Unquiet Spirits: Whisky, Ghosts, Murder

A Sherlock Holmes Adventure, Book 2

By: Bonnie MacBird

Narrated by: Simon Darwen

The new novel from the author of Art in the Blood. December 1889. Fresh from debunking a “ghostly” hound in Dartmoor, Sherlock Holmes has returned to London, only to find himself the target of a deadly vendetta.

A beautiful client arrives with a tale of ghosts, kidnapping and dynamite on a whisky estate in Scotland, but brother Mycroft trumps all with an urgent assignment in the South of France.

On the fabled Riviera, Holmes and Watson encounter treachery, explosions, rival French Detective Jean Vidocq… and a terrible discovery. This propels the duo northward to the snowy highlands. There, in a “haunted” castle and among the copper dinosaurs of a great whisky distillery, they and their young client face mortal danger, and Holmes realizes all three cases have blended into a single, deadly conundrum.

In order to solve the mystery, the ultimate rational thinker must confront a ghost from his own past. But Sherlock Holmes does not believe in ghosts…or does he?

©2017 Bonnie MacBird (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"If the original 60 Holmes stories aren't enough for you, read Bonnie MacBird's Unquiet Spirits for another dram of the Great Detective. MacBird deftly blends a series of grisly murders and dark secrets from Holmes's past into a strong brew!" (Leslie S. Klinger, editor of The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes)

"A superb Sherlockian adventure. Bonnie MacBird's take on Holmes and Watson is inventive and true to the canon, a splendid blend of fast-paced action and detection in a deliciously gothic Highland setting. I can't wait for her next book." (Dana Cameron, BSI, Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity award-winning author of the Emma Fielding mysteries)

"Pour yourself a wee dram, toss another peat on the fire, and prepare to be swept up in the great detective's Highland fling. MacBird's spooky, scholarly, thoroughly 'spirited' follow up to Art in the Blood is a triumph of voice, place, and plotting. Highly recommended for fans of Sherlock, Scotland, and whisky lovers everywhere." (Catriona McPherson, best-selling author of the multiaward-winning Dandy Gilver series)

I thought it was a good extension to Sherlock

I read some reviews that thought the characters were not true to the original. I disagree. Holmes maybe more human than in other books, but that’s okay.

I don’t know that the preface was necessary.

Kept me from getting my work done

What did you love best about Unquiet Spirits: Whisky, Ghosts, Murder?

In other reviews, I was quite disappointed with “The Beekeeper’s Daughter” and “The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes.”
Now we have the books those could have been.
Ms. MacBird has two very similar women in Mlle. Emmeline La Victoire (Art in the Blood) and Aila MacClaren (Unquiet Spirits).
Smart enough to be confident, their primary affect is not the need to prove themselves, but rather the confidence not to hide their own light. They are smart, but open to the insights and accomplishments of others. Holmes and Watson are not dumbed down to make these women shine; they don’t need that.
They earn our respect without themselves being disrespectful, and without doubling down on Holmes’s more Asperger traits.
I never tire of well-written Holmes and Watson, but Aila MacClaren is poised to become the female detective the genre’ has been waiting for.
As compared with Doyle’s writing, Ms. MacBird’s characters feel right, but are more three-dimensionally developed. Watson, in particular, is more fleshed out and admirable, without breaking character.
The plots are more complex than Doyle’s, and the solving bits are comparable. The adventure element is brought out more, and I don’t how much physical abuse Holmes can survive at Ms. MacBird’s hands …
It’s been a long time since a book was so engrossing that I actually shirked some of my duties to keep reading, but both of MacBird’s books had that effect on me.

What other book might you compare Unquiet Spirits: Whisky, Ghosts, Murder to and why?

Nicholas Meyers' Holmes books.

What about Simon Darwen’s performance did you like?

Darwen was fine. His rendition of Sherlock is a bit querulous, and he has a little trouble juggling a Scottish accent and nuanced inflection simultaneously.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Oh, my. Yes!

Any additional comments?

More, please.

Well worth a binge listen.....

Get ready to get hooked in from page one. I couldn't put it down. Multiple plots and mysteries require both Holmes and Watson to solve. The characters are well defined by the author, and the narrator does a great job interpreting the dialogue. I'm looking forward to another work from this author.

loved it

Good old fashioned thriller. The story was fun with twists and turns and plenty to keep you guessing.

A Fairly Dry Drink

Like a good whiskey, this book was at first very good at wetting my pallet for a good Sherlock novel. But once I let it sit in my month for a while it was very dry and difficult to swallow. With not much in terms of interesting content. I’m glad I kept reading though as all good whiskey, this one had a Firery burn to it that I only felt when I was reaching the end of the book. And all the pieces started to fall into place.