Holmes Coming

By: Kenneth Johnson

Narrated by: Kenneth Johnson, Francesca Ling, Rory Barnett, Jenny Gago, Thom Rivera, Cary Hite

Dr. Amy Winslow tells the story: in foggy, nighttime San Francisco a jogging SFPD captain is savagely attacked by a Bengal tiger which then vanishes. In her ER, Amy labors unsuccessfully to save the captain’s life, then consoles his aggrieved closest friend, Lt. Luis Ortega. Neither suspects their lives will intertwine in a life-or-death mystery.

The next day, checking on former patient Mrs. Hudson at her Victorian house isolated in Marin County’s forest, Amy discovers in the cellar a secret, cobweb-covered 1899 electrochemical laboratory containing a Jules Verne-esque steam-punk sarcophagus out of which springs a wild-eyed, half-mummified, crypt-keeper-like man who injects himself with something before falling dead at her feet. Amy barely revives him.

He claims to be a real-life Victorian master chemist and detective named Holmes, who allowed Conan Doyle to write stories based on his cases, though was slightly annoyed when Doyle changed his real first name to the catchier Sherlock. Becoming uninspired by 1890s crime, Holmes devised this method to hibernate for a century to investigate future mysteries.

Amy assumes he’s a lunatic. His Scotland Yard identity papers were stolen while he slept, so it takes her a while to realize his amazing story is true.

Respectably handsome when cleaned up, Holmes is still the same brash, egoistic, uber-English, cocaine-addicted, non-feminist genius—but now a century out of sync—so his still-brilliant deductions are sometimes laughingly or dangerously wrong. Holmes and Amy, his reluctant new Watson, find themselves unexpectedly attracted to each other while perilously involved in reclaiming his proof of identity, aided by cybersavvy street teen Zapper. It’s all connected to the horrific death-by-tiger, only the first of several bizarre, mystifying murders being committed by an exquisitely fiendish descendant of Holmes’ Victorian archenemy, Professor Moriarty.

The tone is classic Holmes—plus a refreshing twist of fish-out-of-water humor with a surprising spark of real romance.

©2021 Kenneth Johnson Productions, Inc. (P)2022 by Blackstone Publishing

3 for 3 Kenny!

Lover of all things Holmes! Sherlockian thru-&-thru! Kenny’s other 2 [audio]books are amongst my top favorites too!

I loved this book!

Should definitely be a series and maybe something on Netflix! Very entertaining, and I loved the multiple voices for each character.

Refreshing and brilliant take on Sherlock Holmes!

What a refreshing and brilliant take on Sherlock Holmes. It was amazing to experience a new story that still captured the spirit and sharpness of the classic detective. The narration and writing pulled me right in. Well done bravo!

This reading/book kept my attention from start to finish!

Every single part of this book kept wanting to hear more. Kenneth has a way of keeping the reader in the book, wanting to know more. And I loved that there multiple voices in the audio book. Write another novel Kenneth!

A Fun Read

Loved the Holmes style brought into the 21st century with a female doctor. The only con was the voice of the doctor. To my ears, it didn't fit the character. Otherwise, a fabulous listen.