A Study in Crimson

By: Robert J. Harris

Narrated by: Peter Noble

Bringing Sherlock Holmes from the Victorian Era into the dark days of World War II, this imaginative new thriller confronts the world's greatest detective with a killer emulating the murders of Jack the Ripper.

London, 1942.

A killer going by the name of "Crimson Jack" is stalking the wartime streets of London, murdering women on the exact dates of the infamous Jack the Ripper killings of 1888. Has the Ripper somehow returned from the grave? Is the self-styled Crimson Jack a descendant of the original Jack-or merely a madman obsessed with those notorious killings?

In desperation Scotland Yard turn to Sherlock Holmes, the world's greatest detective. Surely he is the one man who can sift fact from legend to track down Crimson Jack before he completes his tally of death. As Holmes and the faithful Watson tread the blacked out streets of London, death waits just around the corner.

©2021 Robert J. Harris (P)2022 Tantor

Watson is a bit unbearable.

In this book, more so than many others, Watson’s just a bit too… daft, too straight, too self righteous, too stiff, too clueless, too out of touch, too tactless, too, well… UNBEARABLE not to get in the way of the story just a bit.

a good novel, but not best by Harris

this is a good novel, though sometimes is but confusing. don't get me wrong, it is still a good novel. But if you haven't read other books by Harris before, this is not the strongest.

With trepidation I purchased this

As an absolute Sherlock fan, and a Harris fan, I was not sure I wanted to disappointing myself on both fronts. I have really enjoyed most of his writings, (Fatherland, Munich, V2 and especially Pompeii for instance,) I was not particularly enamored of others (The Second Sleep for instance.) I have to say I was very please as both a Sherlock and a Harris fan. I found the story and presentation to be both enjoyable and true to the Conan Doyle characters. Moving the time frame to WW2 was both entertaining and believable. Would recommend

Fresh And Engaging

I've been a Holmes-head since I was a teenager. With engrossing mysteries, memorable characters, and one of the best arch-nemesis ever created (Professor Moriarty) the world of Sherlock Holmes is an easy one to become lost in. There's a reason Holmes is the most adapted fictional character aside from Dracula. While he's hardly the first author to create a keen-minded and dynamic detective, Arthur Conan Doyle gave us something undeniably resonant and compelling in Holmes. However, after 137 years and counting of mysteries, intrigues, and murders in our books, televisions, and cinema screens it's easy to feel like the implacable but imperfect sleuth of Baker Street and his stalwart companion Watson have no new surprises for us. Even Holmes going up against Jack The Ripper is a familiar trope at this point. That said, I think the author delivered a competently written and engaging story here.
Gone are the fog-shrouded and gaslit streets of Victorian England. A Study In Crimson instead places Holmes & Watson in 1942 Blitz ravaged London. We see Holmes trying to stop a Jack The Ripper copycat killer at the same time as his beloved home city is quite literally engulfed in war. While at first the time change felt like a superfluous gimmick, it honestly adds alot of color and extra tension to the story. To see Holmes solving a case at England's darkest hour is quite engaging. The prose does a good job of articulating the horror of trying to live and work in a city on the brink and you can really feel Holmes' sadness and uncertainty at seeing his beloved home devastated and his countrymen perpetually living in fear. While the mystery isn't as diverting as the world-building, we do get alot of interesting character work here as well. It's been awhile since a Sherlock Holmes story kept me guessing. While I think there are a few authors who do this type of thing better, Robert J. Harris clearly did his homework, understood the assignment, and handed in something fresh and engaging. I genuinely look forward to the sequel.

If you enjoyed A Study In Crimson as much as I have and are looking for similar titles then check out ""The House Of Silk" and "Moriarty" by Anthony Horowitz, "Anno Dracula" and "Professor Moriarty: The Hound Of The D'Urbervilles" by Kim Newman, "The Beekeepers Apprentice" by Laurie R. King, or "Dust and Shadow" by Lyndsay Faye.