The Isolated Séance

An Irregular Detective Mystery, Book 1

By: Jeri Westerson

Narrated by: Noah James Butler

Watch out, Sherlock! Introducing one-time Baker Street Irregular Timothy Badger and his partner-in-crime Benjamin Watson, two unconventional young consulting detectives, mentored by the great man himself, tackling intriguing and unusual cases in Victorian London.

Sherlock Holmes's protégés Tim Badger and Benjamin Watson are catapulted into a tricky first case when a man is brutally murdered during a séance.

London, 1895. Former Baker Street Irregular Tim Badger is determined to follow in the footsteps of his mentor, Sherlock Holmes, by opening his own consulting detective agency with his partner, Benjamin Watson. The intrepid duo are ready to make a name for themselves . . . if only they had clients!

Their luck changes when Sherlock recommends his protégés to Thomas Brent. Brent is eager to find out who killed his master, Horace Quinn, during a séance. What was Quinn desperately trying to find out from his deceased business partner, Stephen Latimer, before he was stabbed?

It seems that everyone in Quinn's household had a reason to want him dead. Can Tim and Benjamin step out of Sherlock's shadow to navigate dark secrets and unexpected dangers in their pursuit of a cold-blooded killer?

©2023 Jeri Westerson (P)2024 Tantor Media

The game is afoot!

“You can’t have too many Watsons.”
I found Sherlock Holmes mysteries to be a touch too smug. After all, he was always the smartest person in the room. It helped to have Watson as his more relatable partner. But here, we have both gents starting off as imperfect, aspirational detectives. Ben Watson is a working class black man, applying his various trade experiences (like chimney sweeping) to his sleuthing.

“All of life is a test, young Badger.”
Then we have Timothy Badger, once a young street kid employed by Sherlock Holmes, and now an earnest protege wanting so much to make Mr. Holmes proud. There’s even involvement by the legend himself, as he supports Badger and Watson in their first investigation into murder most foul.

The spectacular narration supported the fun, twisty mystery, with excellent misdirects and clues that kept me guessing. Although there were themes of murder, classism, and sexual abuse, it stayed at the level of traditional Holmes mysteries. I was entertained throughout and won over by the irregular detectives.