Group Read: Sherlock Holmes - The Patchwork Devil

[Ken B]

This is the thread for a group read of Sherlock Holmes - The Patchwork Devil by Cavan Scott.4

We will be starting July 1. Read at your own pace, posting whatever you would like to discuss. When you post, please indicate the chapter and "spoiler" if appropriate! HAVE FUN!!!!

[Ken B]

I will be starting on this one today.

[Ken B]

Chris Apolant wrote: "Anyone else reading this getting the vibe that Watson needs an attitude adjustment? Or is it just me, being all stuffy again?"

I am about 10% into the book. Watson does seem to be PMS'ing.

[Ken B]

How far along is everybody. I just finished Chapter 11

(view spoiler)[I didn't care for Watson and his wife at all through the first few chapters. But, their bitchiness seems to have abated somewhat. Though, it still feels like there is some resentment by Watson's wife toward Holmes.

I thought the conclusion about dirt under the fingernails being from Germany was a bit far fetched. I was okay with the arsenic from the dyes and being able to pinpoint that to a certain part of London. But, the Germany comment was a bit out there. Unless, of course, Pike's body was more recently removed from the battlefield than we currently are lead to believe. I hope that point will be cleared up. (hide spoiler)]

Scott hints at other Holmes cases including several possible WWI cases and another about a Blackheath werewolf. I don't see that Scott has written any such cases but, if this book turns out okay, I would definitely be interested.

A couple of other Scott's Holmes titles are THE ADVENTURES OF THE MUMMY’S CURSE included in THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF SHERLOCK HOLMES ABROAD and THE DEMON SLASHER OF SEVEN SISTERS which is included in Encounters of Sherlock Holmes compiled by George Mann.

[Ken B]

I am at Chapter 31. The reading is going slower than I expected. Not at all related to the book. I am enjoying the book. Just too many distractions and too much work.

(view spoiler)[In regards to concerns about knowledge of genetics in 1919. I was concerned with that point as well when I got to it. I stopped and googled the history of genetics at that point and was surprised by what I found. From Wikipedia (the source of all accurate knowledge):

"The history of genetics started with the work of the Augustinian friar Gregor Johann Mendel. His work on pea plants, published in 1866, described what came to be known as Mendelian inheritance. Many theories of heredity proliferated in the centuries before and for several decades after Mendel's work.

The year 1900 marked the "rediscovery of Mendel" by Hugo de Vries, Carl Correns and Erich von Tschermak, and by 1915 the basic principles of Mendelian genetics had been applied to a wide variety of organisms—most notably the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Led by Thomas Hunt Morgan and his fellow "drosophilists", geneticists developed the Mendelian model, which was widely accepted by 1925. Alongside experimental work, mathematicians developed the statistical framework of population genetics, bringing genetic explanations into the study of evolution."

So, basically, I'm good with the way the book handled it.

On another point, I was a little confused about the relationship between Holmes' and Watson's assailant and the "attack" in Manchester. It wasn't until the book spelled it out ("our assailant at Abberton Hospital is not alone in this world") that it dawned on me that we were talking about at least two individuals. (hide spoiler)]

I am liking the book. Got off to a rough start with Watson and his wife PMS'ing. Once we got beyond that, it has been smooth going.

[Bethany]

Just finished it. As the first Sherlock pastiche I've read, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm excited for Cavan Scott's next Sherlock Holmes book coming next July (Sherlock Holmes: Cry of the Innocents).
To voice an unpopular opinion, I must say that I appreciated how Watson was a little more grumpy and a little more sarcastic. It just made him feel older, in my opinion.

[Ken B]

Finished the book. I thought a couple of the clues to the mystery were rushed but all-in-all, I liked it. 4 STARS

[Mary]

I just started this last night. I do agree that Watson in the opening chapters is a bit out-of-character in his huffing and puffing, although I'd probably behave that way (just not sure it's Watson). And I agree that as an older man, he might be a bit crabbier and "done" with Holmes' mysterious and disruptive behavior. Still, the style is enjoyable. Definitely excited to read further!

Watson's wife, as always, is unconvincing...

[Mary]

Just finished it--read the bulk of it in almost a day. I really enjoyed it as an adventure tale, and once it got going, I was unable to put it down. I liked the fact that the creature retained its character from the original novel and wasn't that influenced by later film variations.