By James Lovegrove

Titan, out now

Holmes and Watson investigate mysterious evens involving a mythical creature…

It’s becoming something of a tradition here at Sci-Fi Bulletin to review James Lovegrove’s latest book on Christmas Eve and this year’s novel is very appropriate – a Christmassy story for Holmes and Watson. A young woman feels that her life may be in danger and begs for the detective’s help, and even though Holmes feels sure that there is no supernatural creature, he and Watson pack their bags.

It’s good to read a more standard tale from Lovegrove after the trilogy of Lovecraftian tales that he’s regaled us with over the past few years – he’s consistently been one of the best authors of these sorts of homages in Titan’s catalogue. It’s not just that he captures the essence of Conan Doyle’s tales, but all the trappings too – the relationship between the two and the ways in which Watson may not fully understand quite everything that he’s writing are things that are still too often depicted in the manner that Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce portrayed them on screen. Lovegrove (and Jonathan Barnes on the audios for Big Finish) sees deeper and that adds to the verisimilitude of the tales.

I’m not going to spoil the twists of the story – you need to find those out for yourself. Suffice it to say that if you want a good yarn to see out 2019, this is the book for you.

Verdict: Another strong Holmes and Watson tale – recommended. 9/10

Paul Simpson

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