Publishers Weekly
04/25/2022
Set in 1917, Goldberg’s sluggish sixth Daughter of Sherlock Holmes Mystery (after 2021’s The Abduction of Pretty Penny) opens with the arrival of Inspector Lestrade at 221B Baker Street, the home of Joanna, the daughter of Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler, and her husband, John Watson, Dr. Watson’s son. Lestrade needs Joanna’s help in investigating a series of robberies from the penthouse suites of upscale London hotels. The most recent netted the criminals the famed Blue Diamond, the second largest such stone ever found. It was stolen from the governor-general of South Africa and was to be presented to George V. The first two robberies were carried out quietly, leaving no clues as to the perpetrator. This time, however, the hotel doorman suffered a severe skull fracture, and there’s little hope of his survival. Joanna, trailed by John, who serves as her faithful amanuensis, soon realizes that the robberies are just cogs in a far more sinister and dangerous affair. A series of brain teasers fails to compensate for the lack of character development and any clever repartee. Sherlockians will be disappointed. Agent: Scott Mendel, Mendel Media Group. (June)
From the Publisher
Praise for The Blue Diamond:
"What shines, now as ever, is the razor-sharp observations of Sherlock Holmes’ daughter and the shrewdly logical inferences she draws from them time and again. Detection triumphs over crime in every possible way." —Kirkus Reviews
"Indeed, Goldberg’s novel is a testament to the power of deductive reasoning, the scientific method and cool-headed logic to win the day against otherwise insurmountable odds. The narrative is largely dialogue driven, and six novels into this series, Goldberg brings his characters vibrantly to life through their distractive voices and the banter which conveys their love for one another as a family and their mutual respect as professional colleagues."—The Post and Courier
"With The Blue Diamond, author Goldberg amply demonstrates once again just how compelling a figure Joanna Holmes has become. While her status as the offspring of Sherlock Holmes opens doors for her in a time when that wasn’t always the case for women, it is her own great intellect that helps her carve her own path." —Mystery Scene
"...[an] exciting thriller." - The National Examiner
"Joanna is much like her late father, picking up even the faintest clues instantly and plotting complex strategies to foil evil-doers...The author has remained close to the style and themes of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries...complex and full of unexpected twists." —Historical Novel Society
"Readers will enjoy the many references to Sherlock Holmes’s cases...also a pleasure is the relationship between Joanna and John, she a wily sleuth and he an adoring supporter of her eccentricities. For fans of the great detective, of course, but also those who enjoy tales of wartime espionage." —First Clue newsletter
Praise for the Daughter of Sherlock Holmes Series:
“Compelling, with clever revelations and pithy dialogue—a worthy successor to Conan Doyle’s original” —Charleston Post and Courier
"Goldberg's Sherlock Holmes pastiche is pitch-perfect..." —Library Journal
“Avid Sherlockians will be delighted with the many echoes of the original Holmes canon.” —Publishers Weekly
"Fans of the original mysteries will get a chuckle out of the antic language, and there is a mercurial Mary Poppins appeal to this not-to-be-trifled-with heroine that will appeal to fans beyond Baker Street." —Booklist
"Holmes lovers will enjoy the intricate Sherlockian reasoning Joanna and Johnny bring to the puzzle." —Publishers Weekly on The Art of Deception
"Fans of all things Sherlock-ian will delight in Joanna, so like her father and already training her schoolboy son, Johnny, in the methods that have solved so many cases like this exceptionally tricky one." —Kirkus Reviews on The Disappearance of Alistair Ainsworth
"Suspenseful and entertaining, with many twists and turns....This is one of the best Sherlock Holmes series since Laurie R. King’s Mary Russell books." —Historical Novel Society
Kirkus Reviews
2022-03-16
The year 1917 finds Joanna Holmes Watson in a battle of wits with thieves who’ve pinched the world’s second-biggest diamond and something even more valuable.
It’s bad enough that someone’s sneaked into the South African governor general’s suite at the Windsor Hotel and made off with a blue diamond of historic dimensions. What’s much worse is that the robbers, who seem to specialize in looting London penthouses, have also absconded with a military document that could decisively affect the course of the Great War. Inspector Lestrade, son of the inspector constantly one-upped by Sherlock Holmes a generation ago, brings Sir Charles Bradberry, the Scotland Yard commissioner himself, to Holmes’ daughter, Joanna, who’s married to Dr. John Watson Jr., to entreat her to take the case. Joanna quickly determines who the culprits were and how they gained access to the governor general’s rooms, but the thieves have already vanished, leaving Joanna, working with the Yard and Maj. Eric Von Ruden, the governor general’s security chief, to figure out where they’ve gone and how to recover the jewel and neutralize the loss of the stolen document. Soon enough the problem is deepened, for the thieves make the first of several murderous attacks on the Watsons, and it’s clear that their efforts to end their pursuit by the woman universally recognized as England’s greatest detective will only escalate. As usual in this series, the crime, though large-scale and historically urgent, is routine and the head conspirator, obvious. What shines, now as ever, are the razor-sharp observations of Sherlock Holmes’ daughter and the shrewdly logical inferences she draws from them time and again.
Detection triumphs over crime in every possible way.
