I received this ARC via Netgalley and Minotaur Press in return for an honest review. This is the third in a series about the daughter of Sherlock Holmes, Joanna Blalock Watson. Sherlock is dead but Dr. John Watson is alive and still lives at 221 B Baker Street, with his son, John, who is married to Joanna. Joanna was previously married and has a son from that marriage who appears in this story. Son John is also a doctor. Joanna is her father's successor and using his deductive methods to solve cases. The time period is WWI so there are German spies and antagonists, with the need to find and rescue a kidnapped (possibly dead?) cryptographer who is employed by the British government. As a member of the four person team working at the Admiralty Club, it is vital that Mr. Ainsworth be recovered, alive if at all possible. The author has done detailed work into various cryptographic methods and built a solid story. In some cases, the details were a bit much for my enjoyment but I easily skipped over those bits and didn't lose anything in the storytelling. The story is told, primarily, from the perspective of Joanna's husband, John. Since this is the first of this series that I've read, it wasn't difficult to understand the main characters, although there is little backstory provided on the evolution of the relationships (when did Joanna become widowed; when did she and John marry; when did Sherlock die?). For a married man, I found John's description of his wife's activities to be more 'Dr. Watson admiring Sherlock Holmes' than a man admiring his wife's skills. Still, a good story; well told and with a good plot line. I'd read more by this author and recommend this book.

The Disappearance of Alistair Ainsworth, book three from The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes Mysteries, is a good read. I give it four stars.

I find that this series has gotten better each book; the books may be a bit laborious for modern day readers, but I love that it is very similar to Doyle’s original Sherlock stories.

While I had a feeling I knew who would be the villain, I enjoyed the wondering of whether or not I was correct and all the info was being parcelled out in small doses.

Full review to come closer to release day. This latest novel is superb! Joanna has grown stronger and smarter since the first novel! I thought that she was very similar to her dad Sherlock due to her mannerisms and intellect. The mystery was well thought-out and thrilling. The writing is very exquisite and filed with details of the Victorian Era. I recommend this for fans of Laurie King and Veronica Speedwell.

Third in this wonderful series best one so far.Sherlockholmes daughter investigating crimes in the style of her father. Really a delight to read looking forward to the next in the series#netgalley #st.martinsbooks

Been reading this series from the beginning! I just love Sherlock Holmes mysteries and this one has his daughter Joanna and her son who are mirror images of Sherlock. The prose is exactly how it should be written. Goldberg does a great job. Alistair Ainsworth has been kidnapped by German Spies and must be found. These books also have a double scoop of Watson. "A copy of this book was provided by St. Martin's press via Netgalley with no requirements for a review. Comments here are my honest opinion." ELEMENTARY at it's best!

This is the third book in this series and they just keep getting better. It is really fun to read and follow along with Sherlock Holme's daughter. She shows off her deduction skills to the highest degree. Fun stories and wonderful writing.

The third book in this series is better than the previous books. Intelligent story involving spies, traitors, code breaking and kidnapping, a smartly constructed Sherlock Holmes mystery without Mr. Holmes but the next best thing, his daughter.

The Disappearance of Alistair Ainsworth is a Sherlock Holmes mystery without Sherlock Holmes. He has passed away. His daughter, Joanna, carries on his legacy. She is aided by Dr. Watson and his son. The time is WWI, and Alistair Ainsworth is missing. He was decoding German codes, so he's an important part of the war effort. Joanna channels her father in the clever ingenious ways she deciphers clues. The story is fun and engaging. Joanna is a great character. She is intelligent and intuitive and likeable. I enjoyed the story and the channeling of Sherlock Holmes. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Leonard Goldberg gives us a fantastic "Sherlock Holmes" story without having Sherlock Holmes as the main character. Sherlock has passed on, but his daughter, Joanna, continues his sleuthing ways in the same tradition as her father.

She has the help of Dr. Watson, but even more help from Watson's son, whom she spends a great deal of time with.

In this installment we find ourselves in WW1 and have the disappearance of a man who is one of the most brilliant of men in England. Alistair Ainsworth is the top cryptologist the English have and he with three other people is decoding all of the German communiques. But we have a problem.

The German's have captured him. He is still in England, but if not found before they can break him the war effort may well be lost.

Joanna has an exceptional mind and is able to decipher even the smallest of clues to put together a search and rescue effort for the Admiralty to find Alistair Ainsworth.

You will love the way she comes about her deductions and will see how she is just like her father. She is a woman of great thoughts, wonderful disguises, and a heart to find the truth while also teaching others, her son included, how to go about this business.

I believe we have found a new heroine to fall in love with and she brings back fond memories of every Sherlock Holmes adventure we have ever read.

Enjoy!

The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes series is intelligent and entertaining reading. Joanna Blalock now Watson is the widowed daughter of Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler and is now married to John Watson the son of Dr. Watson. John is a talented pathologist who compliments Joanna's detective skills perfectly. Along with the couple, Dr. Watson is along for the ride as a consultant and sharpshooter.
On a dark and stormy night, the threesome is sitting at home after dinner. An unexpected visitor arrives by the name of Dr. Verner. Verner purchased Dr. Watson's practice from him when he retired. Verner recounts an unusual story of being called on and rushed from his practice to attend a man in need of emergency medical help but two large men. Verner explains that he man could not take and complained of abdominal pain he used a slate and chalk to communicate. When Verner asked the man to show him where it hurt the man spelled out "help" on his stomach. Verner suggested the man needed a hospital and diagnosed a gall bladder attack. The imposing man who brought Verner to the house would not hear of it. They dropped Verner a ways from the house and he made his way to Watson hoping something could be done to rescue the man.

From Verner's clues, Joanna suspects the man is upperclass and works for the government and has been abducted by German agents. Britain is currently at war with Germany so it is imperative that they locate this man and rescue him before any military secrets have been compromised. They also must uncover a spy in the British government who betrayed this man to the Germans.

A very good mystery but the side plot of Joanna's son Johnny was distracting for me and didn't add anything to the story.

This iteration of the Sherlock Holmes canon follows Holmes' daughter as she tries to solve a mysterious kidnapping. She is joined by Watson and his son (to whom she is now married). Joanna deduces that the Germans are hoping to extract military secrets from a captive Englishman as the Great War looms on the horizon. The mystery is clever as are Joanna's deductions based on seemingly insignificant and unrelated clues. What is lacking in the storytelling is a sense of the relationships between the characters and who they are as people. The characters, of course, are iterations of Conan Doyle's icons, but beyond their historical familiarity, the reader doesn't get to know them as individuals--making it difficult to relate to them as fully realized entities. However, if mystery takes precedence over character development for you, then "the game is afoot."

Full Disclosure--Net Gallery and the publisher provided me with a digital ARC of this book. This is my honest review.