I’m a fan of “Sherlock Holmes in the modern era” stories. I love the way they illustrate how the detective character is timeless while making entertainment out of the culture clash between the Victorian era and today.

Although not a publicized connection, this book has the same plot as the 1993 TV movie 1994 Baker Street: Sherlock Holmes Returns, which starred Anthony Higgins and Debrah Farentino. A bit of research revealed that the author of this novel, Kenneth Johnson, was also the writer and director of that movie.

The prose here is workable, but not exciting, and there’s too much time spent on explaining things readers don’t really care about, such as how Holmes planned to establish his identity in a future era. Some of the visual, screen-oriented elements, such as a motorcycle chase and a killer tiger, don’t have the same immediacy in print. Additionally, the old-fashioned take on Winslow, making her over-emotional and cliched just because she’s female, should have been better updated.

Dr. Amy Winslow, an ER pediatrician in modern San Francisco, inherits a lovely old Victorian home in Marin Countyand discovers a secret laboratory in the basement. Hidden there is an apparatus that includes a strange man who claims he is Sherlock Holmes placed in hibernation in the 1890s. Amy assumes he's deluded but cleaned up, he is as egotistical and brilliant as Holmes is reputed to be. His papers have been stolen proving his identity and he obsessively hunts them.
Meanwhile a series of violent and bizarre killings in San Francisco attracts Holmes attention.

As a huge fan of the show Sherlock (BBC), I really enjoyed Holmes Coming. It's such fun to read. The spin of this one is Victorian-era Sherlock is transported to modern times. The fish-out-of-water aspect combined with his intellectual confidence is a hoot. It was one of my favorite reads of 2022. I recommend to all Sherlockians both casual and super-fan level. I look forward to Kenneth Johnson's next book.

I am a library associate and received an advance copy from #NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this book a lot. I was hooked from the very beginning. I couldn’t put this down. The story was well written and the plot was well thought of. I don’t have any complaints on this book. I will definitely get a physical copy

Dr. Amy Winslow drops in to check on a former patient and ends up stumbling upon a secret part of the cellar in the patient’s Victorian house. She can’t believe her eyes when she discovers an old laboratory and a trunk containing a half-mummified man/creature who injects himself with something before collapsing. Amy successfully revives him.

He alleges to be a master-chemist in addition to being a detective named Holmes. He was the muse for Conan Doyle’s stories and devised a way for himself to be able to lie dormant with the hope of visiting the future and solving crimes.

Amy finds it’s hard to believe he is who he says he is, but she eventually realizes that he isn’t lying. He’s been out of touch for a century, so some new technological advances have him befuddled. His powers of deduction are hit and miss, as sometimes he’s spot on and other times his thought process is outdated. He’s able to use his deductive reasoning and introspection to realize a few cases are related and helps to ultimately solve them.

This novel doesn’t disappoint!

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for allowing me to read an ARC of this novel. #HolmesComing #NetGalley

Interesting read but it felt lackluster. Plot line was decent but the characters read as one dimensional and lacked personalities. Would be willing to try another if there was serious character improvement.

Holmes Coming by Kenneth Johnson is a clever take on the character of Sherlock Holmes and I book I would recommend to fans of the original books who are looking for something new with a nod and a wink to the earlier works.
Set in modern day San Francisco , the book focuses on paediatric surgeon Amy Winslow, who makes the shocking discovery that over a century ago a man now claiming to be the real Holmes, on whom Arthur Conan Doyle based his stories, created a steampunk style laboratory and preserved himself in a suspended state. When the electrical supply to the property housing the lab is disrupted, Holmes is awoken ahead of schedule and is deeply perturbed to discover that all the proof of his identity has been stolen. Of course Amy is suspicious, at first thinking he is delusional , but over time she becomes more convinced that he is telling the truth about his identity, so she agrees to try to help him recover his lost possessions. That hunt will lead them both into danger as they uncover a series of murders with a connection to Holme's past and his greatest nemesis.
There is much for fans of the original Holmes character to enjoy about this book, with many little nods to those stories scattered throughout the book. Taking the Victorian era detective and transplanting him abruptly to the current day is ripe with comedic potential and Johnson does not disappoint, These passages were among my favourite things about the book, especially when we see Holmes making assumptions that are soon proved incorrect because of his lack of knowledge about popular culture. I liked the dynamic between Holmes and Amy, but I did not think the suggestion of a potential romantic relationship between them was necessary, a platonic relationship would be more interesting and less expected. I see potential for this to develop into a series and I would certainly read more books from this author
I read an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

This story is a very different take on Sherlock Holmes.

Set in modern San Francisco, Dr Amy Winslow is checking on a patient in an isolated victorian house when she discovers a man dressed in rags and an old laboratory.

The man claims to be Sherlock Holmes and to have travelled through time.

He quickly cottons on to some murders happening in San Francisco and with Dr Winslow in his wake seeks to solve them.

But modern technology and strict laws around cocaine could be more than the detective bargained for.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of Holmes Coming by Kenneth Johnson. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for this ARC.

I started this book and was not positive if it was going to work for me. Some of the scenes in the first few chapters were very graphic and I was not sure where the story was going. That changed once Winslow and Holmes started investigating together. The fish out of water aspect of the story worked for me and I had a lot of fun following the Victorian meets the modern world story. I would read another in this series and recommend it to anyone looking for something with a time-travel vibe. I give Holmes Coming 4/5 stars.

I'm usually up for any sort of riff on Holmes, but Holmes Coming just didn't work for me. The writing was stiff and the characters two-dimensional. The opening sequence—jogging police office mauled by tiger—was attention getting, but the momentum wasn't maintained.

I received a free electronic review copy from the publisher the opinions are my own.

I've read nearly all the Sherlock Holmes pastiches there are, and I live in the Bay Area so I found the premise of this book intriguing. Also completely ridiculous at the start. It had me turning pages to see what outrageous thing would happen next. But, large chunks of background and character info on Holmes seem to be lifted direct from Sir Arthur's books, which I found a big disappointing.

A fun recreation of a Sherlockian mystery, inclining heavily on the historical details but missing out on the mystery by a mile.

This book is for all the Sherlock fans! Johnson recreates the master detective Sherlock Holmes in the twenty-first century, and I’d say he did a decent job of it. The story starts with a strange murder: an ex-cop is attacked by a Bengal tiger while on his morning run right in the middle of San Francisco. He is treated briefly by Dr Amy Winslow (our present-day Watson) before succumbing to his injuries. Before Dr Winslow can make sense of what seems to be the first of ‘the tiger murders’, she witnesses the great Sherlock Holmes waking up from his self-imposed hibernation of 130 years. As she slowly starts to trust the weird guy who calls himself Holmes, they both get somehow involved with the murders and now have to work together to bring it to an end.

Loved the premise! Kudos to Johnson for conceiving the idea of Holmes scientifically preserving his living body through a combination of cryotherapy and other chemical processes so that he could time-travel to the future. I enjoyed how Holmes, although being brilliant, is outsmarted quite a few times in the present day by not-so-brilliant people simply because his thought process is outdated and not in line with the times. The story has a comic tone to it which is pleasing most of the time.

What I didn’t like: First, the writing is way too detailed, especially when describing the changes in San Francisco’s architecture from the late 1800s to the present day. Second, the conversations between Holmes and Winslow eventually become more redundant and exhausting. Lastly, the mystery barely makes up for one-fourth of the book and takes place mainly in the background, narrated to us later by Dr Winslow, so we, as readers, don’t get to witness Holmes pulling off his brilliance. A mystery with no thrill. When you have Holmes for an MC, that’s a huge missed opportunity!

Overall, a fun experience if you love Holmes, but don’t expect much from the mystery.

Thanks to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.
Publication Date: November 1st, 2022.

3.5/5🌟 (rounding down).

I really enjoyed reading this, I'm a big fan of Sherlock Holmes and other modern Holmes retellings. They always have a flare to the original. I enjoyed the way Kenneth Johnson wrote this book, it could work as a both a Sherlock book and original novel. I really had a great time reading this and hope Mr. Johnson writes another mystery book.

"Standing there, facing Booth, Holmes knew he could elim-inate the guards behind him. His scuffle with the street teens had been but a mere trifle compared to the lethal force he could unleash when necessary. His full-blown baritsu attack could be debilitating, even deadly."

Here is the premise of this book:
Sherlock Holmes (real historical figure) decided to freeze himself for over a hundred years in order to solve the crimes of the future (he got bored with the crimes of his own time). Doctor Amy Winslow finds Holmes — recently thawed in 2022 — and decides to take this (insane?) man in. Holmes quickly finds himself a case to solve: a person murdered with an attack tiger, and goes in search of a new nemesis to entertain himself with.

The writing style of this book is highly reminiscent of the classic Sherlock Holmes stories. It is narrated by Dr. Winslow with all of the Victorian flair.

How goofy! How amusing! Yes, it is those things. However, this book is so much more. It is also a story about characters.
This is a story where Holmes has gone from being the smartest man in the room to the most ignorant one. This is a story where Holmes is now obsolete due to modern CSI. This is a story with him coming to terms with his Grand Plan of travelling to the future to save the world failing miserable, as he realizes that the world doesn't need him.

I loved this book. I loved the characters. I loved the writing style. The classing Sherlock Holmes stories didn't work for me (too dry), but this novel certainly did.

A video review including this book will premiere on my Youtube channel in the coming weeks, at https://www.youtube.com/ChloeFrizzle

Thanks to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for a copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own.

What a great premise! It is not giving away anything to tell you that this is Sherlock Holmes in the 21st century - but it isn't what you would think! Interestingly, at the same time as I was reading this e-ARC (thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity!), I was finally getting around to watching the 2010-2017 TV series (starring Khan and Bilbo Baggins 😁) so I could compare versions as things roll along - I read a little more slowly than I might otherwise, as I stopped to compare points in the book, and I suspect other people might enjoy doing the same thing.

As with the TV series, there are things that reference various episodes in Conan Doyle's original books without actually being exact re-enactments of them. Some are obvious, others less so - part of the fun is looking for those echoes.

Slight spoiler here:
Some of the funniest parts are when Holmes' deductions from observations run up against the many things he doesn't know about the 21st century.

The ending of the book leaves open the possibility of sequels, and I would look forward to seeing further developments! Despite a few things that didn't appeal to me (see below), the fact that I want to read more made this a 5-star book!

A small quibble or two: our protagonist made it through medical school and is a pediatric surgeon, so it's pretty annoying to have her be really stupid about an ex-boyfriend, freaking out if anyone even mentions his name. (Note: the guy was just a jerk, not abusive or anything else traumatic.)

Also, I never thought I would say something like this, but, especially at the beginning, there was too much description, if that's a thing, with every street corner, no matter how irrelevant, being described, and every person receiving adjectives as they are introduced. (A mall was described as both "new" and "recently built" in the same sentence.) However, some people may find that this helps them see the scene, rather than finding it, as I did, distracting from the action. I mention it so that you can decide whether that's a good thing for you.

At the end of the book, there's a note that says that "a portion of the author's proceeds from this work goes to benefit Doctors Without Borders," a charity which is also mentioned in the book, as protagonist Dr. Winslow's parents were in Sumatra with Doctors Without Borders after an earthquake.

Mr. Johnson obviously wants this to be a series featuring an 19th century Holmes and a 21st century pediatric physician Amy Winslow. The setting is present day San Francisco. Sherlock, depressed because there are no crimes worth pursuing after Moriarty's death, moves to San Franciso (why?), entombs himself in a capsule designed to open in 2025 (why?) and is accidently awakened 3 years early by Dr. Winslow in the basement of the 3rd generation Mrs. Hudson (what?).
There have been more than a dozen Holmes spin-offs since Doyle wrote his last one in the past hundred years. The more successful ones are from authors who truly love and revere the Sherlockian universe. Mr. Johnson does not display that same reverence in this novel. More than half of the novel is exposition on Holmes relationships with the literary geniuses of 19th century London, a reminder to the reader of Holmes less than likable character traits, and his nearly miraculous ability to absorb all the scientific marvels of the past century in one night with a computer and Wikipedia (really?).
However, for this to become a popular mystery/cozy series with women the character of Amy Winslow needs to change. I didn't for a moment believe her as a modern-day Dr. Watson. In one scene Amy, a Stanford-educated daughter of a Stanford-educated physician mother, displays her frustration with Holmes by "stamping her foot" (OMG - really?). Sherlock treats he with disdain and disrespect which seems to be a turn-on for her because she never once demands that he sit down, shut up, and understand the societal changes of the past 50 years. Perhaps it is because Amy spends the majority of her time lusting after him.
Mr. Johnson has a good start if the intention is to write Sherlockian romance novels. As a serious contender in the Holmes mysteries it needs to be more realistic of a dinosaur in a modern liberal San Francisco, and it definitely needs to respect the feminist roots for Dr. Winslow. It is insulting to create a simpering, foot-stomping, sex-addled woman as Holmes new Watson.
Two stars for murder by tiger.

This was a wonderful twist on Sherlock Holmes, but it didn't quite live up to my standards. It was written ok, the characters were good. I just didn't care for the story plot.

A fun read with some humor along the way. It seems risky to create another Holmes story, particularly one set in modern times. But this worked quite well. Recommended.

I really appreciate the free ARC for review!!

I must confess that I went into this book with a sense of trepidation. I'm a big Sherlock Holmes fan, having read the canon many times. Holmes traveling through time? It just sounded weird. But, after reading Holmes Coming, I have to say that it is among the best books I have read in the last year. And I read a lot of books.

Surprisingly, the scientific explanation as to how Holmes travels from the Victorian period to the present makes quite a bit of sense. Emotionally, it makes a lot of sense. The explanation of how Sherlock Holmes really existed in a complicated arrangement with the real Dr. Watson and a struggling writer, Arthur Conan Doyle, was probably the biggest stretch. But with a little suspension of belief, it worked.

Dr. Amy Winslow is a modern doctor in San Francisco. When she first witnesses the revival of someone claiming to be Sherlock Holmes, she doesn't believe it. Who would? But the blend of Holmes discovering all of the changes of the last century and Amy slowly coming to grips that he is who he says he is makes for an interesting read.

While the ending was a bit more of "The Streets of San Francisco" than The Hound of the Baskervilles, it was still a pleasant experience. The book set the stage for a series of enjoyable books. And a movie or two would would be a treat.

I liked it very much. It's just a fun romp and exactly what I wanted it to be given it's stellar premise.

It's got plenty of plot to keep things moving on 3 different fronts, but the real star of the show, as it should be, is Sherlock.

This is a wonderful version of our favorite detective, full of all the acerbic humor and brilliant deductions we have come to expect.

And the lead female character, Amy, is a perfectly spunky foil to Mr. Holmes. She delights in not only showing him around 21st century America, but also around the new cultural mores of this world. A woman can be a doctor? An astronaut? A vice president? And for his part, Holmes adapts quickly and well, to these new gender roles and to all things technological, which delight him.

I also was delighted by the notion of Sherlock Holmes finding himself in San Francisco. We see him in London, of course, and in NYC in my favorite Holmes adaptation, Elementary. But he really finds his feet in San Francisco - it fits his personality so well - and I was so happy to spend some time with him in that eccentric, beautiful, foggy city.

I will say that there's no question that anyone who loves Holmes will enjoy this story. There is so much canon used to great effect there. But, if you have never dipped into Holmes, I fear 70% of the enjoyment would be lost, so for that reason, I want to be sure to issue that warning.

But, if you love all things Holmes, you are going to want to check out the unfortunately titled, but delightful Holmes Coming by Kenneth Johnson.