Sherlock Holmes and the Earthquake Machine

by Austin Mitchelson, Nicholas Utechin

Sherlock Holmes and his biographer, Dr. John Watson, are summoned to the presence of the consulting detective's brother, Mycroft, who demands that Sherlock should appear to retire from his practice, so that he can 'go undercover' in an anarchist group in East London. To Holmes's surprise the revolutionaries are led by an old adversary and, after the nihilists are dispersed, further clues led to yet another old enemy. The trail takes Holmes and Watson to Cornwall, where they find a macabre death in a private zoo and are nearly accused of murder. The pursuit leads Holmes to the court of the Tsar of all the Russians, where a demonstration of a weapon of unbelievable power takes place. In fact, the device is so earth-shattering that the Tsar refuses to accept that it was possible and dismisses its inventor, who turns his threats on London. Back in Baker Street, Holmes is confronted by the potential destruction of the capital and, with the active support of the Government (whose liaison officer with Baker Street is the young Winston Churchill), arranges the evacuation of London, although, at the last moment, the device is neutralized.

Genres: Mystery, Adventure, Fiction

176 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1977

Reviews

[Armin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mein persönlicher Erstkontakt mit Sherlock Holmes, als reiner Spannungsroman durchaus aller Ehren wert und wohl für einen Mittelefeldplatz gut, leider nicht vom Meister, aber dieser Umstand wurde mir erst nach den Weihnachtsferien bewusst, als die Stadtbücherei wieder ihre Pforten öffnete.
An einem verschneiten Dreikönigstag hat mich der Roman über den Versuch, den Zaren umzubringen und die Welt mittels einer Atombombe aus den Fugen zu reißen, trotzdem gut unterhalten. Von daher historische drei Sterne, erwachsene Leser würden eher zwei, Hardcore Conan-Doyle-Fans wohl nur einen vergeben.

[lee · Rating 1 out of 5]

i hate the way it was written, just scammed through it at some point 'cause it was that boring

[Ronald · Rating 3 out of 5]

read SOMETIME in 1997

[Calvin Daniels · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tad better than a simple3, think 3.25ish.

A touch too simplified, but many familiar characters appear, which is a bonus.

Quick read too.