The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes #5
“…the little things are infinitely the most important.”
Dr. John H. Watson
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in return for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
The Abduction of Pretty Penny is the first book by Leonard Goldberg that I have read, and that may be why I struggled with this book since it is the fifth book in the series. While it was readable, I felt that I lacked background information that I should already know from how some characters and situations were introduced.
The concept is neat, and I intend to go back to The Daughter Of Sherlock Holmes to see if starting at the beginning of the series increases my enjoyment of this book. A new generation of Holmes and Watsons working together on new cases is exciting. Having both generations of Watsons didn’t work as well as I expected. The trio approached every aspect of the investigations jointly, and the Watsons blended together, or the elder Watson faded into the background. It wasn’t until the last third of the book that they were separate long enough to feel like distinct characters.
The investigations, on the other hand, felt utterly disparate. While they were connected, it felt like they were either searching for Pretty Penny, hunting for the Ripper, or trying to protect Johnny. They didn’t feel like cohesive parts of the same evolving investigation. It all pulled together in the end, but it was disjointed along the way.
The villain was an intriguing opponent, taunting Joanna and the Watsons while continuing on a gory murder spree through Whitechapel. (If you have issues with graphic descriptions of gore, you will want to give this book a pass.) Watching the different thought processes of Sherlock Holmes’ daughter and grandson is fun. I just wish this book had come together better for me.
The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes has been added to my “to be read” list. With the background of the first four books, I hope the characters will feel more distinct.
The Abduction of Pretty Penny arrives in bookstores June 15th, 2021.
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