A Biased Judgement

The Sherlock Holmes Diaries 1897

By: Geri Schear

Narrated by: Dominic Lopez

Sherlock Holmes thrives on danger. Sudden knife attacks, being stalked, and facing a network of assassins present little more than a cheery break in the monotony. But the enigmatic Lady Beatrice presents danger of a different kind. Is she a murderer or a potential victim? Or something even more perilous? Uncovering her secrets could change Holmes's life forever, and in ways even he cannot anticipate. The newly-discovered Holmes diaries shed light on a tale so potent, Watson was never permitted to reveal it.

©2014 Geri Schear (P)2016 MX Publishing

Great story!

I’m very discerning when it comes to Sherlockian audiobooks. This is one of the ones that has it all!

Different and enjoyable

Written from Sherlock’s point of view instead of Watson’s. The really unique thing here is extending Holmes behavior to places that, in a vacuum, might seem impossible but the author makes them entirely believable. In addition the mysteries extend from the trivial and personal to those of global importance. A good job of introducing some unusual elements while maintaining all of the usual and expected ones in top form.

Highly Enjoyable Listen

Great story and written very well. First Holmes pastiche I've read that was written from Holmes' perspective. It was neat to get his take on Watson. Impactful emotions conveyed but done subtly. I'm not an author, but I think it would be hard to write feelings like this, for Holmes, in a way that is not excessive or that betrays Holmes' core personality and at the same time, comes across clearly to the reader. I could not put this down. It was very enjoyable.

Sherlock Holmes is rarely bad!

I have enjoyed hearing of Holmes's life and family . Something I have never given thought to... that he would have had kids and grandkids. This is the unique spin to this book! Shear has placed this story through documents found by descendants. Great job. I loved it!

Thank you

This was just what a Sherlock Fan needed someone to capture the Doyle's Spirit Of Writing!

I truly enjoyed this story

As with every book that takes Holmes by the road of romance, I approached this one with caution *laughs*

But I really, really liked it. Probably because: one, Sherlock Holmes is still him, he stays the man we all know and love; and two, Lady Beatrice is a very good character, a smart, strong lady with a very defined set of ideas about what she wants from life.

Having the story told from Holmes' POV was a great way to present it. I just love how skillfully and yet, subtly he writes about his emotions; it's simply perfect :D

And the mystery and the conspiracy's plots are concise and tightly written; interesting and compelling.

I will be searching for more stories by this author, that's for sure.

Enjoyable listen

Good pace, loyal to the Canon, well read. Read this one you'll read the next. Enjoyed Holmes experiencing frustration in complicated casework.... no easy brilliance in this, Holmes must grind. Beatrice is the perfect intellect to capture the Holmes brother's attention. Characters are well developed.... nice job Geri ! Looking forward to a third .

Very entertaining!

I enjoy the pastiches that expand the characters or stories in on the original canon. I enjoyed this book so much that I had to get the rest of the series! The narration is excellent.

An unusual point of view

So this book took the stand that Sherlock Holmes’ children and grandchildren return to the family home approximately one hundred years after Holmes’ time.

The read some of his journals and learn how the Great Detective met his wife, and together foil a most heinous plot. That’s the good part.

Now my criticisms. First, it was obvious much too early who the bad guy was (one of them, at the least). Second, the author used some words incorrectly, which somewhat spoiled my enjoyment of the story.

But the bulk of the blame falls squarely on the narrator. He had two major failings. First, all of the male characters sounded the same, which made it extremely difficult to follow any complex dialogues. Second, he utterly and completely lacks the vocabulary to read this book. It’s not just that he got difficult words wrong. He got even simple words wrong.

He needs to realize that, just as I am not suited to play NBA basketball, he is not suited to narrate audiobooks. Give it up, my friend, it’s not something you have any talent for.

Still, the story was interesting, and if you grit your teeth, you can get through this book, and hopefully derive some enjoyment therefrom.

A bit over-modulated, otherwise fine.

There were one or two places where some editing would have been nice, but other than that, the only negative aspect of the final production is that when Dominic Lopez was reading, somebody in the control booth apparently did not notice the VU meters on the audio console were pegged "into the red" far too often, When you listen with headphones or on a really good audio system, the distortion of the narrator's voice is obvious to the point of detracting from the listening experience.

Dominic Lopez did a splendid job, and as to Schear, well I seriously wish he'd write more sequels because he has become my favorite writer of Sherlock Holmes stories, surpassing even Conan Doyle, and I burn for more of his work If he writes more I beg of Audible to make it available ASAP. Incredible stuff.