Another excellent Daughter of Sherlock Holmes mystery. As usual, the tale is told from John Watson the younger’s POV as he serializes his wife’s sleuthing abilities. The story is told in a very straight forward fashion, with little emotion or embellishments, but I find this to be a strength of the author. The mystery and Joanna’s deductions are strong enough and engaging enough without the more flowery sentiments.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

As a huge Sherlock Holmes fan this is my first in this new to me series. I love a good mystery and the cover and blurb caught my eye so ...why not?

What did I like? It was a bit hard to jump into this series, I had some moments trying to figure out who the characters were in relationship to Sherlock. After some reading it all fell into place. The mystery of Pretty Penny was slow paced and they never really felt like much urgency when time seemed to be of the essence. A huge cast of characters, but some brilliant sleuthing.

Would I recommend or buy? I’d hesitate before getting any more of this series. I’m not sure why we can’t just keep Sherlock alive but insist his brilliant mind carries on in his offspring.

I received a complimentary copy to read and voluntarily left a review.

I’m a big Sherlock Holmes fan, but Leonard Goldberg’s series featuring the daughter of Holmes and Irene Adler just leaves me cold. Maybe it’s the attempt to have Joanna demonstrate all the quirks and characteristics of Sherlock, but she’s also married to Dr. Watson’s son and has her own teenage son. So her being patronizing to her husband just feels quite off. He doesn’t really serve much of a purpose except to be the admiring narrator.

Their efforts to solve the mysterious abduction of the young actress, Pretty Penny, seems rather lackadaisical at times. The bad guy is, apparently, Jack the Ripper decades later. He’s back killing prostitutes in Whitechapel and then mutilating their bodies. They establish that there are only a few days before Jack the Ripper will kill Pretty Penny, but they aren’t spending every minute trying to find her. Later in the novel, when Joanna’s son is kidnapped, she gets the idea to use Tobe Two, the talented bloodhound to try to find where her son and Penny are being hidden. Why didn’t she think of that earlier if she’s supposed to be so brilliant?

[Spoiler alert] And why doesn’t she keep using Toby even when her son has escaped to try to keep looking for Penny when she learns that they were held together?

Their suspicions are aroused about three pathologists at the hospital where John Watson, Joanna’s husband works. Why don’t they attempt to do more to research those three men?

And then it all ends very quickly with not much of a confrontation with the murderer. For all the build-up for a lengthy novel, the end was pretty unsatisfying. I prefer Laurie King’s series featuring a happily married Sherlock Holmes with his brilliant young wife, Mary Russell.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

I was given a free e-copy by NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have read all of the novels in Leonard Goldberg's Daughter of Sherlock Holmes series, and I am a bit disappointed in this installment.

Joanna, her husband John Watson Jr, and her father in law John Watson Sr are requested to look into the kidnapping of Whitechapel actress Pretty Penny. It would appear that many in Whitechapel deeply admired the young woman, and are devastated by her disappearance. Which also brings about it's own list of suspects. Joanna and Watsons follow a trail involving candy and jewelry to the sinister return of Jack the Ripper. As Jack's usual motive involves prostitutes named Unfortunates, our heroes must venture further into darkness than they ever have before. But how far down the rabbit hole must they go before they realize that the danger could be closer at home?

I enjoy the historical context that Leonard Goldberg flows through his chapters. The use of Jack the Ripper in a Sherlock pastiche is not new. However, this is the first time I have read one with a daughter being the main detective and not Sherlock. Since Jack was never caught, I also liked the idea that he had taken a "sabbatical" before continuing the deeds. I have read a few historical papers that say Jack and H.H. Holmes could be one and the same person. It is interesting to see the theories that historians and authors come up with.

I even like the addition of Joanna having a son/family because I believe it makes her more human and relatable. What I do not like is Joanna's warm and cold personality in this installment. In this particular case, Joanna's son is threatened with kidnapping and implied horrors. When such an event occurred, it seemed like Joanna could not decide on an emotion. I also felt that John Watson Sr was decided clumsy or slow at times, which seems contrary to a man who was beside Sherlock for many of his successes and teachings.

Joanna's son Johnny becoming involved felt unnecessary. It seemed like an addition to make the reader see the difference between father and daughter but it just left a bad taste in my mouth. For example, it is implied that Johnny will be kidnapped and harmed. While the family is supposedly on their guard, the kidnapping happens anyway, and I find that realistically impossible. Not just because Joanna is supposed to be specially observant, and Watson Sr has stated many times to remain at Johnny's side, but also because Johnny is aware of the danger and purposefully puts himself in a position to be out of sight. I cannot imagine that the grandson and son of a famous detective would purposefully cause such drama.

Overall I have to rate this 3 out of 5 stars. But I will continue to read Leonard Goldberg's series in the hopes that this was just the exception in his otherwise well admired series.

The fifth Daughter of Sherlock Holmes mystery has Joanna, her husband Dr. John Watson Jr., and father-in-law Sherlock Holmes's Watson and the trail of a missing young actress. Pretty Penny is a rising star at a theater in Whitechapel when she goes missing.

The case takes them into the depths of Whitechapel with it Unfortunates and Gentleman Drifters. It has ties to John's career as a pathologist at St. Bart's because three of the main suspects are also physicians at St. Bart's and amateur actors who were starring with Pretty Penny in a new version of Romeo and Juliet.

The case also marks the return of Jack the Ripper as a new series of brutal murders of Unfortunates has begun and it is feared the Pretty Penny has also become or will become one of his victims. As Joanna and the Watsons track clues including Pretty Penny's favorite candy, her hair pomade, and strange purchases of copper earrings, they learn that the killer is leaving clues and taunting them to find him.

When a letter and some copper cufflinks but Joanna's fifteen-year-old son Johnny in danger, Joanna goes undercover to catch the killer.

There was a lot of historical detail in this one but I felt it fell a little flat when it came to the characters. I didn't like Joanna very much. First, she seemed to me to be arrogant and patronizing and essentially emotionless. Then when Johnny is kidnapped, she breaks down but quickly gets over it and reverts to her calculating and emotionless self.

Fans hungry for more Sherlock Holmes and historical mysteries will find a taste here. Some of the elements are the same. Comparisons to Laurie R. King's Mary Russell books find this series paling and coming in a distant second though.

This review first appeared in the May 2021 issue of Historical Novels Review.

This is the fifth book in Leonard Goldberg's mystery series featuring Joanna Blalock Watson, the daughter of Sherlock Holmes, her husband Dr. John Watson, Jr., and his father, the original Dr. Watson. In 1917, Joanna and the two Watsons investigate the disappearance of Pretty Penny, a young actress at the Whitechapel Playhouse. At first it seems that Penny may have eloped with her secret lover, but when several prostitutes are murdered in the same way as the victims of Jack the Ripper, Joanna realizes that the killer has taken Pretty Penny and means to make her the last in his series of victims. Has the original Jack the Ripper returned, or is this a copycat killer? The three prime suspects, two pathologists and a surgeon, all work at the same hospital as Watson, Jr., and all are amateur actors at the Whitechapel Playhouse. Which of them is an extremely clever killer? When the murderer sends Joanna a letter threatening her son Johnny, she knows she must act quickly or her son and Pretty Penny will both be brutally murdered.

The Abduction of Pretty Penny is darker in tone than the other books in the series, and contains gruesome descriptions of mutilated corpses which are definitely not for the squeamish. But it, like the others in the series, is very well-written, with clever dialogue between Joanna, her husband, and her father-in-law. Joanna has Holmes' brilliant, logical mind and deductive genius, but she is more emotional, especially when her son is threatened. Her son does not make as lengthy an appearance as he has in other books, but he plays a pivotal role in this one, and shows signs of following in the great detective's footsteps. I highly recommend this latest in an excellent series, but I suggest reading the others first.

When the impossible becomes the truth........

Leonard Goldberg has gathered together a bevy of highly unusual characters to round out his latest offering of The Abduction of Pretty Penny. Once again, the crafty daughter of the late Sherlock Holmes is involved in a very intricate mystery involving the abduction of a young woman out of thin air.

It's London in the chill of a March morning in 1917 when word arrives of a talented female addition to the Whitechapel Playhouse. Young Penny Martin, "Pretty Penny", has been admired for her role as Juliet in the Shakespeare play. Her presence on stage is renowned not only for her beauty, but also for the aire of her finesse for one so young. John and Joanna Watson, along with the famous Dr. John Watson, attend the theater and are utterly impressed with the performance.

News arrive at 221b Baker Street informing the Watsons that Pretty Penny is missing. There's no sign of her at the theater. Needless to say, Joanna can never turn down an opportunity to assist with a crime. She follows Penny's prior comings and goings to get a sense of her habits. It appears that Penny was partaking in late night dinners with a mysterious gentleman. Exactly who is this unknown man and is he responsible for her kidnapping?

Goldberg adds an infamous vein of terror in this one. And that vein is trickling a bloody stream seeping in from the street deaths of some ladies of the evening also know as The Unfortunates. The hairs on your neck should be spelling out shades of ol' Jack the Ripper. Could Jack be resurrected once again or is this a string of copycat murders? Moreso, is there a connection to the missing Penny? Oh, and our ladies have all been wearing shiny dangling copper earrings. Yowzers.

The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes series is in the wonderfully competent hands of Leonard Goldberg. Joanna possesses all the bells and whistles and powers of deduction from her famous father. She even smokes powerful Turkish cigarettes (Alas, no pipe, Folks) and paces the floor while partaking in mental calisthenics. We would expect nothing less and Goldberg delivers. This is a fun read with a tinge of street gore here and there. Can Jack be back? Gotta crack this one open to find out.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to St. Martin's Press and to Leonard Goldberg for the opportunity.

This was an excellent mystery! I loved the characters, the suspense, and the plot. It was definitely a page turner for me.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I always loved Sherlock Holmes mysteries and one lead by his daughter was engaging and scary and live up to his legend. The story evolves from a simple missing person to a Jack the Ripper case and has all the hold the breath and fast heartrate effect of all good mystery stories. However, I wonder if they would ever solve the case but they did, but not before I did. Also, the conclusion is satisfying but not the way I wanted it to go. This is a fun read.

I want to Thank St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advance copy of this scary novel.

I have voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this title given to me through NetGalley. This book was just absolutely wonderful. It was just so easy to get lost in and I just couldn’t put it down. I just lost myself within this amazing story. I most definitely will read more by this author.

Goodness, what a fantastic book. My understanding is that this is not the first in the series, but it was the first I read and I found it was able to stand on its own just fine. Joanna, daughter of Sherlock Holmes, and her husband, son of Watson, and Watson are at the heart as a detective trio, called on to solve the mystery of the disappearance of Pretty Penny. What follows is an incredibly engaging story, pulling in some history of Jack the ripper, suspense, and many clues to follow. It is thoroughly enjoyable through to the end! I look forward to reading more of Joanna's adventures.

This is the fifth book in this series. I've read the first three and had decided to give up on the series because I still don't care about the characters (they show very little personality or emotion) BUT then I saw this book come up on Netgalley and decided to give it a shot.

After finishing this one, I still don't know or care anything about these characters. They don't show personalities, have personal conversations or share thoughts. I think if these books were written from Joanna's point of view, changed POV's or had an omniscient narrator, I would like them more. They are so one-dimensional. Each book is straight mystery. If that's what you like, (mystery for mystery's sake) this is for you. If you like to become invested in the characters or even a little romance, skip this series.

I LOVE a good female detective series, especially if it's based on Sherlock Holmes. I've read several feminized versions of Sherlock Holmes and this is my least favorite. The Enola Holmes books, The Lady Sherlock series, Laurie King's "Mary Russell" series, or Angela Misri's "Portia Adams" books all feature versions of a female Sherlock Holmes and held my interest longer.

This is also the darkest, goriest mystery the Watson's have investigated because it centers around Jack the Ripper who is back carving up prostitutes 3o years later. The murder scenes, sexual depravities and autopsies described definitely put this book more in the horror category than any of the others,

The ending was also kind of a let down. You don't get that big villain showdown you're waiting for because you're stuck in the POV of the most boring and useless character in the series. It's a shame, The concepts are good, I just think some other POV's and introspective dialogue could really help this series blossom.

The Abduction of Pretty Penny by Leonard Goldberg is a delightful story full of wit and twists and turns in the style of format of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. I have been a fan of Doyle's hero, Sherlock Holmes, for a number of years, so I have been very skeptical of a number of the fan fiction about Holmes stories. Usually they are not written really well or researched well, and they make me put the story down. BUT when I was memorized by the covers of the Daughter of Sherlock Holmes' stories, I was hoping the stories would be just as captivating. Luckily, Goldberg does not disappoint. In The Abduction of Pretty Penny, the story is a hunt for an up and coming actress, Pretty Penny, who has gone missing. Of course, my favorite part was the hunt for Jack the Ripper, who they believe has come out of hiding and has stolen these women again. I enjoyed the hunt, and could not wait to see who the kidnapper and murderer was. Goldberg did a fabulous job with this story. I definitely want to own all these stories and have them on my shelf. If a reader is a fan of Sherlock Holmes, these are the nearest stories to the actual ones that I have come across. Give them a try.

I received a complimentary copy of The Abduction of Pretty Penny by Leonard Goldberg by Minotaur Books, but the opinions stated are all my own.

This was a true delight. Sherlock Holmes inspired novels fall into two categories: complete success or dismal failure. This one is definitely a complete success. She is a daring heroine who does not detract from Sherlock in the slightest. I loved every page and word and immediately put it on my list of books to gift in 2021.

Sherlock Holmes and his world have been well imagined by many authors, but I think this is one of my favorite series based on these characters. This is the fifth book and it’s just as enjoyable as the previous books.

In this one, Joanna (the daughter of Sherlock Holmes) and her husband John (Dr. Watson’s son), along with Dr. Watson are hired to investigate the disappearance of a stage actress, Pretty Penny. But this very quickly turns into a Jack the Ripper redux when prostitutes are being discovered, murdered in similar disfigurements as the original Ripper killings 30 years previously. Is this a copycat or the same person? Then this case turns personal when the Ripper targets Joanna’s son.

I loved the writing style, these books portray characters with very realistic human emotions, and lets be honest, the keen mind and intelligence of Joanna wins. There’s a lot of action and suspense which builds up over time as the story goes on. The series is definitely worth the read if you’re a fan of Sherlock Holmes.

The Abduction of Pretty Penny is the first book by Leonard Goldberg that I have read, and that may be why I struggled with this book since it is the fifth book in the series. While it was readable, I felt that I lacked background information that I should already know from how some characters and situations were introduced.

The concept is neat, and I intend to go back to The Daughter Of Sherlock Holmes to see if starting at the beginning of the series increases my enjoyment of this book. A new generation of Holmes and Watsons working together on new cases is exciting. Having both generations of Watsons didn't work as well as I expected. The trio approached every aspect of the investigations jointly, and the Watsons blended together, or the elder Watson faded into the background. It wasn't until the last third of the book that they were separate long enough to feel like distinct characters.

The investigations, on the other hand, felt utterly disparate. While they were connected, it felt like they were either searching for Pretty Penny, hunting for the Ripper, or trying to protect Johnny. They didn't feel like cohesive parts of the same evolving investigation. It all pulled together in the end, but it was disjointed along the way.

The villain was an intriguing opponent, taunting Joanna and the Watsons while continuing on a gory murder spree through Whitechapel. (If you have issues with graphic descriptions of gore, you will want to give this book a pass.) Watching the different thought processes of Sherlock Holmes' daughter and grandson is fun. I just wish this book had come together better for me.

The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes has been added to my "to be read" list. With the background of the first four books, I hope the characters will feel more distinct.

Talk about an enthralling read! Set in Victorian London Sherlock Holmes' daughter Joanna and her husband, Watson's son use their cunning, intelligence and wit to investigate the mysterious disappearance of Pretty Penny. Penny is a beautiful young actress and known in the area in the shops as well as the theatre so when she goes missing people are worried. Whitechapel isn't exactly known for its safety. But it is known for sinister Jack the Ripper.

"Unfortunates" are systematically being killed and there seems to be a link to Jack the Ripper in the grisly manner of death. As the investigation goes deeper, secret after secret is unlocked and more lives are at stake. They are dealing with someone dark, someone evil, someone who mocks. Things get personal when Joanna's son becomes involved.

The Victorian vernacular, historical bits and fascinating characters contribute to this suspenseful book filled with the right level of tension and sticky webs of deceit. I really liked the pace as well. And the ending!

Historical Fiction readers should grab a copy of this adventurous and unputdownable book.

My sincere thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley!

#TheAbductionofPrettyPenny #NetGalley
This book is around the 1800s that deals with a mystery fast pace novel. This book is about the fifth series. The protagonists work to solve mysterious. This one was actually very fast pace and shocking.

The Abduction of Pretty Penny by Leonard Goldberg is another story featuring Sherlock Holmes daughter who is a dective just like her father. The most interesting part of the story is when she imitates her father's skill at solving mysteries.

I loved this book. It was well-paced and very difficult to put down. There was also clever banter, so basically everything I’m looking for in a mystery book. There was enough backstory that I didn’t realize it wasn’t the first book of the series. I look forward to reading more books in the series.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary advance reader copy via Netgalley for review purposes.