, I recommend reading Latham’s first book in this collection, A Betrayal in Blood, which is also excellent. I simply cannot wait for Latham’s next Sherlock and Watson story (please let there be another soon!). Five stars and an A+ grade.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Red Tower is not the strongest mystery or most impressive Sherlock Holmes case, but a fun read, nonetheless. Rather than the more traditional route with the client reaching out to the master detective, which in turn kicks off the story, we get the prospective from Watson, as events unfold in real time. The book delivers a great characterization of Watson and Holmes, which makes up for any shortcomings the mystery may have.

While I overall like the cast of characters/suspects, I did find some overused red herrings, specifically on the front of characters with addictions having potential motive . Some of the “bad guys” in this case were obvious, and by design, however I don’t think it added anything positive to the story. Which leads me to my next point, which is the lack of consequences towards the end. Most characters gained somewhat of a happy ending, including characters who acted dishonorably or were criminals.

Latham does a fantastic job writing characters and their interactions. This wasn’t Watson writing down the details of a case, we were with Watson as the case unfolded and Latham showed the loyal side kick could hold his own. Sherlock Holmes’s ability of deduction is demonstrated aptly, and his personality is spot on. Despite predictability regarding the spiritualists, the circumstances of the murder was anything but, and that made room for some good theorizing.
Overall, I would be happy to read another Sherlock Holmes adventure written by Latham.

[Lucy Lillianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Další Sherlock z mé výzvy je překonán. Tentokrát to byl ale trošku větší oříšek. Na rozdíl od předchozího dílu od Omegy tu bylo hodně malé natěsnané písmo, což mi jaksi brzdilo čtení a jednak mi obsahová stránka příliš nesedla.

Víc jak sto stránek je vypravěčem pouze Watson, který je v sídle svého přítele obklopen spiritisty. Bylo to dlouhé, pomalé a strašně moc popisné. Obvykle u příběhů s SH jde všechno tak nějak rychleji a popisy jsou mnohem chudobnější, což mi nevadí. Tady to však byl pravý opak. A navíc ten spiritismus. Téma, které vyloženě nesnáším.

Takže start pomalý, detailní, kde byla velká snaha o duchařinu, tajemno a nadpřirozeno. Ale vzhledem k tomu, že jde o Sherlocka, je jasné, že musí mít všechno reálný základ. A v momentě, kdy se konečně detektiv objeví, už jde všechno hezky od důkazu k důkazu a začíná se tvořit obraz činu a odhalují se pachatelé.

Tentokrát dávám tři hvězdičky, i když druhá polovina knihy byla výborná. Detektivní práce a sbírání střípků pravdy konečně k něčemu vedlo. Jinak to bylo docela dlouhé, z počátku nudné a tematicky pro mě ne zrovna ideální.

[Dana Linde · Rating 5 out of 5]

As Sherlock Holmes mysteries go, this one kept me on the edge of my seat, waiting to see who would be guilty of murder. Watson travels to the home of his friend, Lord James Crain, who wants his friend to meet the spiritualist who has supposedly allowed Crain to receive messages from his dear departed mother. Of course, Watson goes as a skeptic to protect his friend from being duped by frauds. While there, however, a murder takes place, and Watson calls in his friend Sherlock Holmes to unravel the mystery. Some of the suspense in the story stems from a haunting which occurs based off an ancient legend of a lady who was executed for murdering her husband. Holmes and Watson must examine this legend and interview all the witnesses to determine the perpetrator of the more recent crime in Crain Manor.

[Jacquelyn Schingeck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Watson is invited tospend a weekend with an old friend who is convinced that he has found a true seer who has connected him with his mother. He has gone so far as to house the seer and her helpers on the grounds of this mansion and in spite of his friends and family trying to convince him that this is all a trick, he is a true believer. Watson becomes quite emotional when upon his visit there is a seance that the seer seems to know all about his wife who is deceased. Watson even sees her that night in his bedroom when he is awakened from sleep. In due time, there are 2 deaths (one of which is purported to be the work of a ghost) and that is enough to get Watson to cable for Holmes to get there at once.
Holmes complies and immediately starts to show how some of these ghostly events were truly taking place. Always entertaining to follow Holmes on his quest for the truth.

[Ari Meghlen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a Sherlock Holmes book by Mark A Latham. Never read this author before or read any Sherlock Holme-esque books that weren't by Sir Arthur Cohen Doyle.

This book was well-written, had good characters, built the scenes up well and kept me guessing. I think I suspected everyone at one point - which a good mystery should. Everyone has a reason and enough things had been questioning everyone's motives.

I did guess several things but I'll admit I didn't figure out "who dun it!" until really close to the end.

I loved the portrayal of Sherlock, even if he wasn't in a lot of the earlier chapters. Would definitely read another Sherlock Holmes book by this author.

[Eileen Mahoney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a little different than some Sherlock Holes story but all the characters were there. What I liked is that Dr Watson was the main character in this mystery and provided valuable information to Holmes on the “murder”. But Holmes didn’t let on right away that Watson’s friend’s house and occupants had been checked out as soon as he (Watson) left. It will keep your interest right until the end.

[Mabji · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dafür, das die erste Hälfte des Buches Sherlock nur in wenigen Nebensätzen vorkommt, ist diese Erzählung ungemein spannend!
Watson läuft regelrecht zur Bestform auf, auch wenn das schöne Geschlecht wie immer sein Schwachpunkt ist.
Hat mir alles sehr gut gefallen und das Ende war überraschend logisch und einfühlsam.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The good: Sherlock solves everything successful and in typical Holmes fashion..
The bad: Holmes doesn't even make an appearance until like halfway through the story, which is frustrating. Also, sometimes calling characters by their first names and later by their last names (or titles) can get confusing.

[Outlander · Rating 3 out of 5]

This pastiche is a good example of an author who has followed the canon and has produced a pastiche of quality, a "how it's done correctly" ! Nicely convoluted, loads of suspects and deductions with a satisfactory conclusion but it would have made 4 stars if the conclusion did not feel like an episode of Poirot !

[Kati · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jedna z nejlepších knih o Sherlocku Holmesovi, jakou jsem zatím četla. Sám Holmes se sice ukáže až asi v její polovině, v tomto případě to ale dobře slouží k představení jednotlivých postav i k odhalení Watsonova duševního rozpoložení. Odhalení pachatele mě tentokrát překvapilo.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book grew on me. I enjoyed the mystery the farther into the story I read. Got most of the characters straight in my mind.
There are numerous mysteries going on together. Question being are they truly connected by on person/agenda or are there more things going on.
Fun story.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Watson is invited to an old friend’s house to participate in a seance. A couple deaths occur under suspicious circumstances and Watson telegraphs Holmes to come and look into the situation. Of course a few twists and turns are thrown in at the appropriate time. Definitely recommended

[Maurice · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was a bit disappointed. I didn't get much of a sense of the actual detective, Mr. Holmes.

[Raechel Browne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very enjoyable read.