Set in 1910 Egypt, Dr. Watson and his wife, Juliet, go to Egypt where Juliet takes the cure for tuberculosis. Whilst there he is surprised to meet his dear friend Sherlock Holmes whom he hasn't seen for ages. Good thing they are both there at the same time as mystery is afoot and secrets swirl. A duke goes missing and the search for clues takes the pair to the Valley of the Kings with vivid descriptions of people, transportation and findings.

My favourite aspects of this book are the Egyptology descriptions such as cartouches, how to read glyphs and pharaoh talk as well as the witty footnotes. Meyer's writing style is different than Doyle's, as it should be, but is compatible and complementary, evoking nostalgia. Beautifully done for those of us who adore anything Sherlock Holmes! The mystery itself is quite simple but to me there is more than that here...we get to learn more about the characters and fascinating Egypt.

Look no further for your next Sherlock Holmes/Dr. Watson fix. Well worth it.

My sincere thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this delightful book.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this new mystery.

Nicholas Meyer is not the first author to have "found" lost journals of Dr. John H. Watson, M. D., chronicler and memoirist of the great detective Sherlock Holmes, but he is one of the very best. In The Return of the Pharaoh: From the Reminiscences of John H. Watson, M.D., Mr. Meyer mixes real and fictional characters, historical events and politics and makes for a very grand adventure.

Watson, who has not seen his friend Holmes in quite a while, has traveled to Egypt with his second wife for treatment of her tuberculosis. Her treatment includes quarantine for a time, mask wearing, and 6 foot distances, from others. Watson soon decides on a day of sightseeing, and after a day of wandering Cairo adjourns to an British officer's club where he comes across a tall man, with a prominent nose wearing Watson's own regimental tie. Holmes admits who is and at that the game is afoot.

Mr. Meyer is very good at setting, both place and mood, plus research in getting a feel for the characters that float around our duo. Holmes is at his best, even as he ages, still strong of both mind and body. Watson is not a bumbler, but almost a typical English gentleman, proud and heroic, a good husband, but a better companion to Holmes. The mystery is good, no real trickery or great deductions, just a crime of greed and human frailty.

Holmes fans will enjoy this story. The interaction of Holmes and Watson, their shared history which Mr. Meyer refers to quite a bit is a big reason for my enjoyment. Historical mystery fans might be drawn to the Egyptian setting and its many mysteries in the sand. A very entertaining story.

The iconic author of The Seven Percent Solution presents a wonderful tale worthy of Arthur Conan Doyle himself. Brilliant story told with great panache. Meyer’s best book to date.

Nicholas Meyer writes Holmes and Watson well. Its been awhile since I've read a pastiche and Meyer proves once again his writing chops.

I loved the combination of Holmes and Egyptology. It was an enjoyable read and would recommend

Dr. John Watson hasn't seen his friend Sherlock Holmes for a while. He is surprised when he encounters him in Egypt. Watson is there with his wife who has tuberculosis and is staying at a local sanitarium. Holmes has a case involving a missing Duke who might have discovered a buried Egyptian treasure.

Holmes and Watson team up to search out clues and follow leads which take them from Cairo to the Valley of the Kings. Along the way they encounter Howard Carter who hasn't yet gone back to work with Lord Carnarvon or made his most famous discovery.

There is a lot of information about Egyptology and pharaohs which comes as new information to Watson who hadn't been interested in the topic previously. There is also a lot of politics in Egypt which is of interest to Mycroft Holmes who has given Sherlock some contacts. One of the characters might be a Turkish agent, or British, or French, or German, depending on which of her many passports is accurate - if any of them are.

I enjoyed the story which is narrated by Watson by prepared for publication by Nicholas Meyer. I even enjoyed the footnotes!

Fans of Sherlock Holmes will enjoy this new adventure which contains many of the hallmarks of Doyle's earlier Sherlock Holmes tales.

This book is about the continuing adventures of Holmes and Watson based on the reminiscences of Watson. This one deals with Egypt and the Pharaohs as suggested by the title. It is well written and fast paced. Overall, an enjoyable read.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon, Facebook and my nonfiction book review blog.

This book combines two favorites of mine, Sherlock Holmes and Egyptology and I had high expectations. I have enjoyed many "modern" versions of the Sherlock Holmes cast and I must say this authors seem truest to the original Conan Doyle stories. I felt as though I was truly reading a continuation of the originals.
The story finds Sherlock Holmes and John Watson (along with his tubercular wife Juliet) in Egypt. They are involved in a case to find a missing Duke cum Egyptologist. On the way they meet up with Howard Carter which was an interesting twist.
The plot was interesting but fell a little short for me. It seemed choppy with too many coincidences and scenes which left me saying "WHAT....", how could that happen. I also missed the detailed explanations of how Sherlock made his deductions.
Sherlock Holmes fans should definitely enjoy this book and I'll look for more work from this author.
3 1/2 stars for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the chance to read and review.
Publication date is 11/9/2021 - for all Sherlock Holmes fans who like the authentic.

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

I have not read anything by Nicholas Meyer before this novel. This is Mr. Meyer’s fifth Sherlock Holmes pastiche, and I believe he did the Great Detective admirable justice.

In 1910, Dr. John Watson travels to Egypt in the hopes that it will cure his wife Juliet of her tuberculosis. While she is in isolation and treatment, Watson runs into Sherlock Holmes, who is in disguise and on a case. A Duke’s wife has inquired his services to search for her missing husband, who has succumbed to the Egyptian mania, searching for an undiscovered tomb and its gold. It doesn’t take much convincing for Watson to join Sherlock on his investigation, despite his current situation. As Sherlock and Watson progress, they discover that the Duke is only one of a group of Egyptologists who have had unfortunate circumstances. Our duo ask for the assistance of Howard Carter to take up the trail before more individuals lose their lives.

Like many others before me, I have read Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories. Sherlock Holmes was my first detective, and remains my favorite. I proceed to consume as many of the pastiches as I can, with the continued hope that they will follow the legacy without too much embellishment. Nicholas Meyer does a fantastic job of staying within the expectations of each character in regards to how they handle their frustrations, despairs, and thought processes. I also like how human Holmes was portrayed in this novel. There are many pastiche that make the character aloof and stand-offish as well as rude to even Dr. Watson. While it is known that Sherlock contains his emotions, I cannot help but wonder if individuals are forgetting that these two men have been friends for a long time and have gone through many trials and tribulations. Some pastiches still do not give Dr. Watson enough credit when it comes to learning from Sherlock. Meyer, on the other hand, gives Watson more intelligence by also giving him some key roles to the mystery.

I have also always liked when authors include real historical events and persons in to their stories. Historical fiction can only open so many doors. Knowing that the main characters would need assistance, Meyer uses Howard Carter in the story that makes all of the events plausible. The detail he depicts regarding the environment and the governmental clashes make one believe that they are walking beside Holmes and Watson. It is clear that Meyer did a lot of research for this novel, and there is a recommended list of non-fiction books that he graciously supplied.

The mystery was simple and straightforward. In my opinion, it fell just short of a Sir Arthur Conan Doyle mystery. However, that did not take anything away, because it was so simple. Too much convolution and confusion can make the novel difficult to enjoy, and this was not the case here. I found that because it was so straightforward that it wasn’t until the last chapter that I finally figured out what happened to the Duke. To add to the adventure, there are spies, buried treasure, a desert sandstorm, and crawling around inside a pyramid. If you are someone who is effected by claustrophobia, as I am, some passages may be harder to read than others. But reading them will still make the ending understandable to one character in particular.

Overall I rate this novel 5 out of 5 stars, and will add Nicholas Meyer to my list of authors to follow.

This is the first time I've read anything by this author, but it will not be my last. Great storytelling that brings the characters to life and paints a picture that brings you into the story.

Dr. Watson & Sherlock Holmes are reunited Egypt when Dr. Watson travels there to help his wife Juliet recover from tuberculosis. Sherlock Holmes has been hired to find a missing English Duke/Egyptologist. During the search they meet Howard Carter (founder of King Tut's tomb), encounter spies, get embroiled in a murder, survive a sandstorm, and more.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical mysteries. The author has kept true to the Holmes/Watson characters and kept me engrossed and turning the pages way too late for work the next day.

I received an ARC from NetGalley, but all opinions expressed are my own.

The Return of the Pharaoh: From the Reminiscences of John H. Watson, M.D.
Nicholas Meyer
St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books
Publication Date: November 9, 2021
Review Date: September 7, 2021

“Egypt is deuced Complicated,” (Holmes, p.546).

I admit it. I love Sherlock Holmes. I mean I really love Sherlock Holmes. So, when I learned of Meyer’s novel, I had to read it. Skeptical as I was—after all he is competing with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle—I am delighted to report that the novel is brilliant! It is pure Holmes and Watson, teamed once again this time in Egypt. Holmes is on a case for a missing English Duke and Watson has accompanied his wife as she recovers from tuberculosis in a nearby sanitarium. They meet by chance in a hotel bar and Watson cannot resist assisting Holmes again and so the game is afoot!

Holmes discovers that the Duke is heavily in debt to many establishments and is in Egypt to find a golden treasure in an abandoned tomb. But, Holmes cannot locate him. E enlists the help of Howard Carter, and together with Watson and some others makes their way throughout the Egyptian countryside. Meanwhile, they have learned of several murders of other Egyptologists. Time is not on Holmes’ side as he and his small team set out to locate the missing Duke.

Meyer’s research in Egyptology is evident throughout the novel. I learned much about the history of the country and its citizens. I had to translate a few of the foreign words and found that doing so enhanced my understanding of the passages. But, this did not slow y reading down as I finished reading it in two days!

If you are a Sherlock fan, don’t miss this one!

5 stars

Prior to reading this book I was unaware of Nicholas Meyer's previous Holmes novels. But the idea of a Holmes and Watson investigation in 1910 Egypt, meeting Howard Carter and involving a lost Pharaoh's tomb hit all the right notes. Meyer's writing felt very right for a Holmes story, although there were portions and plot elements that definitely felt much more modern. At the beginning was even a bit of social commentary on the global pandemic it was written during, comparing reaction to tuberculosis outbreaks to that of Covid-19. The tale was entertaining throughout, although it could have been a bit shorter, and towards the end got a bit more Indiana Jones-ish than Sherlock Holmes. Fans of Holmes should enjoy it, and I will be looking into Meyer's previous novels.

Once again Holmes and Watson reunite to find the missing Duke of Uxbridge. Watson and his second wife are in Egypt seeking a cure for her tuberculosis when Watson encounters Holmes in disguise at the famous Shepheard's in Cairo. Together they sift through clues to find the siisng Duke at the bequest of his wife. Danger abounds and lives are threatened as they search Cairo, Luxor and the Valley of the Kings. An enjoyable read, especially for those intrigued by Egyptology. Highly recommend.
#TheReturnofthePharoah#NetGalley

Nicholas Meyer is one of the most reliable writers of contemporary Sherlock Holmes novels. There are a great many such novels out there, and their quality is quite uneven. The Return of the Pharaoh takes Watson to Egypt, along with his wife who is suffering from TB and needs the warm, dry air. Of course, Watson runs into Holmes and the game's afoot. Holmes is looking for a nobleman, who is also an amateur Egyptologist, and who has disappeared after arriving in Egypt for his usual season's digging.

The Holmes-Watson relationship in Meyer's novels balances the affection and independence of the two men. Holmes is a bit warmer than he is in some of the other Holmes variations, but not too much so. The plot is reasonably puzzling, though not as complicated as Conan Doyle's best. The relationship between Watson and his wife is more articulated than in any of the Conan Doyle stories—and it's quite fun to see some of Watson's more outdated views of gender being questioned by his wife.

If you need a Holmes fix, this is a solid title to turn to. I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.

Sherlock Holmes, Doctor Watson and pyramids, does it get any better? Doctor Watson and his wife, Juliet, have gone to Egypt for her health. The Doctor was wondering how to pass the time while Juliet "takes the cure" when he encounters a disguised Holmes on the streets of Cairo. So the adventure begins.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader's copy of this title.

The Return of the Pharaoh by Nicholas Meyer is his most recent addition to the list of his Holmesian homages. Meyer is most well-known for his book The Seven-Per-Cent Solution. In The Return of the Pharaoh, Watson takes his wife to Egypt for the winter in the hopes that the climate will help her recovery from tuberculosis. Holmes joins them in Cairo as they are asked to help a fellow British noble woman whose husband has disappeared. The search for the missing man is made even more exciting by being set admission the search by Egyptologists for an undisturbed tomb of an ancient Egyptian Pharoah.
This book resonates on so many different levels as Meyer has given us an authentic feeling Holmes and Watson adventure set at the time that Howard Carter was searching for the tomb of Tutankhamun. The two parts of the book work well together and I thoroughly enjoyed the story.

It's always good to read a new Sherlock Holmes mystery. Well, almost always. But not everyone can live up to Arthur Conan Doyle's standards. But Nicholas Meyer still has his touch. Having recently returned from Egypt, so many of the locales in the book were familiar to me. He did a great job of recreating the feel for this time and place.

Nicholas Meyer is such a great writer, and his take on Sherlock Holmes is wonderful. This book is well written, the pacing is quick and captivation, the plot is sublime, and the characters jump off the page. Highly recommended for fans of Sherlock and Watson.

Nicholas Meyer spent his Covit-19 lockdown writing a new mystery featuring Sherlock Holmes and John H. Watson, M.D. The Return of the Pharaoh takes us to Egypt and the search for unfound tombs in the Valley of the Kings. Holmes is contacted by the wife of one of the many neophytes with Egyptian mania who hoped to discover an unopened tomb and its gold, but who has gone missing.

Watson’s second wife is battling tuberculosis and her physician has suggested he take her to a sanitarium in a dry climate– like Egypt. They see each other at meal times, but otherwise Watson must entertain himself. So, when Holmes shows up undercover on a case, it doesn’t take much to convince him to join in. The problem is that Watson has promised his wife Julia that he would not succumb again to his addiction to Holmes and his cases!

It is 1910 and Holmes’s hair is now silver and Watson’s bad leg plagues him, but the intrepid duo are game. They find themselves in dire straights, caught in a sand storm, and later buried alive. We meet an exotic dancer and spy, travel to the Pyramids of Giza by camel, and board a posh train.

I was excited to meet Howard Carter in the book. Egyptology, Tut’s tomb, the Valley of the Kings, Akhenaton, Queen Nefertiti–they have fascinated me since I was a teen. For those who are have not suffered from Egyptian mania, the history of the Tuthmose dynasty and Egyptology is worked into the story.

It’s a fun romp, a nostalgic revisiting of beloved literary characters, and a great read for those of us suffering from pandemic fatigue and needing a few hours to escape.

Meyer has been entertaining us with new Holmes/Watson stories since 1974 and The Seven-Per-Cent Solution.

I received a free egalley from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased

Did something today I've always sworn I'd never do, which is to say I read a piece of fiction longer than just a couple pages on my computer screen. However, I have no regrets (my lower back may develop other ideas), as it meant I got to spend the day in the company of Nicholas Meyer's always entertaining iterations of Holmes and Watson on a straight-up adventure tale set in 1911 Egypt.

When Watson takes his ailing wife to Cairo in an effort to combat her consumption, and heads to the legendary Shepheard's Hotel for a drink, he encounters, of all people, a disguised Sherlock Holmes on the trail of a missing duke who may, or may not, have a lead on the location of an undisturbed tomb in the Valley of the Kings. So he falls-in alongside his old companion on a quest that will involve Howard Carter, a belly dancer of dubious distinction, the Duke's Brazilian wife and curious brother, and, of course, the mummy of a pharaoh.

While probably the least complicated of Nick's Sherlock Holmes tales to date, it's one hell of a fun romp and a fast-paced page turner, and with his distinctive take on Holmes (he reminds me of Wilmer's Holmes more than any other) and Watson coupled with his uncluttered cinematic writing style, it's a joy from start to finish. Easily one of the top Sherlock Holmes books to be released this year.

I love anything connected to Sherlock Holmes and liked this book about Watson a lot. Well written it keeps you guessing all the way through.