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Sherlock Holmes Pastiche by Nicholas Meyer #4
The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols: Adapted from the Journals of John H. Watson, M.D.
"...rich with period detail and clever invention!" -- Wall Street Journal
This program is read by Downton Abbey actor David Robb, and includes a bonus conversation with the author.
With the international bestseller The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, Nicholas Meyer brought to light a previously unpublished case of Sherlock Holmes, as recorded by Dr. John H. Watson. Now Meyer returns with a shocking discovery--an unknown case drawn from a recently unearthed Watson journal.
January 1905: Holmes and Watson are summoned by Holmes' brother Mycroft to undertake a clandestine investigation. An agent of the British Secret Service has been found floating in the Thames, carrying a manuscript smuggled into England at the cost of her life. The pages purport to be the minutes of a meeting of a secret group intent on nothing less than taking over the world.
Based on real events, the adventure takes the famed duo--in the company of a bewitching woman--aboard the Orient Express from Paris into the heart of Tsarist Russia, Holmes and Watson attempt to trace the origins of this explosive document. On their heels are desperate men of unknown allegiance, determined to prevent them achieving their task. And what they uncover is a conspiracy so vast as to challenge Sherlock Holmes as never before.
This program is read by Downton Abbey actor David Robb, and includes a bonus conversation with the author.
With the international bestseller The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, Nicholas Meyer brought to light a previously unpublished case of Sherlock Holmes, as recorded by Dr. John H. Watson. Now Meyer returns with a shocking discovery--an unknown case drawn from a recently unearthed Watson journal.
January 1905: Holmes and Watson are summoned by Holmes' brother Mycroft to undertake a clandestine investigation. An agent of the British Secret Service has been found floating in the Thames, carrying a manuscript smuggled into England at the cost of her life. The pages purport to be the minutes of a meeting of a secret group intent on nothing less than taking over the world.
Based on real events, the adventure takes the famed duo--in the company of a bewitching woman--aboard the Orient Express from Paris into the heart of Tsarist Russia, Holmes and Watson attempt to trace the origins of this explosive document. On their heels are desperate men of unknown allegiance, determined to prevent them achieving their task. And what they uncover is a conspiracy so vast as to challenge Sherlock Holmes as never before.
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First published October 15, 2019
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About the author
Nicholas Meyer
44 books261 followersNicholas Meyer graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in theater and film-making, & is a film writer, producer, director and novelist best known for his involvement in the Star Trek films. He is also well known as the director for the landmark 1983 TV-Movie "The Day After", for which he was nominated for a Best Director Emmy Award. In 1977, Meyer was nominated for an Adapted Screenplay Academy Award for adapting his own 1974 novel, The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, to the screen.
In addition to his work on Star Trek, Meyer has written several novels, and has written and/or directed several other films.Most notable being the 1983 made-for-television anti-nuclear movie The Day After.
Meyer wrote three Sherlock Holmes novels: The West End Horror, The Canary Trainer, and The Seven-Per-Cent Solution. The latter was Meyer's most famous Holmes novel and the project for which he was best known prior to his Star Trek involvement. It was also adapted into a 1976 film, directed by Herbert Ross, for which Meyer wrote the screenplay.
In addition to his work on Star Trek, Meyer has written several novels, and has written and/or directed several other films.Most notable being the 1983 made-for-television anti-nuclear movie The Day After.
Meyer wrote three Sherlock Holmes novels: The West End Horror, The Canary Trainer, and The Seven-Per-Cent Solution. The latter was Meyer's most famous Holmes novel and the project for which he was best known prior to his Star Trek involvement. It was also adapted into a 1976 film, directed by Herbert Ross, for which Meyer wrote the screenplay.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 301 reviews
October 14, 2019
The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols is based on a previously unknown case found in a Dr. John H. Watson journal. Exciting, right?
Holmes’ brother, Mycroft, asks Holmes and Watson to help investigate the death of a British Secret Service agent. Found in the Thames, the agent has a manuscript that may have cost her life.
This is a great historical mystery. I loved that it was based on real events and with everyone’s favorite clever duo of detectives. The travels along the Orient Express are so fun, informative, and entertaining. I felt like I was right along with them and that same sense of adventure.
The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols had a fast pace, the locations were exotic and engaging, and the writing was smooth and clever. Overall, I think mystery fans will be happy to do this Holmes and Watson nod!
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com
Holmes’ brother, Mycroft, asks Holmes and Watson to help investigate the death of a British Secret Service agent. Found in the Thames, the agent has a manuscript that may have cost her life.
This is a great historical mystery. I loved that it was based on real events and with everyone’s favorite clever duo of detectives. The travels along the Orient Express are so fun, informative, and entertaining. I felt like I was right along with them and that same sense of adventure.
The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols had a fast pace, the locations were exotic and engaging, and the writing was smooth and clever. Overall, I think mystery fans will be happy to do this Holmes and Watson nod!
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com
October 13, 2019
I love the Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. I've read all of them over and over again. Even though I know the outcome of each story...I still love to read them again. The Hound of the Baskervilles has always been my favorite. And as a Sherlock fan, I've watched many movies and television shows based on the characters and devoured many re-tellings and new stories with relish. Some have been great -- others not so good. Certain classic characters are just difficult to revisit with the same feel as the original....and Sherlock is probably one of the most difficult, in my opinion.
I have to admit that I have never read The Seven-Percent Solution or any of Nicholas Meyer's other Sherlock tales. I have always heard great things about his tales based on memoirs of Dr. Watson. But in my quest this year to read more books that I've been meaning to read but never seem to get to.....I had Nicholas Meyer's books on the list of must-reads! So, when I saw this new book coming out, I jumped right on it. I'm so glad I did! Very enjoyable story!
I'm picky about my Sherlock stories....new forays into his exploits need to be true to the original character and not mess about with his personality too much. I have to say I enjoyed Nicholas Meyer's slant on the characters. He tweaked a little bit...but not in any way that made me cringe. The plot is appropriately grandiose -- Sherlock doesn't take on just any old case, you know! Go big, or stay at home smoking your pipe and playing the violin. It's a big case with plotting evildoers....but not over-the-top cheesy. Perfect. Boo, evildoers! Go get them, Sherlock! And be sure to write all this down, Watson!
The front cover art is awesome! Very engaging and colorful!
All in all, a very enjoyable tale!! I definitely need to backtrack and read Meyer's other Sherlock stories. I'm sorry that I never took the time to do so before now. I'm sure I missed out on several enjoyable books! Rectifying that now!
**I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book from St. Martins Press via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**
I have to admit that I have never read The Seven-Percent Solution or any of Nicholas Meyer's other Sherlock tales. I have always heard great things about his tales based on memoirs of Dr. Watson. But in my quest this year to read more books that I've been meaning to read but never seem to get to.....I had Nicholas Meyer's books on the list of must-reads! So, when I saw this new book coming out, I jumped right on it. I'm so glad I did! Very enjoyable story!
I'm picky about my Sherlock stories....new forays into his exploits need to be true to the original character and not mess about with his personality too much. I have to say I enjoyed Nicholas Meyer's slant on the characters. He tweaked a little bit...but not in any way that made me cringe. The plot is appropriately grandiose -- Sherlock doesn't take on just any old case, you know! Go big, or stay at home smoking your pipe and playing the violin. It's a big case with plotting evildoers....but not over-the-top cheesy. Perfect. Boo, evildoers! Go get them, Sherlock! And be sure to write all this down, Watson!
The front cover art is awesome! Very engaging and colorful!
All in all, a very enjoyable tale!! I definitely need to backtrack and read Meyer's other Sherlock stories. I'm sorry that I never took the time to do so before now. I'm sure I missed out on several enjoyable books! Rectifying that now!
**I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book from St. Martins Press via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**
Want to read
October 29, 2019This is an advanced reading edition
September 7, 2021
This book is certainly high concept: Holmes and Watson are drawn into a mystery involving the authorship of the infamous Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion. At this point, you're either intrigued or repelled …
Nicholas Meyer has made something of a career out of latter-day Holmes novels, occasionally directing and/or writing a movie to break the monotony. His first of these books, The Seven Percent Solution, is probably my favorite non-Doyle story featuring the character. He does a marvelous job of weaving real events and people into these tales, and has a real gift for bringing the time period to life. The duo's adventure takes them far from the familiar streets of London, across Europe via the fabled Orient Express, and deep into Russia.
For me, this book represents something of a return to form for Meyer. His previous Holmes novel, The Canary Trainer, was rather forgettable. I remember that I read it, and that it had something to do with Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera, but that's about it. Of the four books, I believe it's the weakest.
But this one had thrills and excitement galore. It was engrossing, moving, and thrilling in equal measure. Highly recommended!
Nicholas Meyer has made something of a career out of latter-day Holmes novels, occasionally directing and/or writing a movie to break the monotony. His first of these books, The Seven Percent Solution, is probably my favorite non-Doyle story featuring the character. He does a marvelous job of weaving real events and people into these tales, and has a real gift for bringing the time period to life. The duo's adventure takes them far from the familiar streets of London, across Europe via the fabled Orient Express, and deep into Russia.
For me, this book represents something of a return to form for Meyer. His previous Holmes novel, The Canary Trainer, was rather forgettable. I remember that I read it, and that it had something to do with Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera, but that's about it. Of the four books, I believe it's the weakest.
But this one had thrills and excitement galore. It was engrossing, moving, and thrilling in equal measure. Highly recommended!
October 15, 2019
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
If you didn't already know, Sherlock Holmes is one of my all time favorite characters, so I was absolutely thrilled when I was approved for The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols by Nicholas Meyer. It's such a cool concept that this is from one of John Watson's recently found journals. Aside from spending more time with some favorite characters, I love that Meyer's voice sounds so much like Conan Doyle's original stories. Plus, the "editor's" footnotes are so intriguing. If you are a fan of Holmes and The Seven Per-Cent Solution, I highly recommend giving this mystery a try.
If you didn't already know, Sherlock Holmes is one of my all time favorite characters, so I was absolutely thrilled when I was approved for The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols by Nicholas Meyer. It's such a cool concept that this is from one of John Watson's recently found journals. Aside from spending more time with some favorite characters, I love that Meyer's voice sounds so much like Conan Doyle's original stories. Plus, the "editor's" footnotes are so intriguing. If you are a fan of Holmes and The Seven Per-Cent Solution, I highly recommend giving this mystery a try.
September 2, 2019
3.5
Nicholas Meyer presents us with another 'newly discovered' Sherlock Holmes case from Dr. Watson's diaries in The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols. Mycroft Holmes summons his brother Sherlock Holmes to investigate a murder and a document being circulated that warns that a secret group is bent on taking over the world. The document appears to be part of a conspiracy to foment and spur trouble.
My husband and I both read The Seven-Per-Cent Solution by Nicholas Meyer when it came out in 1974. He offered a new view of the perpetually popular Sherlock Holmes. Later my brother shared his copy of Meyer's third Holmes mystery, The West End Horror. I thought this would be a fun read.
Soon after I got into the book I discovered this story is more than entertainment. The story of a secret group is 'fake news' being used for political purposes.
Now, where have we heard that story before?
It is 1905 and Watson is married to a suffragette and has built a practice. Holmes notes that crimes are getting bigger. Electric lights are replacing gas. There is an uprising in Russia and Czar Nicholas is struggling to maintain control. The Jews are looking for a homeland, perhaps in Uganda.
Holmes, of course, needs Watson's assistance; they are not so sure about the help of a female radical socialist, Anna Strunsky. Her beauty alone is problematic for the married Watson. Watson's wife made him pledge to end to his risky adventures with Holmes. Will his marriage survive--or his practice? But this is no regular murder investigation; behind the murder is a plot that will set Europe careening into mass hysteria and death.
The three make a journey on the Orient Express to Odessa, Russia. Proving the document a fake is essential. Thousands of lives hang in the balance. Or is it already too late? Once fake news is in the world, it tends to stay there.
People love to place blame on something concrete, some 'other' as the source of their problems.
This is a fun read, filled with historical references and events, political intrigue, a kidnapping, and an expansion of the classic characters of Watson and Holmes. But the underlying message is serious, chilling, and sadly, timeless.
I was granted access to a free egalley by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
Nicholas Meyer presents us with another 'newly discovered' Sherlock Holmes case from Dr. Watson's diaries in The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols. Mycroft Holmes summons his brother Sherlock Holmes to investigate a murder and a document being circulated that warns that a secret group is bent on taking over the world. The document appears to be part of a conspiracy to foment and spur trouble.
My husband and I both read The Seven-Per-Cent Solution by Nicholas Meyer when it came out in 1974. He offered a new view of the perpetually popular Sherlock Holmes. Later my brother shared his copy of Meyer's third Holmes mystery, The West End Horror. I thought this would be a fun read.
Soon after I got into the book I discovered this story is more than entertainment. The story of a secret group is 'fake news' being used for political purposes.
Now, where have we heard that story before?
It is 1905 and Watson is married to a suffragette and has built a practice. Holmes notes that crimes are getting bigger. Electric lights are replacing gas. There is an uprising in Russia and Czar Nicholas is struggling to maintain control. The Jews are looking for a homeland, perhaps in Uganda.
Holmes, of course, needs Watson's assistance; they are not so sure about the help of a female radical socialist, Anna Strunsky. Her beauty alone is problematic for the married Watson. Watson's wife made him pledge to end to his risky adventures with Holmes. Will his marriage survive--or his practice? But this is no regular murder investigation; behind the murder is a plot that will set Europe careening into mass hysteria and death.
The three make a journey on the Orient Express to Odessa, Russia. Proving the document a fake is essential. Thousands of lives hang in the balance. Or is it already too late? Once fake news is in the world, it tends to stay there.
People love to place blame on something concrete, some 'other' as the source of their problems.
This is a fun read, filled with historical references and events, political intrigue, a kidnapping, and an expansion of the classic characters of Watson and Holmes. But the underlying message is serious, chilling, and sadly, timeless.
I was granted access to a free egalley by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
June 13, 2019
I love Holmes and Watson, been reading these stories most of my life . This book was wonderful, had everything a great mystery lover could ever want.
I highly recommend it
I highly recommend it
June 7, 2019
3.5 stars...
This was the first Sherlock Holmes pastiche I've read by Nicholas Meyer. I've been meaning to read them but just haven't gotten around to it yet so when I saw this one offered on NetGalley I couldn't pass it up. The story itself was entertaining and I enjoyed their travels on the Orient Express, however, I felt like Meyer's representation of Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson and Mycroft missed the mark a bit. There were instances in which I glimpsed the original characters but I didn't feel like their personalities carried throughout the entire story unfortunately. Even so, I still have every intention of reading The Seven-Percent Solution in the near future.
*I received this ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/ Minotaur Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
This was the first Sherlock Holmes pastiche I've read by Nicholas Meyer. I've been meaning to read them but just haven't gotten around to it yet so when I saw this one offered on NetGalley I couldn't pass it up. The story itself was entertaining and I enjoyed their travels on the Orient Express, however, I felt like Meyer's representation of Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson and Mycroft missed the mark a bit. There were instances in which I glimpsed the original characters but I didn't feel like their personalities carried throughout the entire story unfortunately. Even so, I still have every intention of reading The Seven-Percent Solution in the near future.
*I received this ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/ Minotaur Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
April 1, 2022
In 1974, author and soon to be screenwriter and director Nicholas Meyer published his first novel: The Seven-Per-Cent Solution. It was a Sherlock Holmes pastiche that not only covered the foiling of a kidnapping plot, but famously chronicled Holmes’ recovery from addiction, with the help of Sigmund Freud. Over the decades, Meyer has written two other Holmes novels: 1976’s The West End Horror and 1993’s The Canary Trainer. Now Meyer is back with another previously untold story of the great detective, one that is characterized in the author’s introductory note as “the biggest and most consequential failure of the detective’s entire career”: The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols.
Holmes and Watson are sharing a somewhat celebratory dinner (only somewhat celebratory because Holmes has forgotten that it is his 50th birthday) when they are interrupted by Mycroft Holmes. He summons the two men to meet him the following day at the Diogenes club. When the three are assembled, Mycroft explains that an agent under his supervision has been murdered. She was killed for a manuscript she had been carrying, and Mycroft allows Holmes and Watson to examine the few, blood-stained pages Mycroft has in his possession. The topic of the manuscript is incendiary. Mycroft is concerned that, should the papers become public, they could be linked to several public international meetings and the recent unexpected, and suspicious, death of the leader of a rather radical group. If those connections are established, these papers could ultimately lead to world-wide political unrest.
Mycroft sends Holmes and Watson, along with a translator, to identify the origins of this mysterious manifesto. The investigation will take them across Europe and into Russia. It will also test them in ways that no other case has ever challenged Sherlock Holmes.
In this new novel, Nicholas Meyer juggles several difficult feats, any one of which would be demanding to accomplish alone: tell a new, and engaging, story about a character for which there is no lack of attempts to tell new stories (with varying degrees of success); imitate the style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle when writing about his most famous creation; comment in ways both direct and subtle about the world in which we all currently live; all the while providing an enjoyable and engrossing read. In The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols, Meyer succeeds in all of these goals marvelously! As in his previous Holmes novels, Meyer again displays both his respect for, and his willingness to expand upon, Doyle’s established characterizations. Holmes' fans will find much to consider regarding where Meyer takes these well-known characters and how they behave on this adventure. Meyer also populates this novel with a number of historic figures, lending the story being told an incredibly strong sense of verisimilitude. Where The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols really shines is Meyer’s use of a known, if not well known, bigoted manifesto from the past to comment on our contemporary political climate. While the focus of Meyer’s novel is prejudice against the Jewish people, the sentiments behind and the actions taken to both disseminate and contain those ideas could be used to describe contemporary events occurring around the world.
"There will always be a war between light and darkness, between science and superstition, between education and ignorance. Ignorance is easier. It requires no study. Faith is the enemy of thought." This quote from Meyer’s text could as easily be referring to the contemporary debates over climate change, childhood vaccinations or any of a number of other concerns today as it does the circumstances in Meyer’s story set well over 100 years ago. And it characterizes perfectly a world where “fake news” has become part of our daily vernacular. A world where how one feels about a topic is often given the same weight as established fact in a debate. This makes the story being told that much more sinister, chilling and timely.
The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols is a rousing Sherlock Holmes adventure and a thought provoking critique of the world in which we live. One hopes that Meyer won’t wait another 26 years to write his next adventure with the world’s best known and loved consulting detective. Read an interview with the author here.
Reviewed by Daryl M., Librarian, West Valley Regional Branch Library,
Holmes and Watson are sharing a somewhat celebratory dinner (only somewhat celebratory because Holmes has forgotten that it is his 50th birthday) when they are interrupted by Mycroft Holmes. He summons the two men to meet him the following day at the Diogenes club. When the three are assembled, Mycroft explains that an agent under his supervision has been murdered. She was killed for a manuscript she had been carrying, and Mycroft allows Holmes and Watson to examine the few, blood-stained pages Mycroft has in his possession. The topic of the manuscript is incendiary. Mycroft is concerned that, should the papers become public, they could be linked to several public international meetings and the recent unexpected, and suspicious, death of the leader of a rather radical group. If those connections are established, these papers could ultimately lead to world-wide political unrest.
Mycroft sends Holmes and Watson, along with a translator, to identify the origins of this mysterious manifesto. The investigation will take them across Europe and into Russia. It will also test them in ways that no other case has ever challenged Sherlock Holmes.
In this new novel, Nicholas Meyer juggles several difficult feats, any one of which would be demanding to accomplish alone: tell a new, and engaging, story about a character for which there is no lack of attempts to tell new stories (with varying degrees of success); imitate the style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle when writing about his most famous creation; comment in ways both direct and subtle about the world in which we all currently live; all the while providing an enjoyable and engrossing read. In The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols, Meyer succeeds in all of these goals marvelously! As in his previous Holmes novels, Meyer again displays both his respect for, and his willingness to expand upon, Doyle’s established characterizations. Holmes' fans will find much to consider regarding where Meyer takes these well-known characters and how they behave on this adventure. Meyer also populates this novel with a number of historic figures, lending the story being told an incredibly strong sense of verisimilitude. Where The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols really shines is Meyer’s use of a known, if not well known, bigoted manifesto from the past to comment on our contemporary political climate. While the focus of Meyer’s novel is prejudice against the Jewish people, the sentiments behind and the actions taken to both disseminate and contain those ideas could be used to describe contemporary events occurring around the world.
"There will always be a war between light and darkness, between science and superstition, between education and ignorance. Ignorance is easier. It requires no study. Faith is the enemy of thought." This quote from Meyer’s text could as easily be referring to the contemporary debates over climate change, childhood vaccinations or any of a number of other concerns today as it does the circumstances in Meyer’s story set well over 100 years ago. And it characterizes perfectly a world where “fake news” has become part of our daily vernacular. A world where how one feels about a topic is often given the same weight as established fact in a debate. This makes the story being told that much more sinister, chilling and timely.
The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols is a rousing Sherlock Holmes adventure and a thought provoking critique of the world in which we live. One hopes that Meyer won’t wait another 26 years to write his next adventure with the world’s best known and loved consulting detective. Read an interview with the author here.
Reviewed by Daryl M., Librarian, West Valley Regional Branch Library,
December 6, 2019
It pains me to give this book by Meyer only two stars, because I adored The Seven-Per-Cent Solution. I loved its combination of freewheeling fun with the compassion it showed to Holmes and Watson. The film was equally good, perhaps better. The West End Horror was good, frothy fun, set in the late 19th century theatre world.
This book began promisingly, with a humorous exchange between Holmes and Watson, although I was somewhat annoyed by a reference to Watson being overweight, as in the canon he is described more as strongly built, not as outright fat as he was portrayed by Nigel Bruce. But that is only the beginnings of the problems with this book.
*spoilers aplenty*
The book has a noble aim, using Meyer's usual technique of blending history with Holmes, and primarily revolves around the exposure of the notorious Protocols of the Elders of Zion as vile, dangerous antisemitic claptrap, which of course it was. But for most of the book it's suggested that exposing the Protocols false nature will somehow be a life or death issue for the fate of the Jewish people in Europe, until the end, after Holmes engineers the big reveal, and Mycroft Holmes very correctly states that the truth is sadly unlikely to change people's entrenched prejudices. I'm not dismissing the hideous nature of its libel, but at least, within the confines of this slight book, there isn't enough of a case made that exposing the forgery will have a transforming, positive impact. There's an implied parallel made by Meyer between the Protocols and false news on the Internet today which I'm not sure holds up.
Part of this may be the style. I felt that most of the book was lots of info-dumping. Not that the history isn't important, but there was an awful lot of, "Hey, did you know this fact, date, insert Russian name here." It didn't make for very fluid reading, and lots of the dialogue didn't sound particularly Doyle-ian. Also, quite a bit of Americanisms and rather obvious humor, which I know some people had a problem with in Meyer's earlier works. I am an American, and read those works when I was younger, so I didn't notice them as much, but I do notice them here.
Some canon characters do absolutely shockingly out of character things, particular Holmes where he is shown torturing a man which is (sort of) justified by the final result. Watson's second marriage, in which the suffragette wife is shown acquiescing to his running off for God knows how long with Holmes, is also pretty unconvincing. Mycroft is particularly stern and humorless, very unlike the canon.
Two stars for the first chapter or two, and for the body of Meyer's other work.
This book began promisingly, with a humorous exchange between Holmes and Watson, although I was somewhat annoyed by a reference to Watson being overweight, as in the canon he is described more as strongly built, not as outright fat as he was portrayed by Nigel Bruce. But that is only the beginnings of the problems with this book.
*spoilers aplenty*
The book has a noble aim, using Meyer's usual technique of blending history with Holmes, and primarily revolves around the exposure of the notorious Protocols of the Elders of Zion as vile, dangerous antisemitic claptrap, which of course it was. But for most of the book it's suggested that exposing the Protocols false nature will somehow be a life or death issue for the fate of the Jewish people in Europe, until the end, after Holmes engineers the big reveal, and Mycroft Holmes very correctly states that the truth is sadly unlikely to change people's entrenched prejudices. I'm not dismissing the hideous nature of its libel, but at least, within the confines of this slight book, there isn't enough of a case made that exposing the forgery will have a transforming, positive impact. There's an implied parallel made by Meyer between the Protocols and false news on the Internet today which I'm not sure holds up.
Part of this may be the style. I felt that most of the book was lots of info-dumping. Not that the history isn't important, but there was an awful lot of, "Hey, did you know this fact, date, insert Russian name here." It didn't make for very fluid reading, and lots of the dialogue didn't sound particularly Doyle-ian. Also, quite a bit of Americanisms and rather obvious humor, which I know some people had a problem with in Meyer's earlier works. I am an American, and read those works when I was younger, so I didn't notice them as much, but I do notice them here.
Some canon characters do absolutely shockingly out of character things, particular Holmes where he is shown torturing a man which is (sort of) justified by the final result. Watson's second marriage, in which the suffragette wife is shown acquiescing to his running off for God knows how long with Holmes, is also pretty unconvincing. Mycroft is particularly stern and humorless, very unlike the canon.
Two stars for the first chapter or two, and for the body of Meyer's other work.
July 12, 2019
I read a ton of "new" Holmes fiction, and this is the best piece I've read in ages. Why?
• The "mystery" at the center of the story really matters—both in its moment and for what it can help us examine in the present day
• The author's version of Watson's voice is believable and engaging.
• The trope of presenting the story as a "found" document and the addition of notes by the author/finder are delightful, giving the book an additional level of entertainment.
• The reader sees development of both the Holmes and Watson characters that is appropriate to their identities as Conan Doyle created them.
• There's some very nice exploration of the tensions in the relationship between Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes.
This is definitely a title work seeking out.
• The "mystery" at the center of the story really matters—both in its moment and for what it can help us examine in the present day
• The author's version of Watson's voice is believable and engaging.
• The trope of presenting the story as a "found" document and the addition of notes by the author/finder are delightful, giving the book an additional level of entertainment.
• The reader sees development of both the Holmes and Watson characters that is appropriate to their identities as Conan Doyle created them.
• There's some very nice exploration of the tensions in the relationship between Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes.
This is definitely a title work seeking out.
October 15, 2019
I have always been fascinated by Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson so when Minotaur Books offered me a review copy I was all in! The Adventure Of The Peculiar Protocols by Nicholas Meyer is an interesting read. I enjoyed the historical aspect and the facts that went along with much of the storyline - the extra information at the bottom of the pages was thought provoking. I found the first part of the book quite slow, establishing the storyline, the build up. The second part however was very entertaining and fast paced which I found much more enjoyable. Overall an interesting and engaging read. I enjoyed Meyers writing style and felt this was well done.
A huge thank you to Minotaur for my review copy!
A huge thank you to Minotaur for my review copy!
June 22, 2019
I was pretty excited to read this but after 3 days I gave up. It was interesting and I loved the writing style but it progresses very, very slowly which made it rather boring for me.
June 25, 2019
I grew up watching old Sherlock Holmes’ movies with Basil Rathbone so any Sherlock book I read I always compare the two. I was excited to see this book, I had read one by this author years ago. For me it felt true to other Sherlock Holmes books I’ve read. I’m not sure if I cared for the historical part of the story. I enjoyed the story and it kept my attention. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy
February 8, 2020
I won't quibble with the history behind this because I lack the knowledge. The settings were interesting and at times the story provided suspense. But as Holmes himself says, this wasn't a case. It was more espionage and counter-espionage. Unfortunately, that wasn't what I'd been looking for when I picked it up. Not every book is for every reader.
December 31, 2019
A definite 4+ with far too many themes that resonate to the current underlying darkness of our current world.
January 7, 2020
The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols by Nicholas Meyer is a treat for all fans Sherlockian! I have enjoyed his prior tales of found manuscripts, primarily The West End Horror which I loved far more than the Seven Per Cent Solution, and The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols is a welcomed and long-awaited edition by Meyer.
Summary
“…She called herself Manya Lippman, and she was…’ Here he hesitated. ‘…in our employ.’
‘A most dedicated agent. She gave her life for those pages.’
‘She did.’ The fact weighed heavily upon him. ‘Kindly return the page with her blood on it.’
Holmes carefully handed over the pink-stained page. With something like reverence, Mycroft folded the paper and slid it into his pocketbook. As he did so, his brother ambled over to the desk, glancing down at his notes.
‘If I am reading correctly,’ he said slowly, ‘ these pages purport to be the minutes of a secret meeting of a conclave of Jews who are plotting to take over the world…”
An agent for her Majesty’s Service, under the leadership of Mycroft Holmes is found dead; murdered. In her possession are documents that detail the minutes of a secret society of powerful, rich Jewish men with plans to control the finances of various countries and establish a base of power to rule behind the scenes of the various governments. It is ingenious. It is dangerous. It is also, in the estimation of Sherlock Holmes, completely fraudulent.
Mycroft Holmes charges his brother Sherlock and Dr. Watson with a mission, to find the source of the protocols and prove them true or false. And then to determine the reasoning behind them. For if they are true, then there is a secret society that is bent on influencing world events. If they are false, then someone is looking to cause catastrophic events and blame the Jewish people for them. It is the winter of 1905 and Europe and Russia in particular are increasingly unstable, these protocols and the people behind them, may tip the world as they know it, into war.
But what Holmes and Watson find in Europe and Russia is a society already bent on change and looking for someone to blame their harsh life and misfortune on.
“…Why don’t they leave?’ I found myself asking. The girl’s pulse was astonishingly strong and regular.
‘Jews are not allowed to travel.’
‘And go where?’ the wool merchant added when my question had been relayed. His own affect and presentation were little different, from a medical standpoint, than those of his child.
‘How do they manage?’ the detective, who had remained silent, now asked in a voice I had never heard before.
Mrs. Walling sighed. ‘They don’t. They exist without living…”
Now Holmes and Watson must find proof of the lies behind the protocols and then get the truth in the hands of Mycroft to dispel them, before more people suffer and the protocols reach a mass audience. An audience that will turn on the Jewish people.
Review
When we think of the persecution of the Jewish people, we immediately think of the Holocaust and we should. But it is important to remind ourselves the bigotry and persecution against the Jewish people had been happening long before Hitler and the Nazi regime and had been happening in places outside of Germany. In fact, pretty much happening and still does, in our own country and many others.
In 1905, Russia was under the rule of Czar Nicholas II, who by all accounts was one of the most incompetent rulers of his time and of any time in the history of mankind. I realize that various streaming services like Netflix and Hulu are running shows on the Romanovs right now and romanticizing their rule and eventual, tragic, assassination. But the reality of their time in power is one of strife and famine and poverty for the Russian people. Besides if you are really getting your history facts from Netflix, how much of an idiot are you? Pick up and open a book already! And not just one.
It is sickening to look at the persecution of a group of people, spanning centuries in the intellectual as well as rural societies of Europe and somehow find a basis for it. The Jewish people lived under a different set of rules and laws in the 19th and 20th centuries and were often the victims of scapegoating long before Nazi Germany came to power. This was just as true in England and America though these two countries may have tried to be somewhat more subtle about it. Much of the propaganda promoting this bigotry was seen and read daily in the local and national newspapers.
It is against this world backdrop that the story of The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols is set.
Nicolas Meyer is a terrific and thought provoking writer, whether he is writing screenplays or novels. There are no cheap thrills here. Each thought and each sentence is carefully crafted to illicit a response or reaction from the reader. His storytelling will not let the reader be unmoved.
What Meyer does so well in this telling is that we see a change in Holmes and Watson as well. A change to the role of women in the world at large and a change in their perception of what power any government should have over its people. The foolish notion that if the powers are doing something they must have a good reason for it and it must be for our own good is a dangerous one. As Holmes and Watson get a more realistic view of the world around them, so do we. We begin to see what has always been right in front of us and we must deal with the truth, that we chose not to see it.
The persecution of the Jewish people is relatable because humanity always seems to need a scapegoat. Whether for religious reasons, economic reasons or mostly, because we don’t want to take the responsibility on ourselves that what happens to us is directly related to our own choices and actions; humanity has always looked for someone to blame.
How do we stop it? Holmes and Watson find that the answer to that is not as simple as they might want to believe.
Summary
“…She called herself Manya Lippman, and she was…’ Here he hesitated. ‘…in our employ.’
‘A most dedicated agent. She gave her life for those pages.’
‘She did.’ The fact weighed heavily upon him. ‘Kindly return the page with her blood on it.’
Holmes carefully handed over the pink-stained page. With something like reverence, Mycroft folded the paper and slid it into his pocketbook. As he did so, his brother ambled over to the desk, glancing down at his notes.
‘If I am reading correctly,’ he said slowly, ‘ these pages purport to be the minutes of a secret meeting of a conclave of Jews who are plotting to take over the world…”
An agent for her Majesty’s Service, under the leadership of Mycroft Holmes is found dead; murdered. In her possession are documents that detail the minutes of a secret society of powerful, rich Jewish men with plans to control the finances of various countries and establish a base of power to rule behind the scenes of the various governments. It is ingenious. It is dangerous. It is also, in the estimation of Sherlock Holmes, completely fraudulent.
Mycroft Holmes charges his brother Sherlock and Dr. Watson with a mission, to find the source of the protocols and prove them true or false. And then to determine the reasoning behind them. For if they are true, then there is a secret society that is bent on influencing world events. If they are false, then someone is looking to cause catastrophic events and blame the Jewish people for them. It is the winter of 1905 and Europe and Russia in particular are increasingly unstable, these protocols and the people behind them, may tip the world as they know it, into war.
But what Holmes and Watson find in Europe and Russia is a society already bent on change and looking for someone to blame their harsh life and misfortune on.
“…Why don’t they leave?’ I found myself asking. The girl’s pulse was astonishingly strong and regular.
‘Jews are not allowed to travel.’
‘And go where?’ the wool merchant added when my question had been relayed. His own affect and presentation were little different, from a medical standpoint, than those of his child.
‘How do they manage?’ the detective, who had remained silent, now asked in a voice I had never heard before.
Mrs. Walling sighed. ‘They don’t. They exist without living…”
Now Holmes and Watson must find proof of the lies behind the protocols and then get the truth in the hands of Mycroft to dispel them, before more people suffer and the protocols reach a mass audience. An audience that will turn on the Jewish people.
Review
When we think of the persecution of the Jewish people, we immediately think of the Holocaust and we should. But it is important to remind ourselves the bigotry and persecution against the Jewish people had been happening long before Hitler and the Nazi regime and had been happening in places outside of Germany. In fact, pretty much happening and still does, in our own country and many others.
In 1905, Russia was under the rule of Czar Nicholas II, who by all accounts was one of the most incompetent rulers of his time and of any time in the history of mankind. I realize that various streaming services like Netflix and Hulu are running shows on the Romanovs right now and romanticizing their rule and eventual, tragic, assassination. But the reality of their time in power is one of strife and famine and poverty for the Russian people. Besides if you are really getting your history facts from Netflix, how much of an idiot are you? Pick up and open a book already! And not just one.
It is sickening to look at the persecution of a group of people, spanning centuries in the intellectual as well as rural societies of Europe and somehow find a basis for it. The Jewish people lived under a different set of rules and laws in the 19th and 20th centuries and were often the victims of scapegoating long before Nazi Germany came to power. This was just as true in England and America though these two countries may have tried to be somewhat more subtle about it. Much of the propaganda promoting this bigotry was seen and read daily in the local and national newspapers.
It is against this world backdrop that the story of The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols is set.
Nicolas Meyer is a terrific and thought provoking writer, whether he is writing screenplays or novels. There are no cheap thrills here. Each thought and each sentence is carefully crafted to illicit a response or reaction from the reader. His storytelling will not let the reader be unmoved.
What Meyer does so well in this telling is that we see a change in Holmes and Watson as well. A change to the role of women in the world at large and a change in their perception of what power any government should have over its people. The foolish notion that if the powers are doing something they must have a good reason for it and it must be for our own good is a dangerous one. As Holmes and Watson get a more realistic view of the world around them, so do we. We begin to see what has always been right in front of us and we must deal with the truth, that we chose not to see it.
The persecution of the Jewish people is relatable because humanity always seems to need a scapegoat. Whether for religious reasons, economic reasons or mostly, because we don’t want to take the responsibility on ourselves that what happens to us is directly related to our own choices and actions; humanity has always looked for someone to blame.
How do we stop it? Holmes and Watson find that the answer to that is not as simple as they might want to believe.
February 17, 2021
Having very much enjoyed The Seven-Percent Solution, I was pretty hyped for this read. In TSPS Meyer managed to capture the personalities very well and added an interesting backstory. I was hoping to find the same in this novel, especially as the blurb sounded very intriguing!
Unfortunately, the first half of the book was a pain to get through. The pacing was very slow, and the writing somehow not engaging enough. I fear that the case didn’t arouse my curiosity. I wasn’t particularly interested in the Protocols, so all that kept me going were the characters themselves. Sadly, I found that Meyer made me cringe by his stilted writing and his overuse of references. In my opinion, Meyer is pretty good at capturing the personalities of Holmes & Watson – he doesn’t need obvious references, such as “just whisper in my ear” or the recycling of well-known phrases such as “Elementary” and “I am lost without my Boswell”. Whereas they could’ve served as little treats, it weakened his writing style.
The second part, however, was pretty exciting and I finished it in one go. I really felt like I was there with them. And as I started to realize that it was all based on real-life events my admiration grew. This wasn’t just Sherlock Holmes and a new case; it was history mixed with what Sherlock’s role might have been!
Even so, my issue with the book as a whole is that it is too dark. Obviously, the historic events are dark (and even the word 'dark' would be a euphemism). Frankly, it educated me on something I admit I knew nothing about and the subject is still relevant today. But with that, it lost the humour that I value so much in Holmes' stories. Also, two important events felt way out of character for Sherlock , and since no (good) explanation was offered, it left me confused and unsatisfied.
A great part of the book bored me, and yet the final half was pretty exciting. So I'm still giving it 3.5 stars, because of that second part and because in general I enjoy how Meyer writes his Holmes & Watson. Nevertheless, I found myself annoyed and bored too many times to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this. If you enjoyed TSPS, you may want to give this a shot, but if this is your first pastiche I’d highly recommend you read TSPS instead.
Unfortunately, the first half of the book was a pain to get through. The pacing was very slow, and the writing somehow not engaging enough. I fear that the case didn’t arouse my curiosity. I wasn’t particularly interested in the Protocols, so all that kept me going were the characters themselves. Sadly, I found that Meyer made me cringe by his stilted writing and his overuse of references. In my opinion, Meyer is pretty good at capturing the personalities of Holmes & Watson – he doesn’t need obvious references, such as “just whisper in my ear” or the recycling of well-known phrases such as “Elementary” and “I am lost without my Boswell”. Whereas they could’ve served as little treats, it weakened his writing style.
The second part, however, was pretty exciting and I finished it in one go. I really felt like I was there with them. And as I started to realize that it was all based on real-life events my admiration grew. This wasn’t just Sherlock Holmes and a new case; it was history mixed with what Sherlock’s role might have been!
Even so, my issue with the book as a whole is that it is too dark. Obviously, the historic events are dark (and even the word 'dark' would be a euphemism). Frankly, it educated me on something I admit I knew nothing about and the subject is still relevant today. But with that, it lost the humour that I value so much in Holmes' stories. Also, two important events felt way out of character for Sherlock , and since no (good) explanation was offered, it left me confused and unsatisfied.
A great part of the book bored me, and yet the final half was pretty exciting. So I'm still giving it 3.5 stars, because of that second part and because in general I enjoy how Meyer writes his Holmes & Watson. Nevertheless, I found myself annoyed and bored too many times to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this. If you enjoyed TSPS, you may want to give this a shot, but if this is your first pastiche I’d highly recommend you read TSPS instead.
October 28, 2019
Thank you to @minotaur_books for my gifted copy of The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols. This novel is based on a previously unreleased mystery found in a journal of Dr. John H Watson. This was a very interesting premise to me, but I found it a touch difficult to follow. I will say this is my first Sherlock Holmes novel, but I tend to enjoy the movies and shows.
January 1905: Holmes and Watson are summoned by Holmes' brother Mycroft to undertake a clandestine investigation. An agent of the British Secret Service has been found floating in the Thames, carrying a manuscript smuggled into England at the cost of her life. The pages purport to be the minutes of a meeting of a secret group intent on nothing less than taking over the world.
Overall for me I was thrown by the initial slow pace, but was fascinated by the historical facts. I particularly loved the historical facts especially the epilogue and how the protocols continued to show up through the years around the world. If you are a Sherlock Holmes fan this one is definitely worth checking out.
January 1905: Holmes and Watson are summoned by Holmes' brother Mycroft to undertake a clandestine investigation. An agent of the British Secret Service has been found floating in the Thames, carrying a manuscript smuggled into England at the cost of her life. The pages purport to be the minutes of a meeting of a secret group intent on nothing less than taking over the world.
Overall for me I was thrown by the initial slow pace, but was fascinated by the historical facts. I particularly loved the historical facts especially the epilogue and how the protocols continued to show up through the years around the world. If you are a Sherlock Holmes fan this one is definitely worth checking out.
October 20, 2019
"This is not about Jews; it is about truth". Absolutely brilliant. This is the best piece of popular fiction I’ve read this year, easily the best Holmes novel for, oh, decades and one of the best examples of using a popular franchise IP to tackle Big Ideas I’ve come across in a long, long time. A new Sherlock Holmes novel from Nicholas Meyer is pretty much a no-brainer for anyone with a passing interest in Sherlockiana or up for some Victorian London nonsense but what Meyer pulls off here is sui generis. This is a Sherlock Holmes story that actually matters and it deserves as wide an audience as possible.
So what are our old friends up against this time? Well we start off in familiar waters with Meyer having fun with the supposed provenance of what we’re about to read and a bit of whimsy revolving around Holmes’ 50th birthday which Meyer uses to seed elements for later. A meeting with Mycroft at the Diogenes transpires, of course, and this reader was rather enjoying the cosy reunion with old friends and locations….until Holmes reads aloud the title of the document Mycroft asks him to investigate at which point it’s phone on mute and “sod off, I’m reading a Sherlock Holmes novel” to loved ones. The reveal is a real “woah” moment and got me muttering “um, chaps, aren’t you a little out of your depth with this one?” What follows is a genuine, drop-everything, page-turner, stakes that are colossally high and Watson sheet-white as a “seething” Holmes starts abandoning Queensbury rules in an investigation every reviewer will call “timely”. There’s a particular scene involving a newspaper editor – you’ll know it when you get to it – which under any other circumstances would be called out as un-Holmesian but is totally believable and completely understandable. Holmes and Watson get a rude introduction to the 20th century here and it’s riveting stuff.
This being a novel written in 2019 “Protocols” is more emotionally intelligent than anything Arthur come up with and Anna Walling’s role in proceedings, while fairly standard these days for adding some shipping to the mix, is much more adroitly handled than usual; Meyer keeps things intriguingly left of centre. Meyer obviously loves Sherlock Holmes, there’s no tacit apologising for the genre going on here, and he pitches any new elements or character development just right. While the novel lacks the grotesque touch Conan Doyle was fond of – twisted lips, gigantic hounds, Indian swamp adders, pygmies – Holmes and Watson confront something which, frankly, puts them all in the nursery. There are still great Holmes scenes served up – look out for Holmes making short work of a Cossack bodyguard – but the USP here is “Sherlock Holmes versus Fake News” and the fight gets dirty.
Seeing these two beloved characters on the Odessa steps or meeting the traumatised victims of a Jewish pogrom and then watching as Holmes and Watson swallow hard but nevertheless head straight into the danger is intensely moving. I read “Protocols” the weekend of the huge “Final Say” Brexit march in London and a line at the end involving Watson marching “banner in hand” was the final emotional gut punch. I adore that Meyer has done this in a Sherlock Holmes novel, totally in tune with him smuggling a story about the collapse of the cold war into cinemas as a Star Trek movie. So Michael Chabon’s praise on the back of the book makes me wonder why “The Adventure Of The Peculiar Protocols” shouldn’t be considered alongside “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay” – another, Pulitzer prize-winning, novel that used elements of popular culture to explore the Jewish experience. Prizes or not this is an exceptional piece of work and almost certainly going to be my book of the year. “Come, Doctor, we have a visit to make.”
So what are our old friends up against this time? Well we start off in familiar waters with Meyer having fun with the supposed provenance of what we’re about to read and a bit of whimsy revolving around Holmes’ 50th birthday which Meyer uses to seed elements for later. A meeting with Mycroft at the Diogenes transpires, of course, and this reader was rather enjoying the cosy reunion with old friends and locations….until Holmes reads aloud the title of the document Mycroft asks him to investigate at which point it’s phone on mute and “sod off, I’m reading a Sherlock Holmes novel” to loved ones. The reveal is a real “woah” moment and got me muttering “um, chaps, aren’t you a little out of your depth with this one?” What follows is a genuine, drop-everything, page-turner, stakes that are colossally high and Watson sheet-white as a “seething” Holmes starts abandoning Queensbury rules in an investigation every reviewer will call “timely”. There’s a particular scene involving a newspaper editor – you’ll know it when you get to it – which under any other circumstances would be called out as un-Holmesian but is totally believable and completely understandable. Holmes and Watson get a rude introduction to the 20th century here and it’s riveting stuff.
This being a novel written in 2019 “Protocols” is more emotionally intelligent than anything Arthur come up with and Anna Walling’s role in proceedings, while fairly standard these days for adding some shipping to the mix, is much more adroitly handled than usual; Meyer keeps things intriguingly left of centre. Meyer obviously loves Sherlock Holmes, there’s no tacit apologising for the genre going on here, and he pitches any new elements or character development just right. While the novel lacks the grotesque touch Conan Doyle was fond of – twisted lips, gigantic hounds, Indian swamp adders, pygmies – Holmes and Watson confront something which, frankly, puts them all in the nursery. There are still great Holmes scenes served up – look out for Holmes making short work of a Cossack bodyguard – but the USP here is “Sherlock Holmes versus Fake News” and the fight gets dirty.
Seeing these two beloved characters on the Odessa steps or meeting the traumatised victims of a Jewish pogrom and then watching as Holmes and Watson swallow hard but nevertheless head straight into the danger is intensely moving. I read “Protocols” the weekend of the huge “Final Say” Brexit march in London and a line at the end involving Watson marching “banner in hand” was the final emotional gut punch. I adore that Meyer has done this in a Sherlock Holmes novel, totally in tune with him smuggling a story about the collapse of the cold war into cinemas as a Star Trek movie. So Michael Chabon’s praise on the back of the book makes me wonder why “The Adventure Of The Peculiar Protocols” shouldn’t be considered alongside “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay” – another, Pulitzer prize-winning, novel that used elements of popular culture to explore the Jewish experience. Prizes or not this is an exceptional piece of work and almost certainly going to be my book of the year. “Come, Doctor, we have a visit to make.”
Read
April 18, 2025This one is a hard one to review because I did not finish it beyond page 30. I normally wouldn't even bother putting it down but I think it is called for in this case. I have read Nicholas Meyer's series of stories Adapted from the Journals of John H. Watson, M.D. previously and I enjoyed them. They mix a good mystery with a dept skill for including real historical people and details into the story to give it a sense of accurate time and place. In fact, I have thought that Meyer's books have given more personality to Holmes than you find in most of the originals while still be very faithful to how ACD portrayed Holmes.
Then, why didn't I finish it? It is because of the Peculiar Protocols mentioned in the title and referenced in the blurb at the back. In the blurb there is a mention to a secret group trying to take over the world. What I didn't realize until I read more that it was talking about the idea of Jews trying to secretly take over the world and the document The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion is an actual thing that people have referenced and used many times throughout the 20th and 21st century as a basis to attack Jews and justify horrendous actions including genocide. Hitler references the document in his Mein Kampf.
Sherlock quickly claims that this document makes no sense and is clearly a forgery though Mycroft isn't so convinced and cites examples of Jews having a disproportionate influence in the British government and many other places. That disturbs me even though I know many people thought this at the time.
I then went to read the author's notes to see his comments. The author lists the many publications of the document, the people and places where it was published and who supported it and who decried it as a fake. The list itself is disturbing to see that it is still being used well into the 21st century.
It seems obvious that the author does not think this document has any degree of authenticity. It is good that the author has brought and rebrought this to the attention of the public of how it is being used even to this day. I, personally, just can't read a book that is using something like this for entertainment. Others will argue otherwise.
I'm not trying to ruin the reputation of the author and would read more of this series because as I said, I thought they were good reads and an very good depiction of Sherlock and Watson.
Then, why didn't I finish it? It is because of the Peculiar Protocols mentioned in the title and referenced in the blurb at the back. In the blurb there is a mention to a secret group trying to take over the world. What I didn't realize until I read more that it was talking about the idea of Jews trying to secretly take over the world and the document The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion is an actual thing that people have referenced and used many times throughout the 20th and 21st century as a basis to attack Jews and justify horrendous actions including genocide. Hitler references the document in his Mein Kampf.
Sherlock quickly claims that this document makes no sense and is clearly a forgery though Mycroft isn't so convinced and cites examples of Jews having a disproportionate influence in the British government and many other places. That disturbs me even though I know many people thought this at the time.
I then went to read the author's notes to see his comments. The author lists the many publications of the document, the people and places where it was published and who supported it and who decried it as a fake. The list itself is disturbing to see that it is still being used well into the 21st century.
It seems obvious that the author does not think this document has any degree of authenticity. It is good that the author has brought and rebrought this to the attention of the public of how it is being used even to this day. I, personally, just can't read a book that is using something like this for entertainment. Others will argue otherwise.
I'm not trying to ruin the reputation of the author and would read more of this series because as I said, I thought they were good reads and an very good depiction of Sherlock and Watson.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 10, 2019
Nicholas Meyer has written some of the best Sherlock Holmes stories put to paper that were not penned by Conan Doyle. I really enjoyed The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols-Meyer has a great grasp of how Holmes and Watson think, act, and work together. The action takes place in 1905 and can easily be fitted into the canon. Nonetheless I imagine some Sherlockians will complain stridently about this particular volume. Without committing any spoilers, let me say this: if the contents of this book resonate with the climate of today, please remember that life is politics. Meyer is, I think, trying to tell us something. Read the book and see for yourself if what he is saying is worth hearing. I think it is.
December 3, 2020
A wonderful, achingly sad story that captures quite a different Sherlock Holmes than you might expect. I particularly enjoyed the portrayal of several actual historical figures in the novel, as well as an adventure that might really have gone on in 1905.
All this has inspired a lovely little fanfiction that I've unfortunately misplaced. :( I shall find it though!
PS, is it just me or does every mystery writer have to use the Orient Express after Dame Agatha Christie's novel starring the famous train? I'm not complaining though...;)
All this has inspired a lovely little fanfiction that I've unfortunately misplaced. :( I shall find it though!
PS, is it just me or does every mystery writer have to use the Orient Express after Dame Agatha Christie's novel starring the famous train? I'm not complaining though...;)
March 10, 2021
Snooze. This is the first one in the series I read; it looked interesting and I love a good Sherlock Holmes story, but in my opinion, this is NOT one of them. Boring, bland writing and an equally boring case with no intrigue.
June 25, 2019
Disappointing!
November 12, 2019
Arguably, the most popular and recognizable character in all of Fiction has been Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's brilliant detective --- Sherlock Holmes. There have literally been thousands of other authors, TV and Film-makers continuing his legacy long after Doyle's passing in 1930.
One of the first authors to truly bring Holmes back to life was Nicholas Meyer. Meyer had huge success with a trio of novels featuring Sherlock Holmes and his trusty friend Doctor John H. Watson that began in 1974 with the release of THE SEVEN-PERCENT SOLUTION --- a novel which also inspired a film version that starred Nicol Williamson, Alan Arkin, Vanessa Redgrave and Robert Duvall. He followed that up with THE WEST END HORROR in 1976 and then THE CANARY TRAINER in 1993. There is no reason given for why Meyer waited twenty-six years to release a new Sherlock Holmes novel, but I can firmly aver that he has not lost any steam as THE ADVENTURE OF THE PECULIAR PROTOCOLS is a top-notch novel and quite worthy addition to the ever-growing Sherlock Holmes 'new' releases.
As with the prior Holmes novels, this one is also adapted from the journals of John H. Watson, M.D. To maintain this level of authenticity there are even parts of the story that remain incomplete or unfinished, alluding to missing or unintelligible parts of the original source document. Meyer humbly confesses in the opening forward piece entitled 'A Word Of Explanation' that any errors found within this adaptation are his and not Watson's.
Things begin in January of 1905. This is significant due to the fact that January 6th was Holmes' birthday. This birthday was a momentous one as it marked his 50th --- an age where most detectives had already hung things up or were backsliding into retirement. Not so for Holmes, as the date or birthday hold no sway over him. Shortly after Holmes had been talking with Watson about how there may be nothing now left for him but retirement, Holmes's brother Mycroft approaches Sherlock with an intriguing new mission. As a representative of His Majesty's Government, Mycroft knows when matters require a skill he cannot himself provide he often turns to brother Sherlock. Mycroft hands over an envelope containing an incomplete document. This document was found on the body of a murdered member of the British Secret Service, lending credence to its importance.
The pages that Sherlock now holds in his possession speak to a meeting of a secret group with the highest of all goals as their sole purpose --- full global dominance. Holmes, accompanied by Watson will now have to toe the line between detective and spy on a clandestine investigation that will involved finding out and potentially stopping this secret group should their threats be real. There is no need for a spoiler alert as the novel lets on quite early that the title of the document, translated from French, is 'The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion'. Those who are fully aware of world history will find this very ironic that the Jewish people should seek to take over the world just decades prior to Anti-Semitism of the highest order in the form of the WWII attempted genocide and Holocaust should occur.
There may be more murders than just that of the Secret Service Agent to deal with should Holmes not quickly be able to determine why the Zionists should publish such a dangerous document. If they were not the original authors, than who was behind it and what was their potentially deadly agenda? These answers will require Holmes and Watson to travel extensively. Their mission goes through Europe --- specifically Paris, where this version of the documents allegedly originated --- all the way into the heart of Tsarist Russia. The adventure also sees Holmes and Watson travel aboard the famous Orient Express --- made that much more famous for mystery fans who recall the classic novel from Dame Agatha Christie that was set aboard the prominent railroad.
Holmes may be 50, but he is still sharp as a tack. In fact, it is the fact that he is able to so quickly see several moves ahead that puts him in danger --- especially while he is in unfriendly territory like the heart of Russia. THE ADVENTURE OF THE PECULIAR PROTOCOLS gives us both Sherlock Holmes and author Nicholas Meyer at the top of their game in a novel that will not only appeal to all Holmes fans world-wide but may also be one of the best novels of 2019.
Reviewed by Ray Palen for Criminal Element
One of the first authors to truly bring Holmes back to life was Nicholas Meyer. Meyer had huge success with a trio of novels featuring Sherlock Holmes and his trusty friend Doctor John H. Watson that began in 1974 with the release of THE SEVEN-PERCENT SOLUTION --- a novel which also inspired a film version that starred Nicol Williamson, Alan Arkin, Vanessa Redgrave and Robert Duvall. He followed that up with THE WEST END HORROR in 1976 and then THE CANARY TRAINER in 1993. There is no reason given for why Meyer waited twenty-six years to release a new Sherlock Holmes novel, but I can firmly aver that he has not lost any steam as THE ADVENTURE OF THE PECULIAR PROTOCOLS is a top-notch novel and quite worthy addition to the ever-growing Sherlock Holmes 'new' releases.
As with the prior Holmes novels, this one is also adapted from the journals of John H. Watson, M.D. To maintain this level of authenticity there are even parts of the story that remain incomplete or unfinished, alluding to missing or unintelligible parts of the original source document. Meyer humbly confesses in the opening forward piece entitled 'A Word Of Explanation' that any errors found within this adaptation are his and not Watson's.
Things begin in January of 1905. This is significant due to the fact that January 6th was Holmes' birthday. This birthday was a momentous one as it marked his 50th --- an age where most detectives had already hung things up or were backsliding into retirement. Not so for Holmes, as the date or birthday hold no sway over him. Shortly after Holmes had been talking with Watson about how there may be nothing now left for him but retirement, Holmes's brother Mycroft approaches Sherlock with an intriguing new mission. As a representative of His Majesty's Government, Mycroft knows when matters require a skill he cannot himself provide he often turns to brother Sherlock. Mycroft hands over an envelope containing an incomplete document. This document was found on the body of a murdered member of the British Secret Service, lending credence to its importance.
The pages that Sherlock now holds in his possession speak to a meeting of a secret group with the highest of all goals as their sole purpose --- full global dominance. Holmes, accompanied by Watson will now have to toe the line between detective and spy on a clandestine investigation that will involved finding out and potentially stopping this secret group should their threats be real. There is no need for a spoiler alert as the novel lets on quite early that the title of the document, translated from French, is 'The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion'. Those who are fully aware of world history will find this very ironic that the Jewish people should seek to take over the world just decades prior to Anti-Semitism of the highest order in the form of the WWII attempted genocide and Holocaust should occur.
There may be more murders than just that of the Secret Service Agent to deal with should Holmes not quickly be able to determine why the Zionists should publish such a dangerous document. If they were not the original authors, than who was behind it and what was their potentially deadly agenda? These answers will require Holmes and Watson to travel extensively. Their mission goes through Europe --- specifically Paris, where this version of the documents allegedly originated --- all the way into the heart of Tsarist Russia. The adventure also sees Holmes and Watson travel aboard the famous Orient Express --- made that much more famous for mystery fans who recall the classic novel from Dame Agatha Christie that was set aboard the prominent railroad.
Holmes may be 50, but he is still sharp as a tack. In fact, it is the fact that he is able to so quickly see several moves ahead that puts him in danger --- especially while he is in unfriendly territory like the heart of Russia. THE ADVENTURE OF THE PECULIAR PROTOCOLS gives us both Sherlock Holmes and author Nicholas Meyer at the top of their game in a novel that will not only appeal to all Holmes fans world-wide but may also be one of the best novels of 2019.
Reviewed by Ray Palen for Criminal Element
February 5, 2020
I wanted to like this book and enjoy it, and it was not a major disappointment, but it was still not the most energizing read.
First off, I do like everything Sherlockian, so when I read the blurb containing the info about the author, I was quite intrigued, but the more I read, the more I felt that it was just an average mystery novel, even though the message of racial or ethnical hate resonates very strongly with modern day politics of intolerance.
I also appreciated the that were indeed real people involved into the plot, and their lifelines were written in nicely into the novel.
The sense of place is another thing that I enjoyed quite a bit in the book. The author conveys the ambiance of the famous Orient Express, and the hustle and bustle of the European South is in fact quite believable and seemed very real. These were the factors that kept fueling my attention.
Unfortunately, there were also disappointing moments. The biggest elephant in the book is the attempt to imitate the style. Alas, using bigger words, more obscure words, obsolete words, and French words can only take the author so far. In fact, the rhythm, the cadence, the true spirit of Conan Doyle's writing was not captured; nether was the sprit of main characters, especially Holmes seemed too vague, too muted, too washed out.
The next thing that kept annoying me was the plot. This is not how the plot works in Conan Coyle's fiction about Holmes. Here it was movement, movement, and movement, without any deductions, pronouncements, and epiphanies that are so "endemic" in stories about Holmes.
I had to roll my eyes when the alleged love affair was alluded. I simply could not help it.
And finally, about the Russian translation of some phrases and some lacunae. It just did not sound natural. I wish the editor had hired someone to make it sound completely authentic. Please understand, I am not the supporter of the idea of the cultural appropriation. I strongly disagree with it. Authors have the right to imagine and traverse to any culture they want. Equally, they have the responsibility to research and make passages, wording , characters more believable and more authentic or request help.
A somewhat confusing read.
First off, I do like everything Sherlockian, so when I read the blurb containing the info about the author, I was quite intrigued, but the more I read, the more I felt that it was just an average mystery novel, even though the message of racial or ethnical hate resonates very strongly with modern day politics of intolerance.
I also appreciated the that were indeed real people involved into the plot, and their lifelines were written in nicely into the novel.
The sense of place is another thing that I enjoyed quite a bit in the book. The author conveys the ambiance of the famous Orient Express, and the hustle and bustle of the European South is in fact quite believable and seemed very real. These were the factors that kept fueling my attention.
Unfortunately, there were also disappointing moments. The biggest elephant in the book is the attempt to imitate the style. Alas, using bigger words, more obscure words, obsolete words, and French words can only take the author so far. In fact, the rhythm, the cadence, the true spirit of Conan Doyle's writing was not captured; nether was the sprit of main characters, especially Holmes seemed too vague, too muted, too washed out.
The next thing that kept annoying me was the plot. This is not how the plot works in Conan Coyle's fiction about Holmes. Here it was movement, movement, and movement, without any deductions, pronouncements, and epiphanies that are so "endemic" in stories about Holmes.
I had to roll my eyes when the alleged love affair was alluded. I simply could not help it.
And finally, about the Russian translation of some phrases and some lacunae. It just did not sound natural. I wish the editor had hired someone to make it sound completely authentic. Please understand, I am not the supporter of the idea of the cultural appropriation. I strongly disagree with it. Authors have the right to imagine and traverse to any culture they want. Equally, they have the responsibility to research and make passages, wording , characters more believable and more authentic or request help.
A somewhat confusing read.
October 16, 2019
I received a complimentary ARC copy of The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols
(Adapted from the Journals of John H. Watson, M.D.) by Nicholas Meyer from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/MacMillan in order to read and give an honest review.
" ...an intelligent and intriguing read ..."
I have always been a fan of author Arthur Conan Doyle and have always loved stories that bring the brilliant duo back to life. In The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols, Nicholas Meyer does just that. At an auction, a newly discovered mysterious journal of Dr JohnWatson surfaces with the notes from a 1905 investigation: The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols. After a lengthy absence from his partner Sherlock Holmes, Dr Watson a newlywed and very busy physician is drawn back into the life when a murder points to a mysterious document, zionists, antisemitism and political corruption. Fiction mixed with real events in history this is a unique approach taking us on the Orient Express from Paris to Russia. Holmes, Watson and their fiery and very beautiful translator, Anna Strunsky are on a quest to find the original source of the document and the corruption behind it. They are chased by a wide-reaching group who wants to stop them from asking questions that could disrupt their plans and destroy their future!
I have to say although slow to get into at first I enjoyed it and found it an intelligent and intriguing read that I would definitely recommend!
(Adapted from the Journals of John H. Watson, M.D.) by Nicholas Meyer from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/MacMillan in order to read and give an honest review.
" ...an intelligent and intriguing read ..."
I have always been a fan of author Arthur Conan Doyle and have always loved stories that bring the brilliant duo back to life. In The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols, Nicholas Meyer does just that. At an auction, a newly discovered mysterious journal of Dr JohnWatson surfaces with the notes from a 1905 investigation: The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols. After a lengthy absence from his partner Sherlock Holmes, Dr Watson a newlywed and very busy physician is drawn back into the life when a murder points to a mysterious document, zionists, antisemitism and political corruption. Fiction mixed with real events in history this is a unique approach taking us on the Orient Express from Paris to Russia. Holmes, Watson and their fiery and very beautiful translator, Anna Strunsky are on a quest to find the original source of the document and the corruption behind it. They are chased by a wide-reaching group who wants to stop them from asking questions that could disrupt their plans and destroy their future!
I have to say although slow to get into at first I enjoyed it and found it an intelligent and intriguing read that I would definitely recommend!
July 1, 2020
What is the nature of truth when it is easier to believe a lie? When the lie holds the fabric of a great many lives together? When the lie has legs that the truth does not? And what are the consequences of good deeds, of fighting for that truth? This book is based on the unmasking of a real document. I didn't entirely believe that until I read the epilogue. It is a bit confusing. Mr. Meyer inserts himself into the book as the adaptor of notes written by the beloved but fictional Doctor Watson, partner of Sherlock Holmes, as they head out via the Orient Express of all things, to get to the bottom of said document. A not so secret society of Jews in 1905 Europe has a purpose outlined in this vision statement, or do they? What is it, who wrote it, and why, and what to do about it are not easy questions to answer in the dangerous stew of early twentieth century Europe and Russia. This mystery is written in a methodical and measured style. It is not fast moving, and the drama is mostly in the last quarter of the book. The material that drives the story: facts, alternative facts, who believes which, and the use of the "dog whistle" are so heartbreakingly relevant to today that it is almost silly to turn it into a post Holmes and Watson adventure but it is still worth reading. There are lessons to be learned or remembered.
October 14, 2019
I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. The Adventure Of The Peculiar Protocols by Nicholas Meyer is a Sherlock Holmes Mystery. A recently unearthed Watson Journal brings to life a previously unknown case. The time is 1905 and the seeds of World War I are beginning to sprout. Holmes and Watson undertake an undercover investigation the behest of Holmes’s brother Mycroft who works for the British Secret Service. Conspiracies abound and they can trust no-one on a dangerous journey aboard the Orient Express from Paris to Russia during the last gasp of the Tsarist regime. I enjoyed this story very much and it’s twists and turns will keep you guessing till the very end. Publishing Date October 15, 2019. #NetGalley #TheAdventureOfThePeculiarProtocols #NicholasMeyer #HolmesandWatson #Bookstagram #StMartinsPress #MinotaurBooks #MysteriesandThrillers
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