1914. Joanna Blalock’s keen mind and incredible insight lead her to become a highly-skilled nurse, one of the few professions that allow her to use her finely-tuned brain. But when she and her ten-year-old son witness a man fall to his death, apparently by suicide, they are visited by the elderly Dr. John Watson and his charming, handsome son, Dr. John Watson Jr. Impressed by her forensic skills, they invite her to become the third member of their investigative team.
Caught up in a Holmesian mystery that spans from hidden treasure to the Second Afghan War of 1878-1880, Joanna and her companions must devise an ingenious plan to catch a murderer in the act while dodging familiar culprits, Scotland Yard, and members of the British aristocracy. Unbeknownst to her, Joanna harbors a mystery of her own. The product of a one-time assignation between the now dead Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler, the only woman to ever outwit the famous detective, Joanna has unwittingly inherited her parents’ deductive genius.
Leonard Goldberg is the USA Today bestselling author of the Joanna Blalock medical thrillers. His novels have been translated into a dozen languages and were selections of the Book of the Month Club, French and Czech book clubs, and The Mystery Guild. They were featured as People’s “Page-Turner of the Week” and at the International Book Fair. After a long career affiliated with the UCLA Medical Center as a Clinical Professor of Medicine, he now lives on an island off the coast of Charleston, SC.
My Impressions:
I joined a FB book discussion group to expand my reading horizons and to connect with a wider group of people who love a good story. The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes by Leonard Goldberg was the chosen book. Now, I had never heard of this book, but who doesn’t like a mystery, especially if it features Sherlock even in a passing way? My husband, the real Conan Doyle fan, joined me in listening to the audiobook, and that was definitely an added bonus — discussing books with other book nerds and my husband! I enjoyed the historical references, the shout-outs to the original Holmes’ stories, and the puzzling case. My favorite thing, though, was the characterization of Joanna Blalock and the Dr. Watsons, both junior and senior. Their interactions were a treat as they worked together to uncover the why and how of the death of a member of the British aristocracy. I haven’t read any of Conan Doyle’s novels (my knowledge comes from watching the BBC series with Jeremy Brett), but my hubs has. While he didn’t find the complex deductions that are a hallmark of the originals, he did enjoy The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes, as did I. In fact, book 2 was downloaded immediately following the conclusion of book 1.
We recommend The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes for those who like a thinking-man’s mystery. The novel is not CF, but is definitely clean — no language or adult situations. The narrator was spot-on in his pacing and accents. All in all this was a very enjoyable listening experience!
Recommended.
Audience: Adults.
To purchase, click HERE.
(I purchased the audiobook from Audible. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
Sherlock Holmes’ pastiche is becoming so big right now. This sounds like a very interesting take on the original and the audio sounds like it is very good. I will have to see if Hoopla has this one to listen to. Wonderful review Davida.