Written by Leonard Goldberg
SUMMARY:
Minotaur Books released this 305-page paperback in 2017. Set in early spring of 1914, Dr. John H. Watson, Jr. (both a medical school assistant professor and an expert pathologist) acknowledges that, with Sherlock Holmes’ passing, he now resides with his widowed father at 221b Baker Street.
Pressed into service by a grieving sister, a revitalized Dr. Watson, Sr. and his son probe whether or not the aristocratic Charles Harrelston rashly committed suicide by plunging out a third-story window … or was he actually thrown from the roof to his death? Their primary eyewitnesses are young widow (and ex-nurse), Joanna Blalock, and her precocious son, Johnnie.
Recruiting Joanna’s cooperation as a third sleuth, Watson, Sr. confides in his son the incredible secret of their new ally’s incredible deductive powers. With the help of a second-generation Inspector Lestrade and a hound worthy of the name, ‘Toby’ the trio finds that Harrelston’s ill-fated gambling party with Dr. Christopher Moran is the first ugly tragedy befalling a quartet of old war buddies.
Despite unraveling multiple homicides, a courageous Joanna must take the ultimate risk in order to snare a vindictive serial killer.
Notes: This title is also available digitally.
REVIEW:
Leonard Goldberg’s slick legacy template for Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts is not as intriguing as it might have been.
For instance, this novel is not some revisionist caper about Moriarty’s love child with Irene Adler posing as Holmes’ long-lost daughter, ingeniously humiliating the Watsons, and then leaving the bewildered father-son duo to rot in prison. As different as that wicked comedy scenario might sound, Goldberg devises a far more conventional, pre-wartime sequel imagining a world after Holmes’ passing. Still, for as much potential The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes conveys, Joanna Blalock’s first murder-mystery case errs in four significant ways.
First, as a formulaic whodunnit, Goldberg’s storyline treads closer to Columbo than to Conan Doyle. By revealing the culprit’s identity from practically the get-go, Joanna’s deductions of how each murder is committed then leaves readers with essentially a ‘why-dunnit,’ with too few surprises. With Sherlock Holmes’ heir and the Watsons too quickly deducing their quarry and a presumed motive, Goldberg has them repetitively deem their accumulated evidence as insufficient for prosecution.
Yet, why shouldn’t Scotland Yard’s best forensic experts concur with their expert deductive assessments? From the way Goldberg presents their medical analysis, even semi-competent law enforcement officials wouldn’t blow off such circumstantial evidence as pure conjecture. By playing off familiar genre clichés, Goldberg insists on stringing his audience along as to what ‘red-handed’ proof will inevitably snare the all-too-obvious culprit. Many mystery fans won’t mind such a ride, but that leads to the novel’s second major flaw.
Goldberg repeatedly pushes visual autopsy sequences that are unnecessarily too technically-detailed and, even worse, provoke disgusting imagery to readers. Rather dubiously, Goldberg can invoke squeamishness without a corpse necessitating a scalpel for any internal dissection. One wonders if, as a real-life physician, Goldberg is flaunting his medical knowledge through the detective trio as a means of padding his page count.
Goldberg’s unimaginative storyline also suffers from pushing far too many second-generation clones (i.e., Watson, Jr; Mrs. Hudson; Lestrade; Moran; Toby Two, etc.) of Conan Doyle’s cast. The author’s writing style is strong enough that such blatant name dropping should not be necessary. Though these legacy characters better fit Goldberg’s sequel titles, their introductions all crammed within The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes come off as an eye-rolling gimmick for glorified fan fiction. Instead, Goldberg would have been better off phasing in his next generation throughout the series as welcome surprises.
Lastly, the murky continuity Goldberg deploys in setting up this batch of namesake heirs makes little sense, especially if his Holmes is already dead, as of 1914. For instance, the introduction states Holmes died in 1914 – the same year as Joanna’s introduction. Yet, this book (not to mention, future books) subsequently reference Holmes as being ‘long dead,’ as if several years have lapsed rather than mere months. Another element to remember is that Holmes’ romantic liaison with Joanna’s mother would have occurred nearly forty years before. Yet, Goldberg’s likable ‘Joanna’ appears to be, at most, in her early thirties.
The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes, accordingly, should be treated as more of a reference guide for the ongoing series. Subsequent espionage-flavored mysteries, such as A Study in Treason and The Disappearance of Alistair Ainsworth, supply more satisfying reads exploring Joanna Blalock’s destiny as her father’s sleuthing successor.
ADDITIONAL FEATURES:
Goldberg’s ‘Watson, Jr.’ supplies both an introduction and his closing notes. It is conveyed that, like his father before him, Watson, Jr. now chronicles Joanna’s ongoing adventures. Simultaneously, this epilogue could be deemed as a satisfying end to Goldberg’s premise, had he opted not to produce further books.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 5½ Stars
