The game is not afoot as WWI ends. Holmes no longer provokes the Yard’s envy or his landlady’s ire, but neither is he content with the study of bees. England’s new 1920 Dangerous Drugs Act leads him to a nearly defunct French clinic where he aims to quit cocaine entirely. Confronted by a question as to his treatment goal, he hesitates, aware that his real goal far exceeds the capacity of any clinic. His scribbled response, “no more solutions, but true resolution,” seems more a vow than a goal to his psychiatrist, Pierre Joubert. The doctor is right. Like a tiny explosion unaccountably shifting a far-reaching landscape, the simple words churn desperate action and interlocking mystery into the lives of Holmes’ friends and enemies both.
Dutton seems to almost live this story, and she makes we readers do the same. A little strange (not Dr. Strangelove-like strange) well-written and a good read. Our Town Book Reviews
*The language and overall style are convincingly antique, similar enough to Doyle’s prose to pull the reader back into the Holmes world. At the same time, there are delightful modern touches. The author shows us that Holmes is a celebrity at the level of Kim Kardashian or Brad Pitt. The detective is disgustingly famous. His escapades are well known, and when it seems he may have a new case, all sorts of people are eager to get involved. Lisabet Sarai’s Beyond Romance Reviews
The characters are all truly well thought out and developed. I would recommend Sherlock Holmes and the Remaining Improbable to all fans of Holmes and Watson.” The Avid Reader Reviews
I fairly flew through this book, slowing down only to savor the story for a little longer. It’s extremely well written and the main players match my match my memories of the originals while at the same time developing as only the best characters can.
Surprisingly, the ending left me both incredibly satisfied and a little sad. It felt like the perfect epilogue to a brilliant character’s lifelong accomplishments, and I honestly wasn’t ready for the book to end. SHRI is a fantastic love letter to Conan Doyle’s original works, and a wonderful representation of literature’s most inimitable detective.
I most definitely recommend picking it up.
Witty and Sarcastic Book Club
Sherlock Holmes and the Remaining Improbable.........from Propertius Press and Susanne M. Dutton 