The West End Horror

A Posthumous Memoir of John H. Watson, M.D.

By: Nicholas Meyer

Narrated by: David Case

Learn more about The Great Detective Sherlock Holmes in The West End Horror.


Illustration by David K. Stone.©1984 Nicholas Meyer; (P)2009 Random House

Loved the way Nicholas Meyer imagined and brought to life the literary and theatrical society of the era.

I did not care for the voice the narrator gave Holmes but was interested enough in the story that i continued to listen to the end. In the early chapters the accents were overblown and I found it hard to listen to. It is a testament to Nicholas Meyer’s story telling that i continued on to the end. The narrator settled down by the second half and I was less distracted by the earlier diction.

Most "Holmesian" pastiche so far

"The West End Horror" follows "The 7 Percent Solution" in the Nicholas Mayer-edited series of Sherlock Holmes pastiches. This second book is far superior to the first. It is one cohesive story that recalls the novels such as "The Hound of the Baskervilles."

I particularly like a technique employed in the previous book and this book: footnotes which tie in aspects of either other stories in the Canon or interesting references to Victorian-era people or events that may not readily be recognized by the modern reader.

Overall the story is intriguing and runs along at a fast pace. It took me much of the first book to get used to the narrator. He returns to read this book and is a natural Holmes. My only two complaints, if they can be called complaints, is that Watson is still too gruff for my taste. Secondly, the story was so compact and concise that I was actually disappointed that it ended as quickly as it did.

Close enough

This may not have been written by Conan Doyle but it is close enough in my opinion.

Quite a bit better than the first.

I enjoy Holmes and Watson but am not a Sherlockian nor am I a member of any society or club dedicated to the study of all things Holmes. I’m just an ordinary fan who likes the books.

I said that because I can’t make any comment on the accuracy of the text or how the style jibes with the canon etc., etc. I do think Holmes is somewhat less acerbic than I remember from the A. C. Doyle books but I could be mistaken.

I enjoyed this story quite a lot and the appearance of actual historical figures makes for an interesting tale different from the original books.

And I’ve mostly adjusted to having Holmes, Watson, Mrs. Hudson and other characters from the original books in my universe and sharing my timeline as figures in history. Figures who’ve interacted with other historical people like Gilbert & Sullivan and Bernard Shaw rather than just fictional characters.

It opens up the whole of the late 19th and early 20th century history to the author’s meddling. And I, for one, am looking forward to seeing what mischief he gets up to.

Enjoy your day.

Very original and in the spirit of the author

This book like its previous are as close to additional stories on Sherlock Holmes by its original author yet original in their own right as one could well expect to find.