Dust and Shadow An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr John H Watson (Audible Audio Edition) Lyndsay Faye Simon Vance Inc Blackstone Audio Books
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Breathless and painstakingly researched, this is a stunning debut mystery in which Sherlock Holmes unmasks Jack the Ripper. Lyndsay Faye perfectly captures all the color and syntax of Conan Doyle's distinctive 19th-century London.
In Dust and Shadow, Sherlock Holmes hunts down Jack the Ripper-the world's first serial killer-with impeccably accurate historical detail and without the advantage of modern forensics or profiling. Sherlock's desire to stop the killer who is terrifying the East End of London is unwavering from the start, and in an effort to do so he hires an "unfortunate" known as Mary Ann Monk, the friend of a fellow streetwalker who was one of the Ripper's earliest victims. However, when Holmes himself is wounded in Whitechapel attempting to catch the villain and a series of articles in the popular press question his role in the crimes, he must use all his resources in a desperate race to find the man known as "The Knife" before it is too late.
Penned as a pastiche by the loyal and courageous Dr. Watson, this debut signals the arrival of a tremendous talent in the mystery and historical fiction genres.
Dust and Shadow An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr John H Watson (Audible Audio Edition) Lyndsay Faye Simon Vance Inc Blackstone Audio Books
Cards on the table: I'm already on record as saying that Michael Dibdin's The Last Sherlock Holmes Story is the pinnacle of Holmes/Jack the Ripper match-ups. However, like the great detective, I like to match my theories to my facts and not vice versa, so I was quite happy to test my convictions by reading Lyndsay Faye's debut novel, Dust and Shadow.The set-up pretty much gives you the plot: It's 1888, and women in Whitechapel are turning up dead in increasingly horrific circumstances. It only takes two corpses for the Yard, in the form of Inspector Lestrade, to turn to Sherlock Holmes for help, setting him and Dr. Watson on the trail of a killer so fiendishly gruesome that his name still inspires horror over a century later.
Faye's novel reflects both her painstaking research into the Ripper murders and her deep love of Doyle's creations, but though the historical detail is perfect and her story moves right along, her story feels more workmanlike than anything else. The difference may only be noticeable if you've read her excellent Sherlockian short stories, which manage to perfectly balance mystery plots with emotional insights into the characters solving them. While her Watson is strong, Holmes feels a bit flat until almost the end of the novel, and I spent a great deal of time concerned that the attention lavished on the smart, funny original female character meant that she was being set up as an Adlerian love-interest destined to be fridged.
To me, Dust and Shadow reads as the hugely ambitious and mostly successful debut of an author who'd go on to perfect her version of the world's first consulting detective elsewhere. But despite it's brilliant craftsmanship and entertainment value, Dust (for me) still lives in the shadow of Dibdin.
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Dust and Shadow An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr John H Watson (Audible Audio Edition) Lyndsay Faye Simon Vance Inc Blackstone Audio Books Reviews
If a good read of Holmes and Dr. Watson were not enough the author has thrown in Jack the Ripper to ensure reading far into the early dawn. This book is written in true Sherlockian tone. Not even one mis-step for which I and every other reader of this book are and will be eternally grateful for. Thank you to Lyndsay Faye for bringing Holmes and Dr. Watson back to us for one more adventure! Let us hope there will be more to come.
Lindsay Faye has done an interesting job capturing Holmes and Watson in the traditional Arthur Conan Doyle style. She has been faithful to the true story of Jack the Ripper (to the extent it is known) and wrote her story to dovetail nicely with an ending that is creative and plausible. I won't spoil it any more than that. If you like Doyle, or you like 19th century historical fiction, or you like Brit detective stories, or all of the above, you will enjoy this book. She does make Inspector Lestrade a bit more benign than most portrayals but he's an agreeable enough character that this is not meant as criticism. I'm looking forward to trying one of her other books...
If you are expecting a perfect pastiche of Doyle's works this is not it. It comes close but the author slips into some modern twists and turns. Nothing wrong with that. As in many of the new works featuring the Great Detective, Holmes shell cracks a bit and you see a human being wrestling with true evil rather than a 19th century cyborg or Spock working out a complex math problem. Watson hits his stride as the action hero he always was. This book is worthy of movie but who could play Holmes? My first choice would be Capaldi. The most important thing about this book is to enjoy it and not judge it.
Stories and variations on the Sherlock Holmes detective stories are numerous and infinite in variety, but there are not a lot of books where Holmes takes a back seat and Watson comes to the forefront. "Dust and Shadow" highlights Dr Watson's caring and honourable nature, his pride in being the close friend of the brilliant Victorian detective, Sherlock Holmes, yet sorrowful over his friend's self-destructive nature. Written by Watson, and featuring some rather unusual and louche characters who may or may not be involved in the Ripper killings (you will have to read the book!), we are given an alternative and highly plausible reason for why the murders suddenly stopped.
The satisfying book is well-written, atmospheric in its build-up of horror, extremely accurate in historical descriptions, sympathetic in its portrayal of the inner-city poor of London and of that most dynamic of duos, Watson and Holmes. I hesitate to write more about the book as I do not want to give anything away, but suffice it to say that people who enjoy tense, well-paced and very well-written mysteries will enjoy Lyndsay Faye's superior book. I literally could not put it down, reading until the wee hours of the morning, and I am betting that anyone who picks it up will be unable to put it down as well. Encore, Ms Faye!
This is the account of the Ripper (as in "Jack the Ripper") killings as told from Dr Watson's point of view. After all, Sherlock Holmes and Jack the Ripper existed at the same time (don't even tell me SH isn't a real person!) so Sherlock must have looked into the case. And probably solved it, but the identity of Jack would have caused more trouble, so no one knew the answer until well after the events.
If you know anything about how Jack left his victims, then you know the descriptions of the scenes are not for the faint of heart. There are no photos (thankfully!) and Lyndsay Faye describes the victims without going overboard on the gore (also thankfully). I've read the original AC Doyle Holmes stories recently, and Faye does a pretty good job recreating Watson's voice. This was really enjoyable, and I read it in just a few days.
After reading other Holmes pastiches, I read positive reviews of this book and purchased it based on those recommendation. I am certainly glad I did to say the least. As a life long lover of Sherlock Holmes, I am eager to read accounts of his exploits and this is the best I have ever read outside of the cannon. An outstanding book, by a remarkable writer. The plot and the voice of Watson were perfect. I look forward to reading her other books. I can not more heartily endorse this book. I only hope she revisits a case of the master.
Cards on the table I'm already on record as saying that Michael Dibdin's The Last Sherlock Holmes Story is the pinnacle of Holmes/Jack the Ripper match-ups. However, like the great detective, I like to match my theories to my facts and not vice versa, so I was quite happy to test my convictions by reading Lyndsay Faye's debut novel, Dust and Shadow.
The set-up pretty much gives you the plot It's 1888, and women in Whitechapel are turning up dead in increasingly horrific circumstances. It only takes two corpses for the Yard, in the form of Inspector Lestrade, to turn to Sherlock Holmes for help, setting him and Dr. Watson on the trail of a killer so fiendishly gruesome that his name still inspires horror over a century later.
Faye's novel reflects both her painstaking research into the Ripper murders and her deep love of Doyle's creations, but though the historical detail is perfect and her story moves right along, her story feels more workmanlike than anything else. The difference may only be noticeable if you've read her excellent Sherlockian short stories, which manage to perfectly balance mystery plots with emotional insights into the characters solving them. While her Watson is strong, Holmes feels a bit flat until almost the end of the novel, and I spent a great deal of time concerned that the attention lavished on the smart, funny original female character meant that she was being set up as an Adlerian love-interest destined to be fridged.
To me, Dust and Shadow reads as the hugely ambitious and mostly successful debut of an author who'd go on to perfect her version of the world's first consulting detective elsewhere. But despite it's brilliant craftsmanship and entertainment value, Dust (for me) still lives in the shadow of Dibdin.
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