(See all my Book Reviews and Author Interviews) - Father and daughter team Charles Veley and Anna Elliott https://sherlockandlucy.com have published more than 30 novels. Watson on the Orient Express: A Sherlock Holmes and Lucy James Mystery was published in 2020. It is the 17th in their Sherlock Holmes and Lucy James series. It is the 65th book I completed in 2022.

Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to minor scenes of violence, I categorize this novella as PG. Watson is kidnapped. While in captivity he overhears the plans for an assassination. When he is able to escape, he heads to Constantinople aboard the Orient Express to thwart the plot.

Holmes and James are involved in finding the missing Lord Harwell. Harwell has connections to important diplomatic discussions scheduled to take place in Constantinople. Watson is able to send Holmes a quick telegram. This leads Holmes and James to follow Watson to Turkey.

Will Holmes and James be able to find Watson? Will they be able to derail the plans for an incident that could lead to war?

I enjoyed the 3.5 hours I spent reading this 220-page period mystery. I read the Sherlock Holmes collection when I was very young and have been a Sherlock Holmes fan ever since. The books in this series are relatively short. More novellas than full novels. This is the third book in the series that I have read. The others were Remember, Remember and Die Again, Mr. Holmes. All three have been good reads. This book alternates chapters between James and Watson as each tells their story in the first person. The chosen cover art is simple but appropriate. I give this novella a rating of 4 out of 5.

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The book, which could be titled with a fanfiction of both Doyle and Christie's books, is still a new series of stories of Sherlock Holmes, where he has also an adult daughter who is an American actress and now lives with her father and husband on Baker Street. In the eighth part of the series, Watson is abducted, and Holmes' most vicious enemy (not Moriarti, but some new character) has a plan that would be dangerous not only to Holms and his loved ones, but to the whole of Europe.
This book of a few hundred pages is too fast, there is too much information, there are several cases in the air at the same time, and as a result it lacks a deeper content, a credible story and a satisfying course of research. It is not a stand-alone book, as there are suggestions that the main characters are bound together and the villains have tried to kill them in the past, and the deeper explanation is in previous books and short stories that should probably be read first to better understand everything.
Readable, but I've read better fanfictions.

As a massive Sherlock fan -- thank you, BBC adaptation! -- I couldn't be more thrilled with the way this book panned out!

Now, I'm going to be honest, I didn't know that this was the 17th book in the series when I requested it. So, it's the first Sherlock & Lucy title I've ever read. However, I never felt like I was missing out in any way! The story's fairly self-contained, with characters so compelling that they leap off the page to keep you engrossed, and so, I was wholly cognizant of the plot and its arcs all the way through.

Furthermore, it's just so CLEVER. The language used is ultimately Sherlock-esque, which is incredibly fun to read. And with twists and turns on every page, it keeps you flipping till the very end!

I'll definitely be checking out more Sherlock & Lucy titles ASAP, because this one was JUST. SO. FUN.

I'm a lifelong fan of the Sherlock Holmes phenomenon. I love finding new imaginings of the famous sleuth, and this was a lovely addition to the crew! I really loved the modernization of some of the interactions, and the feminist slant. Overall, this was a fun, fast read that made me want to go back and read others in the series! Loved it!

I was not able to get interested in this book and I did not finish it. The characters and the plot were not able to catch or keep my attention.

3.5 stars, rounded up

This was an interesting and entertaining read. It is part of the "Sherlock Holmes and Lucy James Mystery" series, but I did not have any troubles following along having not read the other books in the series. I am such a Sherlock Holmes fan and was excited to read this telling, as well as excited to be able to see Sherlock. Mycroft and Watson all together - it's been a while since I have had the chance to read a Sherlock mystery.

This novel starts with Watson being held captive, he overhears an assassination plot that threatens to spark a war. He later wakes up in jail dressed in the clothes of a man who is missing, Lord Harwell, and is the prime suspect for two murders. Concurrently, Sherlock and Lucy James, Watson's niece, have been asked to look into the whereabouts of the missing Lord Harwell. Their detective work takes them to Constantinople aboard the Orient Express in search of both Watson and Lord Harwell.

The pace of the novel was quick and it kept me on my toes. The writing style is a split narrative, with both Lucy and Watson being our narrators, which I enjoyed and found a bit different than other Sherlock Holmes mysteries. I did have a few instances where I had trouble remembering which character was doing what, but overall enjoyed it and found it nice to get another point of view, other than just Watson's.

Overall, I enjoyed this one and will dive into others in the series when I am looking for a quick mystery read.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Wilton Press for the gifted e-book in change for an honest review.

Hi, I lost the eARC of this book so I won't be able to review this book. I hope you understand. I really wanted to read it but unfortunately my phone got formatted and I lost the copy.

I love all things Sherlock Holmes and couldn't wait to read this,while I enjoyed the story I wish the mystery had been a little harder to solve

this is one of my favorite modern Sherlock Holmes series, they always are good for a great read. I love the characters and this plot was really good.

Perhaps I would have enjoyed this book more if I was acquainted with the series but I can't say I enjoyed this book much. It is not related to Sherlock Holmes or Dr. Watson except that their names are used in the story, and it was hard to stay focused on the story while reading.

"Watson on the Orient Express" is an interesting premise but the book suffers from some pacing issues but it's well written and the characters are fleshed out.

I requested this book through Netgalley purely based on the title... because, obviously I would. And then realized this was book 8 in the series. Although I am sure I wasn't able to appreciate some character relationships and other intricacies, I could follow the plot line just fine.

We read from the alternating POVs of Watson and Lucy (his niece?). Watson starts of being kidnapped, but manages to escape and board the Orient Express to try and stop an assassination in Constantinople. Lucy and Sherlock also board the train (two days later) to try and find him and solve their case which is somehow connected with it all.

I love Watson, but am unfamiliar with Lucy. She is a great character though... brave, resourceful and just as clever as Sherlock himself. Which is also where for me personally a problem lies... Sherlock adds very little to this story. I'm not sure it would have been very different if he hadn't been in it at all. I do have to say though that if I had read the rest of the series and grown to love Lucy through there this might not have been an issue at all.

The story itself is an incredibly easy and fun read. Although the plot is fairly predictable, it is still intriguing. Lucy has a very nice and readable voice, and already loving Watson from all of the other Sherlock Holmes books I've read it was easy to be invested in his part of the story.

Overall, although this book isn't anything special I did have a good time with it, and am certainly interested to pick up the previous books in the series.

I love me a good mystery, and for anybody else who loves them, I’ll be recommending this to you. It gave everything that a full story should, yet still letting the characters develop themselves.

Perhaps I would have enjoyed this book more if I was acquainted with the series but I can't say I enjoyed this book much. It is not canon and really has no relation to Sherlock Holmes or Dr. Watson except that their names are used in the story. I thought a mildly crossover story of Holmes and Watson and the Orient Express would be interesting, but I was mistaken.

Despite the fact I haven't read any of the previous books, I didn't feel all that lost in the story after reading a few blurbs about the series. I'm sure it helps that several of the characters are well known literary figures!

This was a delightful cozy mystery, perfect to read at night by the fire. I greatly enjoyed reading a book from Watson's point of view as well as hearing from a female main character. The women in this story were strong and not at all seen as inferior which is refreshing given the time period this takes place in.

The story was a lot of fun to read not only because of the characters and the well-written plot, but because of its setting aboard the famous Orient Express and the streets of Istanbul. This could definitely be read as a standalone or an introduction to the series, but if this installment is anything to go by I'm missing out by not reading the other books. I'll be looking them up because I need a new cozy mystery series in my life and this seems like a fantastic one to go with.

Full review to come on my blog.

The original Sherlock Holmes books are loved by true mystery fans. Anna Elliot & Charles Veley have managed to write entertaining original stories featuring Holmes and his daughter Lucy and the invaluable Watson. The stories have the "feel" of a Sherlock Holmes story: with an added element of fun that lightens the adventures of this trio. WATSON ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS centers more on Watson and Lucy's trials and tribulations as they race to prevent an assassination and prove Watson is not guilty of any crimes...this time. Overall this book will appeal to Sherlock Holmes fans and everyone who loves fast paced mystery that will keep you guessing until the last minute.

I didn't know what to expect from this book when I decided to read it. It took some time to get inside this book because the narration is not easy to grab at first. This was my first book of the series and I found the storyline quite witty. I haven't read any Sherlock Holmes story so this was good for me. I did read Murder On The Orient Express so I didn't know how this book is going to be. I am not a big fan of the cover but the title of the book definitely bought me in. I think I will like the story more if I read it at some later point of my life but I do recommend it to mature readers of thriller genre.

"Watson on the Orient Express" is the 8th novel of the "Sherlock Holmes and Lucy James Mystery" and this time our heroes are searching for one of their own: Watson was kidnapped, and the criminal organisation "Sons of Helios" is trying to frame him for multiple murders. In doing so, Watson boards the Orient Express under a false identity and meets his old rival. However, this time she claims to be working for Holmes. Things become even more twisted and it is hard to find the truth. Meanwhile, in London, Lucy and Holmes are trying to follow Watson and clear his name as well as trying to unravel this mystery.

First of all, I need to say that this is the first book of the series that I read. As such the characters were not always familiar, while it becomes clear who Lucy is quiet quickly, I am still unsure about her exact relationship with Holmes: is she his daughter, or one of the Baker Street Irregulars that he "adopted" because of her talent? Furthermore, who exactly are the opposite party, their arch enemies ...

Despite these minor confusions, you are able to pick up the story with the 8th book. These missing pieces are background information and not too relevant to the plot - even though, I dare say that it would probably add to the story to know these things - the main plot does not depend on knowing all the big pieces of the prior novels. It is enough to be aware of who the bad guys are and who are the good guys.

The main plot proves to be more Lucy and Watson heavy. The chapters alternate between their first person perspectives and you learn what they learned and know. This adds to the mystery, as you start to see that Holmes and Lucy seem to run straight ahead into a trap, or you're not sure if Watson's information is correct at all. This choice of story telling added to the overall tension.

Furthermore, I really enjoyed that Watson had the limelight, and could "show off" his skills as doctor, tinker, spy. This also added a nice perspective on Watson, who was written very likable and Veley and Elliot managed to successfully combine Watson's mixture of doctor and military man that comes from the original character. I found it easy to believe that this would be the same Watson who had written down all of Holmes' adventures. On top of this, Lucy also seems like a likable character who knows her craft and would be titled with #GirlPower would she live in the 21st century.

I also noticed that the writing style seems closer to the original novels, as it focuses less on describing the surrounding in words but rather on conversation, and telling what the characters are doing. This means that you don't really get sucked into the scene, you are not sure how the main square in Constantinople (nowadays: Istanbul) looks like.

On top of this, I also wished that the conclusion of the mystery would have been more clear. While it is written in a rather fun manner, and even Holmes is left confused - or is he? - he wasn't the only one who felt slight confusion.

In the great scheme of things, there are a few downfalls but overall "Watson on the Orient Express" provides an enjoyable read even for people who are not familiar with the series.

This book starts off with a kidnapping and doesn’t let up. Its non-stop action keeps you bouncing around first London, then France, and finally Constantinople in an attempt to stop assassinations, and the planned murder of Sherlock Holmes. The focus of this book is on Dr. John Watson more than Mr. Holmes, and it made for a surprisingly enjoyable read. There’s plenty of deducing by Mr. Holmes, as well as Mr. Watson, who in fact uses Mr. Holmes’ deductive reasoning to stop crimes himself.
I particularly enjoyed the addition of Lucy, Dr. Watson’s niece, who assists both Holmes and Watson in their endeavors. She’s a supremely written character who blends in well to the Holmes and Watson canon.
The writing, story arc, and characters all brought together a wonderful tale that was a joy to read. I breezed through and was left wanting more of this series. I can’t wait for the next book to come out.
*I was given an ARC of this story from the publisher and Netgalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

A father/daughter writing team writing about Sherlock Holmes and his daughter, Lucy James. I have not read the other books in this series but I did enjoy this. This book focused more on Lucy and Dr. Watson, where the chapters are told from their respective POVs. When the book starts, Watson has been kidnapped and being held captive by a criminal organization that would be familiar to readers of this series. Lucy is of course, worried, but also is helping Holmes with the disappearance of Lord Harwell. For most of the book, Lucy and Watson are running parallel tracks. Both of them get on the Orient Express (not at the same time), to stop an assassination attempt in Constantinople. This is readable enough but I find it to be suspense light.

**Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a copy in exchange for honest review.**