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Book Review: The Lost years of Sherlock Holmes by Ted Riccardi

Introduction
  • ·         ISBN -978-81-8495-434-0
  • ·         Genre: Fiction
  • ·         Publishers: Jaico House
  • ·         Price: Rs. 275/- (I got this book from the publishers for a review)
Sherlock Holmes was one of those first novels which I had read and thoroughly enjoyed. Usually I avoided such genre till then but Sherlock Holmes made me fall in love with mystery and detective series. He was my first hero whom I really idolized in many ways.

There has always been a mystery that is attached to his lost years during which the world had assumed to be dead. This book’s title was enough to get me hooked to it wanting to know what exactly my hero was up to!

Behind The book

Source: Google Images
 
From the Fertile Crescent to the Far Fast, the untold adventures of Sherlock Holmes during the three year gap between his”death” and dramatic return



About the author

Ted Riccardi is a professor emeritus in the Department of Middle East and Asian Languages and Cultures at Columbia University. He has served as the counselor of cultural affairs at the United States Embassy in New Delhi.

Me thinks

Sherlock Holmes is an epitome for detective and mystery novels. And there is a very high level of expectation that comes from a reader when his name is attached to a book. Needless to say when I picked up this book I had huge amount of expectations for various reasons – one it was Sherlock Holmes, two he was my childhood hero and three we are talking about those years when according to the world he was dead. The curiosity levels were very high as I began reading this book.

The first few stories were definitely high on the curve and delivered beyond my expectations. My favourite being “The case of the French Savant”. What a twist – I could not have anticipated that one coming in the end. Slowly as you read the middle of the book the excitement begins to taper off as the stories kind of become easy to guess.

The author needs to be commended on this excellent effort at re-creating the magic of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. And I must say he succeeded at it till quite an extent. The language is very simplistic in nature and easy to understand. The narration is gripping just like the way it should be in Sherlock Holmes books. Just a few loose ends in some stories steal away the charm otherwise the whole book is actually very nicely written. You will enjoy the thrill that both Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson as a team create together in each word.

I would say it is a recommended read for Sherlock Holmes fans though just to warn you some stories might dampen your spirits but overall it is an enjoyable read for any Sherlock Holmes fan.  

Foodie Verdict

Source: Google Images
 This book is like pan masala ice cream – you don’t know what each bite has in store for you!

P.S This book has been received from Jaico for review.

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