The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - The Instrument of Death

by David Stuart Davies

A brand-new Sherlock Holmes mystery from acclaimed Sherlockian author David Stuart Davies, featuring the sinister Dr Caligari

Sherlock Holmes has just uncovered the truth about the theft of a priceless ruby. The wealthy Lady Damury staged the theft and tried to frame her husband - but just as Holmes reveals the truth, Lady Damury is found murdered. Holmes deduces that this is no crime of passion, but the work of a ruthless killer with no connection to the jewel. With reports of a man in a strange, trance-like state, Holmes finds himself entangled in a dangerous game of cat and mouse with the sinister Dr Caligari...

Genres: Mystery, Victorian, Fiction, Thriller

240 pages, Paperback

First published February 12, 2019

About the author

David Stuart Davies was a British writer. He worked as a teacher of English before becoming a full-time editor, writer, and playwright. Davies wrote extensively about Sherlock Holmes, both fiction and non-fiction. He was the editor of Red Herrings, the monthly in-house publication of the Crime Writers' Association, and a member of The Baker Street Irregulars and the Detection Club.

Reviews

[Southern Lady Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

Almost DNF-ed this one so many times. The problem with 'Sherlock Holmes' writers is that they have such big shoes to fill. And when they don't live up to our Benedict Cumberbatch - Sherlock dreams - we're even more disappointed than we would have been with a normal mystery.

I also don't think the author should have laid the whole story out? This short Sherlock Holmes story reads more like a criminal investigators case study than a mystery. There was nothing to figure out. The author quite literally told you who the murderer was and what they did, and why they did it.

The reader just enjoyed concurrent timelines and wondered how the story was going to wrap up - but reading this required no cognitive thinking skills?

PLEASE drop your murd3r mystery recommendations below!

I need/want something better because I just finished this one and another one.. unfortunately they were both lackluster!

[Stephen Robert Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This about dark Doctor who as a child liked to kill kittens touched his school friends the sort of child who is cross between the Omen Dexter.
Now as an adult he is a Doctor who is like Jack The Ripper . We get good in-depth story background before even get to Watson's story.
An in-depth book that has new Doctor worse than
Moriarty ,here we have hypnoses use to kill. The biggest thing is that in this mystery is like Columbo as we know who the murder is from the start.
Make this very pulling with an interesting nightmare chase ending making this my Top Holmes 2019

[booksofallkinds · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I voluntarily reviewed this book from the Publisher

I love a good old mystery and have always had a soft spot for Sherlock Holmes so I was delighted to receive THE INSTRUMENT OF DEATH by David Stuart Davies which easily transported me into a world of murder and mayhem.

​When Holmes solves the mystery surrounding the theft of a ruby that is like no other, it seems to be another shut and close case for the seasoned detective. But when his suspect is found murdered, Holmes is sure that there is something a lot more dark and sinister at work and he finds himself in a deadly game of chase.

A detailed setting and well-rounded and developed characters are just some of the reasons that I enjoyed this story but the magic that surrounds Sherlock Holmes stories is felt throughout and that really made it all the more enjoyable for me. With plenty of misdirection and secrets along the way, there was never a dull moment and I highly recommend THE INSTRUMENT OF DEATH by David Stuart Davies to all Sherlock Holmes fans.

[Devero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Il dr. Caligari. Lui è l'avversario di Holmes in questo buon romanzo. Ricordo abbastanza la storia, e il film lo vidi certamente da ragazzino (Das Cabinet der doktor Caligari!) e poi qualche spezzone anni fa.
Comunque lo scontro è ben descritto, l'indagine di Holmes strutturata e ben condotta e la storia scorre avvincente fino a un finale che mantiene la continuity con il film espressionista.
Quattro stelle forse sono troppe, ma 3 e mezza ci stanno tutte.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and David Stuart Davies always gets it right.
In this story Sherlock and Watson go up against Gustav Caligari - a mesmerist who has a novel way of committing murder....
The game's afoot.

[Gus Scholtz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always look forward to reading Davis’s books and stories. Was not disappointed with this one. Holmes and Watson grasp at clues to try to keep this fiend of a man from murdering again.
Great book.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

A priceless ruby is stolen, but just as Holmes reveals the truth, the thief, a wealthy titled woman, is found dead. Strangled by a mysterious intruder. A deadly game of cat and mouse begins.

"The Instrument of Death" is a great read. David Stuart Davies has an excellent touch with the characters of Holmes and Watson, and his Lestrade is a little stuffy, but quite acceptable.

The book utilizes the character of Dr. Caligari from the the 1920's German horror movie "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari". We know from the beginning who the killer is, and how it's done, so this is less a whodunnit and more a thriller. There are sections of the book that are a little graphic, so if you are at all squeamish this book may not be for you.

As always, David Stuart Davies has a light touch with description: "He wore a pair of heavy dark spectacles on a curved beak of a nose that gave him the appearance of a weary owl."

"The Instrument of Death" is a fast paced and exciting blend of murder and mesmerism. Highly recommended.

[Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the great silent horror films crosses over with the world of Sherlock Holmes!

Gustav Caligari was a young man beset by his demons. Unable to attend classes, he is tutored by a man named Hans Bruner. Bruner introduces him to the idea of black magic. Later, he studies to become a Doctor, purely for the money he will need to carry on with his real passion, murder!

Doctor Caligari flees from Prague, where he is suspected in the death of a young woman. He sets up shop in London. From this point the story progresses much like the movie, but with a different drugged/hypnotized accomplice.

A girl is killed in London, and Holmes becomes involved.

The story is certainly well-written, with great depth of characters and plot. The constant battle between Holmes and Caligari rages throughout, and Caligari is a devious villain whose wits nearly match the Great Detective. And Caligari knows exactly how to harm Holmes the worst!

I give the book five stars!

Quoth the Raven…

[Briana Nunez · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a decent book, but not the best, in my opinion. At first I was really excited to read another version of Sherlock Holmes, since I already read most of the original ones, but was a bit disappointed. What I like about mystery books is that you can try to solve them with hidden hints in the story and get hooked until the end, but in the very first chapter it tells you the murderer! Not only that, but it says almost all the murderer’s plans, which made it pretty boring to read. My opinion, at least. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Fred Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great entry in the new Sherlock Holmes tales. An evil genius is able to mesmerise a homeless person and then commit murders. Holmes and the cops are at a loss as to who they are.

A rousing tale that puts Watson in a unique situation and a twist at the end.

Another Good Read

[Margaret · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is almost painfully average in every way, with occasional dips into being bad. It commits the sin of consistently allowing the reader to know more about what’s going on then Holmes ever does, with the result of making Holmes look like a fucking idiot a lot of the time.
At one point early on Holmes draws the conclusion that the murderer is operating with a hypnotized accomplice, and then seemingly forgets about it for the sake of hiking the stakes of the plot later in the book. He also is told about “amateur hypnotists” who have practices around the city, which we the reader know that he could just like..follow up on and immediately find the killer. But Holmes has no idea and so he just like doesn’t do it until the very end. And then when he does...surprise surprise he finds the guy right away? Giving us the murderer as an equal POV character to Watson is just a bad framing device and is very unflattering for Holmes as a character.

[Donna Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a hypnotist and I can guarantee that you can not use hypnosis like it is used in this book.

I get that people do some weird things with hypnosis but the utterly ridiculous way this has been written suggests an unknown person can take control over your mind. We don't make people do anything they do not want to do (just ask a smoker who goes for a session because thier spouse sent them).

It is absurb how Dr. Watson is controlled in the manner written in this book. I get the villian used a drug but were drugs that potent in that time period? And, if you kept someone doped up and canatonic for a long period of time, they would have no incentive to kill someone unless you withdrew the drug.

Books and movies like this make my job as a hypnotist hard. We do not do mindcontrol.

[Ade Couper · Rating 3 out of 5]

hmmm... like the proverbial Curate's Egg, this is good in parts. The good points first: the author has captured Holmes & Watson very well indeed, likewise with Lestrade & Mrs Hudson. The downside is the villain, Dr Caligari, who does come across as a bit of a pantomime villain. However, the portrayal of our protagonists, together with a quite intriguing plot, outweighs the issues with the antagonist.

[Christopher · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit blah

Liked the Cabinet of Caligiri concept but a pretty standard Holmes tracks insane serial killer tale with the alternating chapters between Watson and the killer trope that I’d not feel is particularly interesting anymore or effective here.

[Luke Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun mystery that leaves Sherlock at the mercy of the killer's timing. Very interesting to split the chapters into different narrators and see events play out from different perspectives. Really enjoyed it :)

[Outlander · Rating 2 out of 5]

Implausible hypnotist villain in a farfetched lukewarm predictable Sherlockian tale. An inadequate rendering as there was a lack of actual detecting, no observations from Holmes, no complicated problems for him to solve.

[Calvin Daniels · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very 2.75. The story plodded forward with barely a twist that a Holmes fans won't see coming well ahead of things, but being a quick read saved it.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well done!

[Lari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read, though definitely got rather dark at times.

[Kristi Duncan-priest · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really well written.

[Baustman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am spoiled by the real Sherlock Holmes stories! This was only average. But, there are more in the series, so I'll try another one.

[Devi]

This book is very interesting since it gives the readers perspectives from both the killer's mind and The detective's mind.

[Ellen Goodwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little weird since it was crossing a fictional character with a fictional movie character. Didn't hate it, didn't love it.

[Fraser Merricks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this adventure, a page turner.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed as I didn't feel it was an adequate rendering of Sherlock Holmes.

[Thxlbx · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent story...just not much actual detecting. No acute observations from Holmes, no complicated problems for him to solve. Story rings hollow for a Sherlockian tale.

[Susan Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Fun mystery read!

[Ronald · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title is a somnambulast. I thought this was one of the better Holmes stories based on a known character(Dr. Caligari.) The ending kind of leads in to "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari."