Observations by Gaslight: Stories from the World of Sherlock Holmes

by Lyndsay Faye

One of PopSugar's Best New Mysteries and Thrillers of December 2021 A new collection of Sherlockian tales that shows the Great Detective and his partner, Watson, as their acquaintances saw them Lyndsay Faye―international bestseller, translated into fifteen languages, and a two-time Edgar Award nominee―first appeared on the literary scene with Dust and Shadow , her now-classic novel pitting Sherlock Holmes against Jack the Ripper, and later produced The Whole Art of Detection , her widely acclaimed collection of traditional Watsonian tales.  Now Faye is back with Observations by Gaslight , a thrilling volume of both new and previously published short stories and novellas narrated by those who knew the Great Detective. Beloved adventuress Irene Adler teams up with her former adversary in a near-deadly inquiry into a room full of eerily stopped grandfather clocks.  Learn of the case that cemented the lasting friendship between Holmes and Inspector Lestrade, and of the tragic crime which haunted the Yarder into joining the police force. And witness Stanley Hopkins’ first meeting with the remote logician he idolizes, who will one day become his devoted mentor.   From familiar faces like landlady Mrs. Hudson to minor characters like Lomax the sub-librarian, Observations by Gaslight ―entirely epistolary, told through diaries, telegrams, and even grocery lists―paints a masterful portrait of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson as you have never seen them before.  

Genres: Mystery, Short Stories, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, Historical

295 pages, Hardcover

First published December 21, 2021

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This addition to the Sherlock Holmes canon is based on the premise that some of Holmes' acquaintances and colleagues wrote stories about the detective in their letters, diaries, journals, and scrapbooks. Six of these stories have been found in a safe deposit box, and are being published in this book, edited by Lyndsay Faye.

"The Adventure of the Stopped Clocks"

Sherlock Holmes' former nemesis Irene Adler (now Irene Norton), whose opera performances are a hit on the stages of Vienna.....



.....is in London with her solicitor husband Godfrey.



Godfrey has been asked to help his brother Gilbert sell securities in exchange for shares of a peppercorn plantation in Sumatra.



The securities deal seems shady, and - on top of that - all of Gilbert's heirloom grandfather clocks have been stopped.



Needing help to figure out what's going on, Irene consults her frenemy Sherlock Holmes, who helps resolve the situation.



*****

"The Song of a Want"

Henry Wiggins, now a solicitor, was one of the Baker Street Irregulars when he was a boy.



In this story, Wiggins recalls the time he and his best friend Meggie were homeless waifs on the streets of London, pilfering to survive.



The children met a disoriented man with a violin, who turned out to be a young Sherlock Holmes.



The children assisted Holmes and Sherlock later returned the favor when Meggie fell into the clutches of a creep known as the Lullaby Doctor.

*****

"Our Common Correspondent"

Inspector Geoffrey Lestrade of Scotland Yard is put off by Sherlock Holmes, whom Lestrade views as a supercilious know-it-all.



However, when a spinster named Wilhemina Sparks moves out of her boarding house and disppears.....



.....Lestrade needs Holmes' assistance to find her.



It seems Miss Sparks had been corresponding with a gentleman for some time, and went off to marry him, but no one knows the man's name or location. (This is the late-1800s version of online dating.)

In this story we learn Lestrade feels compelled to help women in trouble because his sister was in an abusive marriage that ended tragically.

*****

"The River of Silence"

When a beautiful teak box containing a human arm is found in the Thames River.....



......Scotland Yard Detective Stanley Hopkins gets the case.



Hopkins admires Sherlock Holmes and is happy to have the consulting detective help look into the incident. Higgins and Holmes consider all possibilities, from medical student pranks to murder.



*****

"The Gospel of Sheba"

Mr. Arthur Davenport Lomax, a sub-librarian at the London Library, is always willing to help patrons with their inquries.





Mr. Theodore Grange consults Lomax on the subject of black magic, explaining that - for business reasons - he joined an occult group called The Brotherhood of Solomon. It seems the Brotherhood is falling apart because a grimoire owned by a member is making the other participants sick.



Events lead Lomax to consult Sherlock Holmes, who helps devine the problem.

*****

"A Live Well Lived"

Sherlock Holmes' landlady Martha Hudson thinks back on her long association with Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, who have rented rooms in her house for more than two decades.





Meanwhile, boxes from an unknown person keep appearing at Mrs. Hudson's door, which she brings to Holmes to investigate.



This is a fun story because Mrs. Hudson includes recipes for dishes she prepares for her her tenants, like batter fried oysters and bacon wrapped brisket of beef.





I've provided the bare outlines of the stories, which also delve into the lives of the characters, their observations about Sherlock Holmes, and the methods Holmes uses to solve mysteries.

I enjoyed the audiobook, narrated by Dan Calley and Polly Lee, and highly recommend it to Sherlock Holmes fans.

Thanks to Netgalley, Lyndsay Faye, and Highbridge Audio for a copy of the book.

You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lyndsay Faye is a consummate player of The Great Game, and this book was a lovely little treat.

If you're somehow unaware, The Great Game is the practice of Sherlockians to act as if Holmes and Watson were real, and to make existing canon and facts fit together. This book plays into that in that Faye acts like she is just the editor of these stories, which are all told from the first person perspectives of people in Sherlock Holmes's life who aren't Dr. John Hamish Watson. This collection, which was supposedly originally collated by former Baker Street Irregular Henry Wiggins, was "found" and then published by Faye. It features a compilation of letters, journal entries, and the occasional telegram to give us new more outside perspectives on the famous duo, but mostly on Holmes himself.

All of the stories in here were good; I rated none of them less than 3.5 stars. Most of them were four, and the one told by Wiggins himself earned a fifth star. I had a cozy weekend reading these. The other contributors here are Irene Adler, Inspector Lestrade, Inspector Hopkins, A. Davenport Lomax (an incidental character), and Mrs. Hudson. The focus here, you should know going in, isn't really the mystery or the solving of, but instead on the relationships that pepper Holmes's life, despite him claiming that he only has one friend in the world (Watson). Each story does contain at least a small mystery, but they are never mind-blowing, because the focus is on character and relationships instead, which felt a lot more like fanfic than these pastiches usually do, and I loved that about it. Faye is always really good about bringing in the human element ACD's stories lacked a lot of the time, but here she really leans into it.

Basically, friendship <3

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

More from the world of Sherlock Holmes. Which alludes to “recently” discovered letters and diary entries in an abandoned safety deposit box.

Of course…

That is all the imagination of the author, in a way that allows her to provide insights from the likes of beloved characters we have come to know and love from the original Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

And…

These characters, Irene Adler, Solicitor Henry Wiggins, Inspector Lestrade, Stanley Hopkins, A. Davenport Lomax and famed housekeeper, Martha Hudson, have a lot to share.

Through…

Short story and novella format.

Which…

Makes this book a creative reading adventure for Sherlockians.

P.S. - enjoy Mrs. Hudsons recipes!

[Darlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, how I love all things Sherlock Holmes! I grab every retelling or spinoff I can get my hands on and I love how many really unique takes there are on such an old, beloved series. This is no different.



In this series of short stories, Dr. Watson has implored friends, acquaintances, and colleagues of Holmes to tell the stories of their encounters with the detective that had not made it into Watson's published stories. Irene Adler, Inspector Lestrade, and Mrs. Hudson take up the call, along with some lesser-known characters from the original canon.

I was astounded how Faye managed to write this delightful group of stories, each very realistically in the voices of such varied characters, and managed to faithfully replicate the style of the Sir Author Conan Doyle's original stories. I am impressed.



My favorite story was "The Adventure of the Stopped Clocks" narrated by Irene Norton (nee Adler). I just thought Faye really brought Adler to life. Mrs. Hudson's story is likely the least faithful to the originals but it is funny and fresh and I loved it.

I would recommend this book to all Holmes fans.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this advance reader copy. This is my unbiased, honest review.

[Landa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some books are treasures. They are to be read and re-read. They endow the reader with a sense of warmth and companionship that goes beyond pleasure or pain, joy or sorrow. They constitite friendship. The canon— all 56 stories and 4 novels— are like that.
So are these stories penned by Lyndsay Faye.
Apart from being one of the greatest Sherlockians of our age, Ms. Faye is also an outstanding author. Her pastiches have history in their blood. Words and sentences in her stories make the past come alive around us. Far more importantly, those stories throw a completely different type of light upon the Great Detective, the Good Doctor, and their entire world.
This book exhibited the same once again. It contains the following~
* Lyndsay Faye's 'A Note from the Editor';
* Introduction from Henry Wiggins;
1. "The Adventure of the Stopped Clocks" penned by Irene Adler;
2. "The Song of a Want" by Henry Wiggins;
3. "Our Common Correspondent" by Geoffrey Lestrade;
4. "The River of Silence" by Stanley Hopkins;
5. "The Gospel of Sheba" by A. Davenport Lomax;
6. "A Life Well Lived" by Martha Hudson.
And you know what? This book is a treasure! I have simultaneoulsy laughed and was brought to tears. Thrill and horror, irritation and amazement— all bombarded me at once.
The overall effect was unforgettable.
If you love the Great Detective and his world with warts and all, then this is an essential read.
Highly recommended.

[Sarah-Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lyndsay Faye's Observations by Gaslight offers an excellent addition to Holmes literature. It has two great strengths that are rare enough to find individually, but are even rarer in tandem—
• a varied and interesting group of new-but-familiar characters to relate these stories
• an understanding of Holmes and Watson that fits Faye's portrayals of them comfortably within the framework of Conan Doyle's original stories.

The concept underlying this collection is that it contains remembrances of the detective by characters who have previously been only glimpsed in the Holmes canon. These include Inspector Lestrade (who is independent, fierce, and intelligent in Faye's portrayal); Wiggins, former head of the Baker Street Irregulars and now a solicitor; a brilliant sub-librarian who is passingly mentioned in a single sentence of one of the Conan Doyle stories; and familiar figures like Irene Norton, née Adler, and Mrs. Hudson (who provides a number of recipes in relating her Holmes story).

The opportunity to see Holmes through this variety of viewpoints delighted me. Each of them seems absolutely genuine and gives a deeper sense of the man who is Holmes. This is a title that will be welcomed by current Sherlockians and that will also create a great many new Sherlockians.

I received a free electronic ARC of this title from the publisher via EdelweissPlus; the opinions are my own.

[S.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was right then, when I saw them in the street together: Sherlock Holmes is not merely the champion of his city, he makes Watson happy.

The thing I like most about Faye's portrayals of these characters in her work is her perfect understanding of how emotionally necessary and devoted each is to the other. You don't really find that as often in pastiches written by men, I've found, so, as an occasionally unapologetic sap as concerns my favorite characters, I appreciate that.

Anyway, this is a decent collection of stories written from the somewhat banal points of view of various characters who exist within Holmes and Watson's orbit, but it's not quite up there with the excellence of The Whole Art of Detection, which is my favorite of Faye's.

*3.75 rounded down for this edition because the audiobook's monotonous male narrator left too much to be desired.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first Sherlock Holmes pastiche stories were published before Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote his last story about the famed detective, and the trend isn’t likely to end any time soon. Observations by Gaslight is author Lyndsay Faye’s latest outing to Victorian London. This time, her stories feature narration, not by the trusty Dr. John Watson as they did in her previous books, The Whole Art of Detection and Dust and Shadow, but by secondary characters that longtime Holmes fans have grown to love: Irene Adler, Inspector Lestrade, Stanley Hopkins, Mrs. Hudson, and others. Their stories are told through diary entries, letters, and in the case of Mrs. Hudson, through recipes and lists. Each story features a mystery of some kind, though not all are a matter of life or death, and that’s as it should be. Not all Holmesian characters are meant to be following criminals down dark alleys or engaging in hand-to-hand combat.

As with any collection, the reader will prefer one story over another. Adler’s mystery of the stopped clocks, for example, has a jaunty tone that is far more engaging than Lomax’s quieter mystery, though Adler’s saccharine adoration for her husband may get on the nerves after the first dozen pages or so. But that’s a minor drawback when it comes to seeing The Woman square off against Sherlock Holmes one more time, though in far different circumstances from the original ‘Scandal in Bohemia’.

Lestrade’s story has a deeply personal edge to it, delving into the history of a character who is often the butt of Holmes’s jokes. And while Faye’s story has no real effect on the official canon, it’s always interesting to speculate about a character’s background. There is the occasional morose edge to Lestrade, and Faye develops a heartbreaking story about why that is so, and also why Lestrade joined the London police in the first place.

Mrs. Hudson’s story is entirely domestic as she ponders her longtime lodger and his relationship with Watson, and how morose Holmes will get without his friend or a case to occupy his mind. She bemoans the excellently cooked meals that go untouched, which reminds her of the ingredients she needs to purchase for the next few days’ meals. Mrs. Hudson’s mystery is the lightest, most homebound of them all, which is fitting for her character and her place in the world. After all, even if it’s not strictly canonical, if Mrs. Hudson were to leave Baker Street, we all know that England would fall.

The most intriguing parts of Observations by Gaslight are not the mysteries, however. It is the observations the narrators make regarding Holmes and Watson, to a lesser degree. John Watson might be aware of (and comment upon) Holmes’s dramatic tendencies, it is fascinating to see how others observe (or not) these tics, and what they think of them. Adler, for example, finds Holmes’s melodrama endearing, while Lestrade finds it irritating at best. Hopkins hardly notices at all.

Lyndsay Faye has written many other Holmesian stories for her own books, as well as for numerous anthologies, so it’s no surprise that she has the Victorian writing style down pat. Each story has its own voice and feels as though it could have been pulled from a Victorian-era diary. Authors of Holmes pastiche usually aim for that nineteenth-century feeling, but not all of them pull it off. Faye nails it every time, which gives her stories a wonderful sense of authenticity.

Whether one is looking for the further adventures of Sherlock Holmes (albeit from a slight distance), or just looking for some engaging Victorianesque stories to read on a rainy day, Observations by Gaslight is sure to please.

-----

Thank you to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers for providing me with a free ebook in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do love Sherlock Holmes fan fiction. This is a great series of stories elaborating on some of the traditional Conan Doyle characters. Extremely fun/pleasant reading with gratifying puzzles.

[Ray Palen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a Sherlockian for most of my life. That definition is twofold --- not only have I been reading the exploits of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Great Detective, but I am also a card-carrying member of the Sherlockian Society for many years. There are few people I know who are more obsessed with Sherlock Holmes. As an actor I have portrayed both Sherlock Holmes as well as William Gillette --- the actor who played Holmes more than anyone else on stage --- in several theatrical performances. As a published playwright, I penned an award-winning short play that featured Holmes and his arch-rival Moriarty.

I count myself fortunate to know author Lyndsay Faye, who out-Sherlocks me and proves it with this incredible collection of stories she titles OBSERVATIONS BY GASLIGHT: STORIES FROM THE WORLD OF SHERLOCK HOLMES. She also hails from the greatest borough in the world, Queens New York, where I spent a good part of my life. Based on this huge build-up you can be sure I was extremely excited to find that these short stories were not like any other Holmes collection I have read. Fans of Holmes’ fictional works are well aware that each is actually penned by Dr. John Watson as witness to the unmatched detection work of his friend and colleague. In the six stories from Lyndsay Faye, she has utilized a different narrator from within the world of Sherlock Holmes.

Now that your interest is piqued, I shall give you a brief summary of each of these six wonderful stories. Our first is a heavy hitter right out of the gates and is told to us from the perspective of the one female who has proved to be a match for the Great Detective --- Irene Adler. She is now married and goes by Irene Adler Norton but still carries her distinctive New Jersey accent with her. “The Adventure Of the Stopped Clocks” finds Irene back in London for the first time since marrying Godfrey Norton, who is insanely jealous of Sherlock Holmes and the possible semi-obsession his new bride may still have with him. Of course, you know she must find reason to run into her ex-rival/crush sooner or later. The mystery involving Godfrey’s no-good brother, an evil Baron, and a series of curiously stopped clocks is great --- but nothing compared to the verbal sparring between Adler and Holmes.

Next up is “The Song Of A Want” told from the perspective of young solicitor Mr. Henry Wiggins, who also was the Lieutenant of the Baker Street Irregulars. This macabre tale finds Holmes stepping in to save a young female cohort of Wiggins from the clutches of a villain known on the streets as ‘The Lullaby Doctor.’ Holmes meets the nefarious character while in disguise and deduces that he is no man of medicine. The rumors are that the mostly young women who go the ‘Doctor’ for treatment, if they come back at all, are minus most of their locks and claim to have seen his previous victims alive again right before their eyes. Just chilling!

“Our Common Correspondent” is the longest story in the collection and is told to us by Inspector Geoffrey Lestrade of Scotland Yard who has utilized the services of Sherlock Holmes on many occasions. At the start of the tale, the tables are turned when Holmes turns up at Lestrade’s office in a near panic over being asked by Dr. Watson to be Best Man at his nuptials. Lestrade relishes seeing Holmes in this state but succumbs and gives what advice he can to him about matrimonial workings and responsibilities. Holmes is able to pay Lestrade back in fast fashion when he is asked for assistance in an interesting case about two sisters, one of whom may have been victimized by a tricky advert in the local paper placed there by someone going by the title ‘Our Common Correspondent.’

“The River Of Silence” is brought to us by Inspector Stanley Hopkins who fancies himself as a potential protégé to Sherlock Holmes. He will be able to enjoy the opportunity of being more than that when Lestrade introduces him to Holmes and Watson who are called in to assist Hopkins and Scotland Yard with a gruesome case involving unidentified body limbs turning up. First, it’s a woman’s forearm in a box with curious Chinese decorations adorning it. The next is a leg that washes ashore from the Thames River. It is this very river that provides us the title for the story as Holmes notes Edgar Allan Poe referred to the Thames as ‘The River Of Silence.’ This is an exceptional story with an unpredictable ending.

“The Gospel Of Sheba” contains almost for its’ entirety the unique protagonist A. Davenport Lomax. Lomax is a Sub librarian who has often provided Holmes and Watson with research materials upon request. Lomax finds himself mixed up with a clandestine group of mostly bankers and the well-to-do who are obsessed with the supernatural and refer to their membership as The Brotherhood Of Solomon. When one of the members visits with Lomax at his library the request is for a rare occult work entitled The Gospel Of Sheba. When members of this society begin falling deathly ill after perusing this work, Lomax believe that they are somehow being poisoned. This leads us to the eventual appearance of Holmes who we all know is an expert in chemistry. Another great tale mixing both the supernatural with mystery genres.

The final and shortest story in this collection is “A Life Well Lived.” It also is the most heart-warming and personal for readers of Holmes as the narrator here is his faithful landlady at 221Baker Street --- Mrs. Hudson. She has been renting the 221 ‘B’ apartments to Holmes for what seems like forever, in addition to his sometime roommate Dr. Watson. The story is a touching character study from Hudson’s perspective that also contains an interesting little mystery sure to bring a smile to the face of every reader.

For those readers who may not be familiar with some or all of these narrators, author Lyndsay Faye does you a huge favor by including a brief summation by way of personal bio for each contributor to these six wonderful stories. OBSERVATIONS BY GASLIGHT is so authentic and real that readers will practically be able to see the dark smoke billowing from the chimney tops and smell the lamplighter’s oil while he lights each gaslight in London. Faye is purely brilliant and makes me wish I had thought of this idea first!

Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this! Since childhood, I have loved the tales of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, and this helped me with my addiction! Lyndsay Faye is a great writer and in this group of short stories, she captures Sherlock Holmes from different perspectives than that of Dr. Watson!
In these short stories, we hear from Irene Adler on another adventure after A Scandal in Bohemia. Irene as we know is married now and she is suspecting something outlandish with the financial dealings with her husband and his brother. So, she goes to Sherlock for help. We also hear from Inspector Lestrade, Stanley Hopkins, and Mrs. Hudson along with a few others.
Each story has some form of mystery that we have come to love from the Sherlock Holmes stories, letters, inner thoughts, and even a few recipes.
This is a pretty fast read. The Editor of the book was attempting to assemble the different stories in chronological order, and this was great! What I loved the most about these short stories is that the reader gets a different perspective of Sherlock and Watson, from different people and the reader gets to see different aspects of their personalities.
I adored this and I definitely recommend it to anyone who loves Sherlock Holmes stories and this would definitely be a treat for any reader!
I listened to the audiobook and it was great! The narrators were a great choice for the different characters, and they even had the accents of the characters! I loved it!
Thank you Netgalley and Highbridge Audio for the extraordinary opportunity to read and review this collection, it was definitely a fascinating treat!

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent set of short story/novellas centering around characters who appear in the Holmes canon. Faye writes very well, and with a good sense of place and time. I enjoyed all of the stories, and the different views of Holmes, depending on who was doing the telling.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid stories. I also liked the outside perspectives and understandings of the Holmes-Watson relationship.

[Shauna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the idea behind this book. The author has gathered the "journals" of some of the prime characters of the Holmes stories to share with us. Interesting to read the interactions of these characters with him through their eyes. I found the Adler tale a little light hearted based on what I remember from the Sherlock Holmes stories, but realized that I didn't really KNOW her and so it could be plausible. I think my favorite was Henry Wiggins retelling of his first sight of Sherlock.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book #: 62
Title: Observations by Gaslight
Author: Lyndsay Faye
Series: na
Format: 295 pages, Hardcover, local library
Pub Date: First published December 21, 2021
Started: 9/22/23 Ended: 10/6/23
Awards: none
Categories: Mystery, Short Stories, Sherlock Holmes by Other Authors, 2023 Books
Book with Recipes
Rating: ***** five out of five stars

When I first grabbed this off the shelf, I wasn't sure if Lyndsay was the author or just an editor of Sherlock Holmes short story collection. It's a little of both. She is the author of the short stories, but each one is written from the point of view of someone other than Dr. Watson. I loved them!

For the record, the short stories are:
The Adventure of the Stopped Clocks by Irene Alder, the woman
The Song of a Want by Henry Wiggins, youth leader of the Baker Street Irregulars
Our Common Correspondence by Inspector Geoffrey Lestrade
The River of Silence by Stanley Hopkins, a Scotland Yard detective
The Gospel of Sheba by A. Davenport Lomax, a librarian, a fan and a protege?
A Life Well Lived by Mrs. Martha Hudson, his housekeeper (recipes here!)

[MissSusie · Rating 3 out of 5]

These were short stories about Holmes side characters some you know and some you don’t, unfortunately it did not have the same appeal for me as Faye’s Holmes books do. I found I didn’t care enough about these characters to keep my interest, it was easy to walk away and not come back to it.

Polly Lee is a favorite narrator but unfortunately my brain did not like the narration of Irene Adler I just don’t feel like she would sound like that and yes I know in canon she is American but the accent in this one just didn’t work for me. I liked her narration of Mrs. Hudson much better! Dan Calley’s narration was well done.

Okay re-reading what I just wrote it sounds like I hated the book and I did not I like it well enough it just didn’t feel enough like a Holmes book for my personal liking.

These were still well written good stories.

3 stars

I received this book from the publisher HighBridge Audio and NetGalley for a fair and honest review.

[David Dunlap · Rating 2 out of 5]

[stopped reading at page 184]
What a fascinating conceit for a Sherlock Holmes book! Instead of having the tales told by the faithful Dr. Watson, we are given individual chapters relating Holmes adventures, as told by different people, some -- Irene Adler, Inspector Lestrade, Mrs. Hudson -- from the canonical tales, others not.

However...I just could not find myself engaged in the stories (I finished three...and the Lestrade chapter was, actually, quite good), so I stopped.

Your Mileage, of course, May Vary!

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really, really liked this book. It's structured as a series of reminiscences from people who surrounded Sherlock Holmes, told after their retirement, which allows us to get a peak at different aspects of Holmes' character.

They are all lovely, absolutely faithful to the canon in both, feeling and characterization; and yet, fresh and all of them with a slight different take on the sleuth depending on who is 'talking'.

Of course, there are some of these that I enjoyed more: the first one, because I adore this Irene Adler, it's one of the few takes in this character that truly does her justice (probably because the author is a woman :P); the second one because I always adored the idea of Holmes caring for those poor street urchins who were invisible to the rest of the city; the last one, because Mrs Hudson view of Holmes isn't shadowed by extreme admiration. Paraphrasing the old French saying: No man is a hero to his landlady *laughs* She's fond of him, though, and through her eyes, we get to see a more playful (dare I say human?) side of him.

And last, but not least, the Watson here is the one I adore: not a buffoon, not a mindless sycophant but a good man, smart and brave, but, above all, a loyal and valued friend.

If you love Sherlock Holmes, I can't recommend this book more.

[Sandie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an anthology of stories that happen in the world of Sherlock Holmes. But these are not stories told by Dr. Watson. Instead, they are stories from the people surrounding Holmes. Stories are told from the point of view of Irene Adler, Inspector Lestrade, one of the Baker Street Irregulars now grown and successful, another Scotland Yard detective working on his first case and Mrs. Hudson.

We get to see Sherlock Holmes from the outside from those whose lives intersect with his but who aren't writing from the viewpoint of his best friends. While the cases are interesting what is more interesting is seeing Holmes from these alternate views. He is seen as a remote character but one who has a hidden reservoir of kindness and willingness to help others. In particular, his relationship with Mrs. Hudson and with Dr. Watson seen by others is interesting.

Lyndsay Faye is known for her work in this world. She has written several novels that intersect with the Victorian world of Holmes and her writing is a worthy continuation of the narratives of Watson. My favorite story was the one of the young detective asked to solve the murder of a young girl as his first case and how the various characters came together to create a successful answer to the case. I listened to this anthology and the two narrators both did an excellent job. This book is recommended for mystery readers and those fascinated by Sherlock Holmes.

[Jessi - TheRoughCutEdge · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m this book of short stories we follow the lives of five different people who Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson helped to solve mysterious cases.

I absolutely loved hearing the first section from the perspective of Irene Adler (as we know her from the books and movies). Her inner monologue is so interesting and her high self esteem made me smile. We should all think so highly of ourselves! I also loved the last section from Mrs. Hudson’s perspective. This story was filled with fascinating insight into the inner workings of Holmes and Watson!

This was such a fun listen for fans of Sherlock. I loved the quirky random info dropped in, which only a Holmes book would offer (like the number of different penguin species). I highly recommend this for anyone who enjoys the Sherlock Holmes books or movies!

Thanks to Netgalley and HighBridge Audio for the audio arc!

[Bookreporter.com Mystery & Thriller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a Sherlockian for most of my life. Not only have I been reading the exploits of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Great Detective, I have been a card-carrying member of the Sherlockian Society for many years. As a thespian, I portrayed both Sherlock Holmes and William Gillette --- the actor who played Holmes more than anyone else on stage --- in several theatrical performances. As a published playwright, I penned an award-winning short play that featured Holmes and his archrival Moriarty.

I count myself fortunate to know Lyndsay Faye, who out-Sherlocks me and proves it with this incredible collection of stories, OBSERVATIONS BY GASLIGHT. She also hails from the greatest borough in the world --- Queens, New York --- where I spent a good part of my life. Based on this huge buildup, you can be sure that I was extremely excited to learn that this is unlike any Holmes collection I have ever read. Fans of Holmes are well aware that his work is actually penned by Dr. John Watson as witness to the unmatched detection work of his friend and colleague. In these six wonderful stories, Faye has utilized a different narrator from within the world of Sherlock Holmes.

Now that your interest is piqued, I shall give you a brief summary of each story. The first is a heavy hitter right out of the gates and is told to us from the perspective of the one female who has proven to be a match for the Great Detective: Irene Adler, who is now married but still carries her distinctive New Jersey accent with her. “The Adventure of the Stopped Clocks” finds Irene back in London for the first time since marrying Godfrey Norton, who is insanely jealous of Holmes and the possible semi-obsession his new bride may still have with him. Of course, you know she must find reason to run into her ex-rival/crush sooner or later. The mystery involving Godfrey’s no-good brother, an evil baron, and a series of curiously stopped clocks is great --- but nothing compares to the verbal sparring between Holmes and Irene.

Next up is “The Song of a Want,” which is told from the perspective of young solicitor Henry Wiggins, who was one of the Baker Street Irregulars. This macabre tale finds Holmes stepping in to save a young female cohort of Wiggins from the clutches of a villain known on the streets as the Lullaby Doctor. Holmes meets the nefarious character while in disguise and deduces that he is no man of medicine. The rumors are that the mostly young women who go to this “doctor” for treatment (if they come back at all) are minus most of their locks and claim to have seen his previous victims alive again right before their eyes. Just chilling!

“Our Common Correspondent” is the longest story here and is told to us by Inspector Geoffrey Lestrade of Scotland Yard, who has utilized the services of Holmes on many occasions. At the start of the tale, the tables are turned when Holmes shows up at Lestrade��s office in a near panic over being asked by Dr. Watson to be the best man at his nuptials. Lestrade relishes seeing Holmes in this state but succumbs and gives him advice about matrimonial workings and responsibilities. Holmes is able to pay Lestrade back in fast fashion when he is asked for assistance in an interesting case about two sisters, one of whom may have been victimized by a tricky advertisement in the local paper placed there by someone going by the title “Our Common Correspondent.”

“The River of Silence” is brought to us by Inspector Stanley Hopkins, who fancies himself as a potential protégé to Holmes. He will be more than that when Lestrade introduces him to Holmes and Watson, who are called in to assist Hopkins and Scotland Yard with a gruesome case involving unidentified body limbs turning up. First, it’s a woman’s forearm in a box with curious Chinese decorations adorning it. Then it’s a leg that washes ashore from the Thames River. It’s this very river that provides us with the title of the story as Holmes notes that Edgar Allan Poe referred to the Thames as the River of Silence. This is an exceptional tale with an unpredictable ending.

“The Gospel of Sheba” contains almost for its entirety the unique protagonist A. Davenport Lomax, a sublibrarian who has often provided Holmes and Watson with research materials upon request. Lomax finds himself mixed up with a clandestine group of mostly bankers and the well-to-do who are obsessed with the supernatural and refer to their membership as the Brotherhood of Solomon. When one of the members visits with Lomax at his library, the request is for a rare occult work entitled The Gospel of Sheba. When members of this society begin falling deathly ill after perusing it, Lomax believes that they are somehow being poisoned --- which leads us to the eventual appearance of Holmes, who we all know is an expert in chemistry. This is another great tale that mixes the supernatural with mystery elements.

The final and shortest story in the collection is “A Life Well Lived.” It also is the most heartwarming and personal for readers of Holmes as the narrator is Martha Hudson, his faithful landlady at 221B Baker Street. She has been renting the 221 “B” apartments to Holmes for what seems like forever, in addition to his sometime roommate, Dr. Watson. This is a touching character study from Hudson’s perspective that also contains an interesting mystery sure to bring a smile to the face of every reader.

For those who may not be familiar with some or all of these narrators, Faye does you a huge favor by including a bio for each contributor. OBSERVATIONS BY GASLIGHT is so authentic and real that readers will practically be able to see the dark smoke billowing from the chimney tops and smell the lamplighter’s oil as he lights each gaslight in London. Faye is brilliant and makes me wish I had thought of this idea first!

Reviewed by Ray Palen

[Missy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun read! If you wish there were more Sherlock Holmes stories, here you go. Lyndsay Faye presents six stories as if Henry Wiggins collected other people’s accounts of Sherlock Holmes and compiled them into this volume. Each story contains a mystery - some quaint, some alarming. Along the way, new views of Holmes and various supplemental characters are fleshed out. The stories are written with the sensibilities of a century ago, which is refreshing. The whole collection is refreshing and impressivly clever writing.
I was provided an advance reader's copy from #NetGalley for my review. #ObservationsbyGaslight

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whilst Doctor Watson is the primary chronicler of Sherlock Holmes' famous cases, others have taken up a pen to inform eager readers of cases Watson was not privy to. Here, collected, are tales from Irene Adler, Henry Wiggins, Inspector Lestrade and Mrs Hudson, among others.

Faye has managed to write some interesting Holmesian mysteries and each story captures the voice of the narrator in a way to make them feel different. A fine collection of short stories.

[Athena Malone · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had I not read Faye’s two previous Sherlock pastiche, I think I would have enjoyed this more. But, having done so, you can’t help but compare and they were so much more profoundly enjoyable. I found most of these stories incredibly slow-paced, presenting a character atypical of Holmes, and struggled to get through.

[Miglė]

ai, nu aišku, kad nebaigsiu -ši knygya kabo mano kindle nuo vasario ir nejaučiu jokio noro ją atsiversti, nes čia tiesiog nėra nieko, kas mane žavi istorijose apie Holmsą, bet jei norisi "šiltesnio" žvilgsnio į garsųjį detektyvą ir išgirsti kitų veikėjų balsus, galit pabandyti.

[Jennifer Gyuricska · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the way she writes dialogue and immerses reader within the story

[Marlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally published at Reading Reality

There’s a conceit in regards to Sherlock Holmes stories, beginning with Doyle himself. That Doyle was merely the publisher of stories written by Dr. John H. Watson that were somewhat sensationalized accounts of Watson’s adventures with his friend and flatmate, Sherlock Holmes.

So it is with the collection, that someone is putting together a book or booklet of previously unknown Holmes adventures, written by people who were occasional or even frequent assistants to the “Great Detective”. As this book is to be published in commemoration of Holmes’ retirement from public life, the collator of this volume has reached out to acquaintances of Holmes throughout his career, ranging from his housekeeper Mrs. Hudson to his former lieutenant Henry Wiggins to his frequent foil Inspector Lestrade.

With, naturally, a contribution from “the Woman” herself, Irene Norton née Adler recounting the one time that she and Holmes were on the same side of a thorny and fascinating case.

There are six stories in this collection, with the entries rounded out by contributions from two minor characters in the Holmes canon, Detective Stanley Hopkins and the sub-librarian A. Davenport Lomax who becomes acquainted with Holmes through his long-standing friendship with Watson.

The stories range from the slight to the profound. Mrs. Hudson’s story, “A Life Well Lived,” is one of the slighter – and also fluffier – works in the collection. There is a small mystery to be solved, but the heart of the story is on Mrs. Hudson’s reflections that her life has been richer and more satisfying because of the occasionally explosive presence of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson in the flat she offered for rent so many years before.

Lomax’ story, “The Gospel of Sheba,” is also a bit on the lesser side, as Holmes himself doesn’t appear until nearly the end, and most of the mystery is wrapped around Lomax’ fears regarding his absent wife’s fidelity and his nearly-fatal idiocy surrounding his own investigation of a poisoned book.

Hopkins’ story, “The River of Silence,” shows Holmes in the role of mentor to the young police inspector, a role that surprises and delights and is perfect for the length of the story.

But the shining lights of this collection belong to Adler, Wiggins and Lestrade. Adler’s contribution, “The Adventure of the Stopped Clocks,” shines as brightly as the footlights that illuminate the opera stages which are her accustomed milieu. This story, unlike Adler’s famous introduction to Holmes, “A Scandal in Bohemia,” places “The Woman” and “The Great Detective” on the same side, investigating a criminal organization that has its hooks into Holmes’ beloved London in general, and Adler’s despicable in-laws in specific. What makes this story sing is its portrayal of their brief but brilliant collaboration as not just colleagues, but also friends for this one sparkling moment in time.

On the other hand, both Wiggins’ story, “The Song of a Want,” and Lestrade’s, “Our Common Correspondent,” are heartbreaking in their sorrow.

Wiggins, now a prosperous and successful solicitor, looks back on his days as a mudlark, when Holmes, himself younger and considerably poorer, teamed up with 9-year-old Wiggins to find a kidnapped young girl, bring down a sick and twisted criminal preying on the young and the desperate, and scratch out the humble beginnings of an organization that became the bane of criminals throughout London, the famous ‘Baker Street Irregulars’.

At least Wiggins’ story, as dark and desperate as it seems in the middle, manages to scrape out a happy ending. Lestrade’s account of his first ‘case’ with Holmes and the tragedy that turned him towards a career bringing criminals to justice is a story about one man who is keeping on keeping on a quest that can never be fulfilled and a grief that can never be assuaged. The light that shines through this story is the kind that is seen through a glass very darkly indeed. It’s a story that inspires both weeping and rage. As it should.

Dust and Shadow by Lyndsay FayeEscape Rating A-: This review is just a bit early, but I couldn’t resist picking this one up now. I’m considering it a Hanukkah present – and a marvelous one for any reader who loves Sherlock Holmes stories as I do.

My first exposure to the author of this collection was through her utterly marvelous Dust and Shadow, an account of Holmes’ involvement with the Ripper case. There have been plenty of attempts to portray Holmes assaying that investigation, but Dust and Shadow is still the best, the most true to both the Holmes we know and love from the canon and the known facts about the infamous Ripper.

Her previous Holmes collection, The Whole Art of Detection, was equally marvelous and definitely worth a read.

As is this one, Observations by Gaslight. Of the six stories, two weren’t quite up to snuff, but “The Song of a Want”, “Our Common Correspondent” and “The Adventure of the Stopped Clocks” absolutely made the entire collection a terrific read and a great way to while away a chilly fall evening by whisking the reader away to sit in front of a warm fire at 221B Baker Street in the midst of a London pea-souper. If only for a little while.

[Jeannette · Rating 2 out of 5]

With all these 4s and 5s I guess that this book just wasn't for me. The first story, after 45+ pages, just didn't hold my interest so I moved on to the second one. It, too, just was not for me. Idle conversation and all those "songs" turned me off. Sorry to say just not my cup of tea.

[Korin: A Crone Running Amok · Rating 5 out of 5]

Faye adds to the Sherlock Holmes story with entries from: Irene Adler, Henry Wiggins (one of the original urchins), Geoffrey Lestrade, Davenport Lomax (detective trained by Lestrade), & Martha Hudson. Faye stays true to the feel of the original stories & creates interesting additions.