Sherlock Holmes and Lucy James Mysteries

The Crown Jewel Mystery by Anna Elliot

My Rating: 4/5 TARDISes

Series: Sherlock Holmes and Lucy James Mysteries #4

Date Published: June 1^st, 2017

Publisher: Charles Veley

Pages: 100 pages

Source: Netgalley

Synopsis: A young American actress arrives in London hoping to learn her identity, just as Sherlock Holmes is closing in on a master criminal. Their worlds collide, and not even Holmes could have foreseen the impact!

This novella is the prequel to The Sherlock Holmes and Lucy James Mystery series. It takes place three days before the opening of The Last Moriarty.

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*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

This is a spoiler-free review.

Again, I have been pleasantly surprised by another installment of this series. This is only a short novella—a prequel to the main series—but it is just as thrilling and suspenseful as the full length novels. In fact, I think this is my favorite story so far; it is incredibly captivating and full of surprises that will keep readers on their toes. We are able to go back and take a look at the origins of our characters and what eventually brings them together. It does a wonderful job of further developing backstories and fleshing out many basic aspects of the general series plotline.

In this novella, we primarily follow the perspective of Lucy James, the intelligent, brave, and witty young woman who serves as the main character in the previous novel. Lucy and her friend, Johnny Rockefeller, have just arrived in London in pursuit of the answers that have been hidden from Lucy all her life—who her family is and who has been financially supporting her all through her early years. While following a major lead, the pair suddenly find themselves embroiled in a dangerous con, one with far more twists and turns than anyone can imagine.

I had such a great time reading this story. Though they do not actually meet at this point, it is interesting to see how close Lucy comes to meeting Sherlock. They each play a crucial part in solving this mystery and bringing about justice without even knowing the other’s involvement.

Once again, we get a vivid picture of what an incredibly clever and strong heroine Lucy is. She fits in fairly easily among these other well-known characters, which adds to the plausibility of the narrative when compared against the original stories. Lucy is a very well-developed, multi-dimensional character, who holds her own and makes a solid protagonist for these novels.

Occasionally, Lucy comes across as being just a little too perfect. I always feel that one of the main elements that makes Holmes so incredible is the portrayal of his flaws that remind you he is human. This is an extremely minor complaint though—one that does not negatively affect this novella at all. It is only a point that would add even more dimension to Lucy if used.

Really the main issue that I had is essentially the same one that I had with the previous novel—I still struggle with Lucy’s familial connection to Holmes. This is absolutely nothing that Elliot did wrong; I think she does a fantastic job of making the idea of their relationship realistic and believable. However, I personally am overly picky when it comes to adding elements that really stray far from the original story to a generally faithful retelling. And I admit, the more I read from this series, the more that aspect of the plot grows on me, which is a testament to how well Elliot weaves her characters into the world of these classic tales.

Overall, this novella is a fantastic addition to the Sherlock Holmes and Lucy James Mysteries series. It is a very fun, fast-paced read that also adds more dimension to the series as a whole. We are able to see what finally brought Lucy into the paths of Holmes and Watson, as well as an early picture of her astounding powers of deduction. Though I still do have a few personal issues reconciling the details of her link to the great detective, she is a skillfully crafted mirror of him, while also retaining those things that make her a unique character in her own right. I am loving this series so far and I cannot wait to continue on with it.

Remember, Remember by Anna Elliot

My Rating: 3.5/5 TARDISes

Series: Sherlock Holmes and Lucy James Mysteries #3

Date Published: April 21^st, 2017

Publisher: Wilton Press

Pages: 357 pages

Source: Netgalley

Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis: A lovely American actress awakens in London on a cold morning in 1897 – lying face down on the concrete pavement outside the British Museum. She has no memories. She does not even know who she is, although she has a vague recollection of the name Sherlock Holmes. What she believes is that she has may have just killed someone, and that someone is definitely trying to kill her. As she searches for clues to her true identity, she will learn that she is not the only target. Unless she can defeat her evil adversaries, the people most dear to her will die.

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*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

This is a spoiler-free review.

I’ll admit I went into this book a little bit hesitant. It’s no secret that I love retellings or novels that use classic characters in modern day literature—these are some of my favorite types of novels. However, the hesitation I experience comes from my love of the original stories and characters themselves. I’m always a stickler when it comes to keeping true to the most essential and definitive aspects, even while the author is forming his or her own unique story. And I am especially picky when it comes to my all-time favorites. This particular novel, I’m pleased to say, does a reasonably good job paying homage to the incredibly well-loved characters from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s timeless tales of the great Sherlock Holmes.

In this novel, we read from the perspective of the main character, Lucy James, a young woman who wakes up on the steps of the British Museum with amnesia. Once woken up, she realizes she has lost all of her memories, including her name. All she knows is that she was hit in the head and that someone is most likely out to kill her—and that she may in fact be a killer herself. This, along with the vague recollection of the name Sherlock Holmes, is all she has to go on as she attempts to remember who she is, where she’s from, and why she is running for her life. Her enemies are ruthless and willing to take down anyone who gets in their way. Navigating dangerous circumstances and forging new alliances, Lucy takes on her adversaries and works to prevent them from carrying out their nefarious scheme.

Despite my original wariness, I ended up enjoying this story quite a bit. I found the plot to be fast-paced and easy to get wrapped up in right from page one. Though this is actually the third book in the Sherlock Holmes and Lucy James Mysteries series, it functions extremely well as a standalone. The overall mystery of the story is not completely unpredictable or surprising, but it still made for a very fun and action-packed read.

The portrayal of the various characters, overall, is fairly well done, but also the area from which the majority of my issues with the novel stem. The characters that were original creations of Anna Elliot were by far the strongest. Lucy is a great protagonist—she is a strong, highly intelligent, and independent heroine. The only major issue with her characterization is that there isn’t much development over the course of the story or depiction of flaws. One of the reasons a character such as Sherlock Holmes is so interesting is the mixture of his tremendous intellect and cleverness with flaws that make him human. While Lucy is a likeable character that is still easy to connect with, she seems just a bit too perfect at times.

As for Elliot’s versions of Holmes and Watson, I had somewhat mixed feelings. While her portrayal of Watson, in my opinion, is quite accurate, I felt a little bit lukewarm about her portrayal of Holmes. We don’t really get to see all that much of him, and even though there are certain times that truly reflect the classic great detective, there are some moments and plot points that I felt strayed a little too far. Though it was a little hard for me to imagine at first, I believe she did a decent job of gauging the way Holmes would treat a daughter had he had one in the original stories. However, there were times—such as his offering Lucy dating advice—that just didn’t feel authentic.

I had one odd problem with one of the character’s names. I was reading from an advanced review copy, so this is probably the cause of my confusion, but I could not figure out Lucy’s love interest’s first name. It kept jumping back and forth between John and Jack every few pages, sometimes even within the same page. Again, I assume this was caused by the uncorrected proof, and it has absolutely no bearing on my rating of the novel. However, I’m still not certain what his name actually was meant to be.

Elliot’s writing style is solid and easy to become absorbed in. She gives Lucy a strong narrative voice, which caused the plot to both flow well and pack a punch. Her world building of 1897 London is vivid and skilled, making it a very high point of the novel. She unravels the mystery at a steady pace, showing her talent for creating a storyline that hooks her readers and keeps them wanting more.

In the first part of the novel, Elliot does a great job of presenting Lucy’s slow gathering of clues pertaining to her life. The transition between the two halves of the novel—where Lucy suddenly regains her memories—is a bit rough. We are thrown rather quickly into her rapid and high-stakes lifestyle. However, this still does not hurt the plot progression overall, and though it was a little bumpy, I found myself falling into this new twist fairly easily. In general, Elliot keeps the plot as a whole straightforward enough to follow, and just unpredictable enough to create a exciting mystery.

Overall, I found this novel to be a pretty enjoyable and fast-paced read that was quite easy to become swept up in. This wound up being a very fun story, and an inventive take on some very timeless classics. While I would have liked to see a bit more development in Lucy and the various other significant characters in the novel, they were still portrayed well in general. Despite its few flaws, this is a good addition to the ever-expanding world of Sherlock Holmes novels. I am definitely planning to go back and read the first two novels of this series, and will eagerly await and further installments.