Sherlock Holmes and the Apocalypse Murders

Sherlock Holmes Mysteries

by Barry Day

SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE APOCALYPSE MURDERS...London 1895..and the past returns to haunt Sherlock Holmes. A murder with a distinctive signature suggests that Jack the Ripper may be back and no longer confining his attention to ladies of easy virtue. And is his return somehow connected to the charismatic Janus Cain and his Church of the New Apocalypse? Is there indeed, some master plan to bring an end to civilisation as Victorian society knows it? Holmes and Watson set out to find the answer with the unlikely help of Oscar Wilde. But will they be in time to avert the Four Horsemen...Pestilence, Famine, War and Death?

Genres: Mystery

192 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2001

About the author

Barry Day was born in England and received his MA from Balliol College, Oxford. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA), a Trustee of the Noël Coward Foundation and was awarded the Order of the British Empire “for services to British culture in the U.S.A.” He lives in New York, London, and Palm Beach.

Reviews

[Susan]

1895. Has Jack the Ripper returned to the streets of London. It seems Holmes knew who he was and what happened to him, so if he is back, why.
An enjoyable Holmes mystery

[Amy H. Sturgis]

This is a solid and engaging take on Sherlock Holmes meeting Jack the Ripper. According to Day, Holmes had been brought in secretly to consult during the Whitechapel murders and determined that Jack the Ripper was a London aristocrat (of Day's creation, not one of the historical suspects). His peers judged this aristocrat and exiled him from England for his bloody crimes, unceremoniously "dumping" him in France. Now, years later, the Ripper's back in London with a new identity: Janus Cain, in public leading a doomsday cult-like church located at the scenes of some of the past Ripper murders, and in private killing off the judges who had sentenced him, feeding German-supplied weapons to agitating organizations, and planning a domestic terrorism hit on London's water supply.

Holmes, Watson, Mycroft, Lestrade, Wiggins of the Baker Street Irregulars, and even Mrs Hudson have their moments here; so too do a returned Irene Adler (whose past with the man in part explains the original Ripper murders), and a particularly well-drawn and poignant Oscar Wilde. While I wasn't completely convinced at the way in which the Ripper/Cain was characterized, I was willing to suspend disbelief for the enjoyment of the rest of the narrative, which is well-paced and delightfully atmospheric. For once I didn't find Adler or the spark between her and Holmes annoying, either. Watson's voice and character are quite good, and the exchanges between Wilde and Holmes are wonderful. Day works in many references to the canonical Doyle stories of Holmes as well as others set in the same period (such as The Phantom of the Opera). I'm quite glad that I included this novelette in my "Holmes vs. Ripper" readings. It was a pleasant surprise.

[Alice Segura]

The Spirit of Sir Doyle Lives

An exciting story filled with Sherlock, Watson, Mycroft, Wilde, Adler and the familiars. It's a believable take on the Jack the Ripper mystery and suggests why it was never publicly solved, throw in biblical quotes and a creative story emerges. If you are a Doyle fan and have a few hours to spare you won't find anything more engrossing than the . . . . Apocalypse Murders.

[Shawn Manning]

Solidly Done

Given the number of wretched Holmes stories out there, it's nice to read one, that, while not remarkable, tells an entertaining tale. There were a few things that irked me, such as foreshadowing of future historical events. Still if you are looking for something worthwhile, to read, this should do nicely m

[Super Book]

I have not read a Sherlock Holmes story this good since I last read those penned by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself.

For more, read review #23 on my blog: http://superbooknerdthings.tumblr.com/

[Kirinna]

Another excellent pastiche (that you can also listen to on audible) which is basically the opposite to Sherlock Holmes and the Copycat Murders by the same author in that it starts slow and then quickens and finds its footing later.

At first though I was a little unsure if I could connect a wild beast like Jack the Ripper to a cold planning mind but the story had an interesting solution for it in the fact that he has a split personality.
It's a character-driven tale which means we get to see lots of Sherlock regulars like Lestrade, the Bakerstreet boys and Mycroft - but this time with Irene Adler, Oscar Wilde and a few others mixed in.
I thought both Wilde and Adler stayed true to their characters too.
However the ending was what really sealed it as a four star read for me when Irene said that Sherlock has always been "the one man" to her and Sherlock then decides to take a little holiday to the states. A perfect bow tied on a great adventure.

[Ted Hinkle]

Can you ever get too much Sherlockian intrique? Author, Barry Day spins another classic tale in traditional Holmes - Watson fashion with a touch of the Apocalypse entwined for good measure. In the words of Dr. Watson ....SHERLOCK HOLMES and the APOCALYPSE MURDERS "...a case in which you will undoubtedly introduce your customary element of the romantic and reduce the role played by logic and deduction."

[Joe]

I really enjoyed reading this one and thought it had a great story line. The book was written with an obvious attention to detail. I also liked the fact that Mycroft was pretty heavily involved, as well as ‘the woman’. If you’re a Holmes & Watson fan, give this book a go.

[Richard Domann]

Solid premise but a bit too many “celebrities “ for my taste.