Book Review - The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes

Holmes and Watson

The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes
By:  Leonard Goldberg
Publisher:  Minotaur Books
Publication Date:  June 6, 2017
Rating:  3 1/2 Stars

The game is afoot once again.  This time Watson is paired up with his son, John Watson Jr., and Joanna Blalock.  Joanna is the secret daughter of Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler.  The spirit of her father definitely lives on through her.  These three are pitted against Charles Moran who is the son of Sebastian Moran, Moriarty’s lieutenant.

In this case, a man by the name of Charles Harrelston has fallen to his death at the house of Charles Moran.  Between the note left by Harrelston and Moran’s assertion that he jumped, the police, led by Inspector Lestrade (the son of the original Lestrade), rule his death as a suicide.  Harrelston‘ s sister does not believe her brother would kill himself, and she goes to Watson looking for help.  The  Watsons agree to take the case on.  There are two additional witnesses to the death of Harrelston.  The first is a gardener that swears he saw Harrelston jump.  The second is Joanna Blalock’s son who said he saw Harrelston’s body float down.  The Watsons go to interview the boy, but it is Joanna’s keen observations and deductive reasoning that grab their attention.  Joanna teams up with the Watsons to solve the mystery of Harrelston’s death.  While the three suspected this may be case of murder, it is after they talk to Moran that Joanna is sure Moran is the murderer.  Now the three must look for the evidence that will lead Moran to the gallows.

I love the mysteries of Sherlock Homes, and I enjoy reading derivatives of them.  I found the premise of this story, which is that Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler had a daughter, very intriguing.  Joanna never knew her father, so the Watsons believe her deductive skills were inherited from her father.  The story did not disappoint, and I found it very fascinating.  Joanna is a very likable character.  She is just as brilliant as her father, and while sure of herself, she is not as arrogant.  While at first many of her deductions come across as impossible to come by, they seem obvious once she explains her reasoning.  The Watsons are as equally enjoyable characters.  Realistically, John Watson’s skills have slowed somewhat, but he is still a strong presence in this mystery.    His son provides the narration for this story. Moran seems to be almost as cunning as Joanna, and his character is a good match for hers.

Even though the murderer is known early on, this is still a very good mystery that keeps you entranced chapter after chapter.  We get to see the mystery unwound as Joanna and the Watsons put together the clues to form a case against Moran.  There are bumps in the road along with unexpected turns that help to make this an entertaining story.  I think fans of Sherlock Holmes will enjoy this book both as a homage to Holmes and a good continuation of what could have happened after his death. I look forward to reading the next book in this series.  I listened to the audio book version of this book, and I found the narrator very pleasant to listen to.