Sherlock Holmes without Conan Doyle's wit, intelligence and charm. Lyndsay Faye does a decent job mixing the lore of the fictional detective with the horrific true life serial killings of Jack the Ripper, but I thought faltered in the end by having (what seems like) one of the fictional characters take the fall for being the Ripper. Faye even mentions, albeit sarcastically, another famous suspect (Prince Albert Victor) as a possible suspect, but then refuses to implant one of the many real life suspects to be the killer. I prefer when the fiction is so well blended with the facts that it is hard to tell the difference between the two. Faye's Sherlock Holmes was a believable facsimile, but there were just some things (chain smoking cigarettes instead of his pipe and the public's quick turn on the celebrated detective) that did not sit well with me. These issues, although minor, may upset the really fanatic fans of Holmes.

An excellently well written and highly entertaining envisioning of how Sherlock Holmes might have solved the Jack the Ripper murders. I am an afficianado of both the Ripper case, and of Sherlock Holmes, so this was probably a "no brainer" of a book I'd be likely to enjoy. However, despite my pre-disposition to like this story, the author does a wonderful job of combining a fictional detective with the real Jack the Ripper events to create a very exciting and plausible plot that meshes together smoothly and believeably. The author also does a very good job at handling, and voicing Holmes very realistically - well, as realistically as one can with a fictional character! - and if you didn't know better you would certainly assume you are reading Conan Doyle in how Holmes speaks and behaves in this book. Even Holmes traditionalists can enjoy this book, because while the Ripper case was, obviously, not one of Holmes' cases, this story presents it so well, you can put that aside and just enjoy an opportunity to pit one of the world's greatest detectives against one of the world's most perplexing and shocking cases. An excellent read, and highly recommended for those interested in either the Ripper-case or Sherlock Holmes.

Reason for Reading: I always enjoy a good book featuring Holmes but this time I must say it was my pet true crime case Jack the Ripper that pulled me towards this book even more. Comments: The plot is what you would expect. The real-life Jack the Ripper case has been put into the the fictional London of Sherlock Holmes and in this world Holmes becomes involved in trying to solve the case. The book itself has been approved by the Holmes estate and is very true to Holmesian Canon, including characters and history from previous stories with footnotes to show from whence the references came. The Jack the Ripper information has also been thoroughly researched but is much more vague and not nearly as in-depth. This is much a story of Holmes, first and foremost before it is a story of Jack the Ripper. I've read all of Doyle's Holmes works, though I must say it was a long time ago, but I still felt the genuine tone of the original books come through in Fayes' writing. While one knows the plot, per say, of the Ripper murders she has added some shady characters and goings on that Sherlock must also unravel along his way to solving the bigger case. Also, while Faye stays true to the main facts of the Ripper case she does deviate away from the facts into fiction to make the story her own (or should I say Holmes' own). Jack the Ripper purist will not find a plausible solution to the case but then they shouldn't be expecting one with a fictional detective on the case. An enjoyable book but one I must say that never really grabbed me tightly. It was a pleasant read that didn't ever get me excited as to whodunit. Holmes and Watson were portrayed well, and fans will be sure to be pleased, but I just didn't connect with any of the other characters nor did the plot ever get me turning pages faster than normal. Overall, a pleasant, enjoyable mystery but nothing extraordinary.