Sherlock Holmes and the Explorers' Club (The Early Casebook of Sherlock Holmes 2)

Linda Stratmann is a very good writer, and I think I've read and enjoyed nearly all her books. These two Sherlock Holmes mysteries are a very worthy addition to the genre, and much better than most prequels by other authors. The language and the style used in the stories are authentic, and genuinely take us back to the 19th century, with cunning hints of what will later be revealed (by Conan Doyle) about Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson. The stories are ingenious, well-plotted and suspenseful. Both books are thoroughly enjoyable reads. Highly recommended.

This is what a non canonical Sherlock Holmes story should be. Great story and writing style, but most importantly it respects Doyle's original work.I have already read many of this lady's books. But this one came at a perfect time - immediately after an atrocity that presumed to give Holmes a love story.Reading this was bliss. Can't wait for more.

Really enjoyed this story. I have read the original Sherlock Holmes stories and I could imagine this as being written by Conan Doyle.

We have read a number of Holms spin offs but this series is way out front.Clever plots combined with an effortless period feel.These would make wonderful TV shows.

Really enjoyed this second instalment of early Sherlock. The story is well paced and a good read with the twists and turns expected.

I enjoyed it although I took a while to get into it.

Sherlock Homes and the Explorers Club is a great read and worthy of being added to early cannon of the Holmes Novels. An interesting read with lots of twists and turns. Its the second of a series but can be read as a stand alone.Thanks to Netgalley and Sapere Books for the ARC. This review is my own opinion.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Sapere Books for a review copy of Sherlock Holmes and the Explorers’ Club, the second novel in a series featuring an early version of Sherlock Holmes.Medical student Stamford enlists the help of another student, Sherlock Holmes, to identify a man with seven toes who died in an accident. The discovery of a coded letter in the man’s wallet leads them to the secretive Explorers’ Club and more accidental deaths.I thoroughly enjoyed Sherlock Holmes and the Explorers’ Club, which is a ripping yarn, full of unexpected twists and turns. I have not read the first novel in the series and dread to think how many years it is since I read the original stories, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I am a fan of Ms Stratmann’s writing and expected good things. I was amply rewarded for my faith.In keeping with the spirit of Conan Doyle’s writing the novel is narrated by Stamford and in keeping with setting he is a medical student, rather than a qualified doctor. He too has no idea about Holmes’s thought processes and stands as the foil to Holmes’s deductive reasoning. He has a very readable style with keen observations on Holmes’s character and his own lack of observation.The plot is great. It starts with a small mystery, an unidentified corpse and soon blossoms into something much wider and darker. Of course what they end up investigating is fairly silly, but the emotions and actions involved are far from that. It makes for a delightful mixture of the absurd and the serious. It’s not a long novel so nothing is superfluous and it moves along at a fast clip. I was glued to the pages, wanting to know what would come next. I have found a new series to follow.Sherlock Holmes and the Explorers’ Club is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.