The Adventure of the Purloined Portrait

The Early Case Files of Sherlock Holmes #4

by Liese Sherwood-Fabre

A long-buried past. A stolen portrait. The artist’s murder. Can Sherlock discover the connection between the three before he’s stopped permanently?

Sherlock can’t shake his apprehension about a family trip to Paris. His mother’s unflappable confidence vanished months ago, and her anxiety has set the whole family on edge. His greatest fears are realized when they witness the death of one of Mrs. Holmes’ former suitors.

As Sherlock seeks to unravel the reason behind the artist’s murder, he unearths a long-buried secret about his mother and survives several attempts to keep him from getting to the truth.

Can he bring a murderer to justice before he’s buried with these hidden secrets forever?

The Adventure of the Purloined Portrait is the gripping fourth case in The Early Case Files of Sherlock Holmes. If you enjoy traditional historical mysteries, you’ll love this origin series about the world’s greatest consulting detective.

Buy The Adventure of the Purloined Portrait to learn how Sherlock’s past shaped the sleuth he became.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fiction

314 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 27, 2022

About the author

Liese Sherwood-Fabre grew up in Dallas, Texas and knew she was destined to write when she got an A+ in the second grade for her story about Dick, Jane, and Sally’s ruined picnic. After obtaining her PhD from Indiana University, she joined the federal government and had the opportunity to work and live internationally for more than fifteen years—in Africa, Latin America, and Russia. Returning to the states, she seriously pursued her writing career and has published several pieces. Her debut novel Saving Hope, a thriller set in Russia, is now available from Musa Publishing. You can follow her upcoming releases and other events by joining her newsletter at www.liesesherwoodfabre.com, or visiting her Facebook, Twitter, or Bebo accounts. You can also contact her at liese@liesesherwoodfabre.com.

Reviews

[Tahera · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Adventure of the Purlioned Portrait is the fourth book in the series devoted to the early case files of Sherlock Holmes where he is just a teenager and is so far my favourite. The mystery in this book is directly related to Mrs. Holmes past when she was a young woman living in France and involves art theft, forgery, blackmail, kidnapping interspersed with the politics of the country after the first Revolution. To get to the bottom of it, the entire Holmes family, along with Constance and uncle Vernon, visit France.

Full of mystery, adventure, danger and interesting characters, the book is very well paced and well written. Sherlock is no doubt his mother's son sharing both physical looks and personality traits. Constance finally gets a chance to perform on a stage and I am interested to see where her story arc eventually takes her. I still think she could be the 'Irene' of the original stories. An entertaining series for anyone who is interested in Sherlock Holmes.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Little Elm Press and the author Liese Sherwood-Fabre for the e-Arc of the book.

Publication date is 19th April 2022.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in 1860s Paris, The Adventure of the Purloined Portrait is the fourth in the Early Case Files of Sherlock Holmes series, a truly fabulous imagining of Sherlock Holmes as a young man. The writing is so lovely, so evocative...do not worry one whit about it measuring up to his later life. It just works.

Sherlock is a young Eton student who, along with his parents, Uncle Ernest, brother Mycroft and his mother's lady's maid Constance, are off to Paris for the summer where they rent an apartment with interesting...and interested...neighbours. Mrs. Holmes is not herself; she has a past in Paris. Layers of mysteries are peeled away and reveal far more than the Holmes' family could have anticipated. Though clean, it is not fluffy but intelligent, clever and smoothly-written wizardry with several subplots which are knit together gorgeously.

The details are so vivid it is easy to imagine oneself in the thick of things, experiencing crime, sights and sounds and insightful family dynamics. Paris is an enchanting city rich in the arts, some of which are highlighted here and include several real characters, buildings and concepts.

Amongst my favourite aspects are learning more about art in general (Horace Vernet connection), Sherlock's relationships with his mother and Constance coming into her own. The back stories make sense and the vernacular shines. The author's inspirations and research come through in her words. I love that. She also includes video links in the back for opera houses, food and the like for the City of Light. If you are looking for an immersive series which will whisk you away into another world, do read these books.

My sincere thank you to Little Elm Press and NetGalley for the absolute privilege of reading this book which gave me such happiness. I cannot wait to see what Book #5 has in store!

[Beverly Manring · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given an advance copy to give an honest opinion.. Liese Sherwood-Fabre has masterfully taken the character of Sherlock Holmes and has re-imagined how he might have become The sleuth we know him as being..She has written a series of books. I believe Sherlock was 17 in this book book four of the series. Sherlock has finished classes at Eaton. His brother at University the brothers arrive home at the same time having finished finals and as they are putting their bags down they find their mother in a whirlwind telling them to prepare for holiday for the summer in Paris. They garnered she had received word from family that has her current state although she hasn’t been herself since Easter. Which evidently caused by an occurrence in a previous book. I felt like I should have read it first to fully understand everything. This book was so good it could be read as a stand alone but it left me wanting to read more of the author’s works. This book began with the death of a man momma once knew when she lived here in Paris. Her father Her brother, Earnest, lives with them but is happy to keep to himself in his room or workshop. He has come with them on their trip. Sherlock has been able to piece information together to try to figure out what is going one is questions only lead to more potentially deadly trails. In the end they just want to see Paris as a tourist. Yes, I enjoyed the book and would recommend the author’s work. I am going to search her previous works to read them. Thanks to #Net Galley #LieseSherwood-Fabre for the opportunity to read early.

[Anjana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have enjoyed the series thus far and really liked this book too. The rating is dependent on what I thought of this with respect to the previous works. This book focuses on art and French political upheaval, topics I am not as drawn in, and this might be why I am rating it slightly lower than the others. I am stating this upfront because if either of these topics is more to a reader's taste than mine, they will like this better than I did, which is definitely something to be taken into account.
I would not really recommend reading this without prior knowledge of the series, the kind of person Sherlock Holmes is and the people that make up his family. This builds the appropriate ambience to enjoy these early case files of Sherlock.
At the end of the previous book, we knew that we would head to Paris in this one. Sherlock's mother and uncle were brought up in the city and have a fondness for the country. There is a lot that was left unsaid about the dark memories that were linked to their past, specifically that of his mother. This is the angle that is explored here. The family is eccentric by the time's standard, but they still adhere to a semblance of the code of conduct, keeping the scenarios very believable.
Sherlock had a lot of things occupying his mind, especially his increasing feelings for his only friend. Despite that, he has to focus on saving his mother's sanity and getting her out of the mess that has been lying in wait behind the scenes for years.
It is an intriguing plot with a lot of moving pieces. I saw one thing coming which otherwise I would have enjoyed the reveal of.
I highly recommend this series to anyone looking for a very plausible investigation by a younger Sherlock and his enterprising family.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience of this and the previous works in the same series.
https://superfluousreading.wordpress....

[Covadonga · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a sherlockian/holmesian for over 30 years now (I belong to the Círculo Holmes/Holmes Circle, a Sherlockian Association in Spain), and, as such I love all the Canon (the original material by Conan Doyle), pastiches (imitation/celebration of work and themes), and all stuff/things Sherlockian, whether it is orthodox or not.

One of my favourite movies of all times, about Sherlock, is Young Sherlock Holmes and the Pyramid of fear, which is not at all orthodox; not so here, there is no Young Watson and all the family is quite believable: The parents, mostly the mother, Violette (therefore so many Violets in the Canon? Would make sense: She is a fascinating character and Sherlock takes very much after her), the uncle and (step-)grandaunt, Mycroft the older brother. And the 14-15-year-old Sherlock himself. While I already knew that Holmes has some french artistic blood in his veins, the way of telling and introducing it (Horace Vernet, his greatuncle through his mother) is quite well done.
Well, I began the series with this fourth volume of this author’s Young Sherlock Holmes, which I won thanks to Library Thing and the author, and enjoyed it very much, enough to be wanting to read the first three.

Maybe I missed some things but it is very understandable as a stand-alone book. I don’t know where she will be taking her Young Sherlock Holmes in the future, if there are further installments, but I like what I read, and I certainly will want to read his Previous adventures and afterwards follow him.

Another main subject of the book is the city of Paris and its inhabitants at the time, the artistic milieu/ambience/environment, very well researched and turned out.

And I would like very much want to know what becomes of young Constance, a most interesting character. She is low-class but is now quite integrated in the family, very smart and talented as a Singer, brave, self-confident… An Irene Adler in the making?

4,5 out of 5 stars.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Adventure of the Purloined Portrait by Liese Sherwood-Fabre is the fourth book in her series about young Sherlock. I enjoy reading this series although there are some inconsistencies, for instance, if we presume Sherlock suffers from Asperger's Syndrome, we see no signs of it here. In this story we see the entire family, Mr. and Mrs. Holmes, Sherlock, Mycroft, Uncle Ernest, and Constance, the maid. It is Mrs. Holmes first trip back to Paris since she left as a young woman, after some mysterious illness. There is much to see, including great-aunt Marie, the widow of great-uncle Horatio, the famous artist. He was last in a line of artists. Hopefully we would be able to see some of their works. At the apartment, there is a note from Marie, asking Mrs. Holmes to call around. They do and discover that she has purchased a drawing of a much younger Mrs. Holmes, nude. interestingly there are a series of numbers on it that Sherlock can't wait to get a better look at. Mrs. Holmes thanks Marie profusely and promises to reimburse her. As they are leaving, someone snatches the drawing and Gaspard, the artist, and would be lover of a young Mrs. Holmes burst forth to speak with her and is run down by a horse-drawn carriage. He dies in her arms.

There are plenty of heart-pounding moments within these pages. There is the mystery of Gaspard, of course. There is also the mystery of the doctor who cured Mrs. Holmes after she became catatonic after whatever had happened earlier in her life: she doesn't want to see him. Sherlock and Ernest make that journey, instead, with no information on her refusal to meet. Visits to the theatre, and to cafes, and general sign-seeing take up much of their time after the mystery is solved. Sherlock much enjoyed being a tourist and Constance, was beyond herself with joy when Marie's friend offered to let her act as a substitute performer for several days to cover a sick actress/singer. She even considers staying in Paris and pursuing the career she has been striving for. They have a housemate, M. Roussel who turns out to be a good friend, and a tour guide of sorts. It was an entertaining book.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of The Adventure of the Purloined Portrait by the author, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #liesesherwoodfabre #theadventureofthepurloinedportrait

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a mystery set in 1868 in France. It's the forth book in a series, but it works as a standalone novel as well. The main character is a teenaged Sherlock Holmes, and the story shows how he learned to be a detective. I felt like the author did a good job of capturing the personalities of Sherlock and Mycroft as they developed toward the adult characters.

The author has deeply researched this time period. Historical details were woven into the story, bringing the setting and manners alive in my imagination without slowing the pacing. The characters were logical, asked good questions, and followed up on clues. Whodunit and the bad guys were guessable from the clues, and Sherlock's ideas about what had happened and why were confirmed after Sherlock was captured by them. The official detective on the case also played a role in capturing the bad guys. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable historical mystery.

I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

[Bethany Swafford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mrs. Holmes has been unsettled for months, but young Sherlock does not know why. The family travels to Paris for the summer, the site of Mrs. Holmes’ childhood. Secrets from her past come to light, threatening the whole family. Will uncovering the truth bring peace of mind, or is it more dangerous than any of them realize?

This was a fun read. I’ve mentioned before that I love interesting tales of Sherlock Holmes as a boy. I love how this series explores the influence of his mother. I really enjoyed how this one builds on the family connection that is briefly mentioned in the original stories.

The details of the era were fun. I enjoyed the descriptions of places and artists. And the mystery was interesting. I liked the twists and turns it took for Sherlock and his family to learn the truth. Constance still is not a favorite, but I was more sympathetic to her in this book.

Definitely my favorite of the series!

I received a free copy through NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own.

[Scarlett Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this mystery even though it was #4 in a series. Sherlock's family life was as interesting as the mystery he was trying to solve. I've always wondered what his parents would be like and they are as different as Sherlock is, in that time. The interaction between Sherlock and his older brother Mycroft truly foreshadows their later relationship. I will read the earlier books in this series. I was given a copy of this book through Early Reviewers.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this was the best one yet in the series. Deeply moving on an emotional level; Mrs. Holmes was faced with unhealed trauma and the best way of recovery from it. Many-layered and richly detailed, I highly recommend Sherwood-Fabre's books on the youthful Sherlock Holmes.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was awarded a digital copy of “The Adventure of the Purloined Portrait” by Net Galley, the publisher and the author to read and review.

“The Adventure of the Purloined Portrait” is the fourth in a series of adventures of a young Sherlock. In fact, as noted late in the book, he is about fourteen years old at the time of this story; he is coming to realize his special powers of observational deduction, memory and energy.
Sherlock and his family, Father, Selig I wonder if that name is the author’s idea) , mother ,Violette,, brother Mycroft ( stodgy, , somnolent and perpetually hungry as always, are on a vacation trip to Paris. Accompanying them is Violette’s maid/ companion, Constance. In Paris they are to visit an aunt Violette’s sister.
The trip begins very inauspiciously. A blackmail note has been presented to Violette, through her sister: for 500 pounds a lascivious drawing of a young Violette will be handed over. The painter was Gaspard,an artist with whom Violette had a girlish fling. But after the money is given over to Gaspard’s second ( Violette refuses to meet with him) , and as the family leaves for the pension where they are resisting, Gaspard appears. He desperately pleas for forgiveness. A scene follows. As Gaspard leaves, he hands over a wrapped package and crossing the street is run over by a speeding carriage.
The package contains the portrait of the title. On the backing paper are words and numbers and an arcane symbol . So, to completely get into the Holmesian mood, “ the game is afoot!”
It is quite an entertaining game. No spoilers will I reveal but there are codes to decipher. Villains, a secret society, faked paintings and real masterworks make up a fast- moving plot. One learns that Sherlock gets his famous powers directly from his mother’s genes. One also learns quite a bit about his life before “ A Study in Scarlet” . Also of the youthful, romance-in bud with Sherlock and Constance. The author presents the art world of Paris nicely ,filling in the ambiance of the time and place for her captivating story. Very good characterizations, good pacing, and a satisfying climax. As a new reader of the author, I lookin forward to catching up on the previous three novels.
Fully Recommend. Nothing offensive in any way

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Holmes family, which includes a fourteen year old Sherlock, are off for the summer to Paris. What in Mrs Holmes past has made her fretful, what secrets are there for Sherlock to discover. But soon an old friend is killed.
An entertaining and well-written historical mystery. Another good addition to the series which can easily be read as a standalone story, with its cast of likeable and varied characters.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Anna Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always a lot going on in these stories of Young Sherlock. Getting some background on Sherlock's relatives is also interesting. The mystery always keeps me guessing because so much is going on. I do like the series.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Aera · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to give up reading this more than a dozen times in the space of 11 days. Yep. That's how long it took me to finish this book. The only reason why I pressed on was because I won this as an Early Reviewer and so felt compelled to finish this in order to give it a proper review.

Oh, where to begin. I found this to be a long, boring, tedious read. The story & particularly the mystery was meh. The characters either irritating or bland (the only character I liked was the professor neighbor). I found myself really detesting Holmes' mother. All her pearl clutching and swooning made me want to slap her silly. Although, towards the end it made sense still I thought it was overly done. And Mycroft was a petulant, peevish, spoiled brat! I didn't care for Constance either. Thought her to be tiresomely self-centered about wanting to become "a star" although at the last page the exchange between her & Holmes was rather sweet.

But all that could have been half way forgiven if the mystery was half way decent to which it was not. I was hoping the story would pick up at some point. Some books do but nope. It went on & on & on in a sluggish, snail's pace throughout the book. And the culprits were no surprise at all. You could see it a mile away. On top of that, the mystery was a muddled mess. And the author kind of "cheated" by alluding to events that occurred "off screen".

This wasn't horrible. It had it's moments of wittiness but ...I couldn't get into it. The story dragged so.

[Outlander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another foray into the life of a 14 year old SH, this adventure is set in Paris, with only one dead body this time but lots of people trying to kill Sherlock. An adventure worthy of the 4 stars but until no 5 is available this is the only Liese Sherwood-Fabre teenage SH left - next one please. It's now time to break out her essays on the London of Holmes lifetime. Only one small irksome detail, the term candies is not used in France (confiserie or bob-bons), nor is it used in the UK where it's collectively termed as confectionery as well as sweets or lolly (if it's served with a stick handle), but not candies !

[Liese Sherwood-Fabre]

"[T]he overall premise of a youthful Sherlock [was] very fresh."
- Jason Letts, Imbue Editing

[Blanche · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most unusual

A different type of Sherlock Holmes quite interesting
A very young Sherlock

Gives incite to where he got his skills

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

An entertaining short novella to introduce readers to the Purloined Letter --- well written, leaves you to intrigue, mystery, and adventure

[Florence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great story about young Sherlock. This time the wole family travels to Paris, and the reader becomes pages through pages embarked on the solving of a mind buggling mystery entangled with historical facts. A book to recommend and to enjoy as a great escape in time and places.