I enjoy the devotionals in this book, however, I often have a hard time connecting the Sherlock aspect to the devotional material. I would recommend this to my Christian friends looking for a devotional, but I would not necessarily recommend it to my Sherlock fandom friends.

Unfortunately this was not what I was expecting from the blurb. While this contains interesting tidbits, it plays around with pairing spiritual ideas with the classic literature (or themes, characters, etc). This was just not an item that I personally enjoyed very much.

Title: A Sherlock Holmes Devotional



Author: Trisha White Priebe



Genre: Christian, Nonfiction, Devotional, Spiritual



Plot: In a world filled with devotionals for everyone in every walk of faith at every age and written for every schedule type, there are a few that stand out as unique and this is one of them. Using the classic mysteries which have entertained and fascinated us for over a century, Trisha Priebe delves into the mysteries of God with a detective's enthusiasm and comes up with some surprising insights into our favorite detective as well as some words of truth and encouragement which have stood the test of time.



And since this is such a unique devotional, it is perfect for the novice Sherlock reader and the die-hard fan alike as well as fitting in perfectly with a season of time with the Lord or a unit study on Sherlock Holmes and the Victorian era.



Likes/Dislikes: While I didn't finish this book (I had a baby which can really take away from book reading, sadly), I did enjoy the first half and fully intend to revisit it again. And when my kids are older, I'm going to go all homeschool mom on them and incorporate this into their Sherlock Holmes/Victorian era faze for maximum benefits. I liked how there were new insights into Sherlock which I missed or didn't remember when I read the mysteries. So cool.



Rating: PG-12 and up, mainly for reading level. Geared more toward teens and adults.



Date Review Written: August 24th, 2018



I received a copy of this book courtesy of Netgalley and wasn't required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed in the above review are my own.

This is effectively a bible study aid which can be used over a couple of months. Here are 60 illustrations from the writing of Arthur Conan Doyle about the most famous detective Sherlock Holmes. Using a quote from on of these stories the writer goes on to give the points far more significance through the Word of God. Rich in biblical reference and a point to think about this book would make an excellent tool for a christian’s quiet time.
Growing up I remember a minister in our church who always seemed to dwell upon the latest episodes of Doctor Who to bring his sermons alive. Unfortunately you lost any spiritual lessons as they were seldom linked back and referenced to the Bible or the life and teachings of Jesus.
No such accusation could be levelled here the balance is just about right and the clear message relates to a spiritual lesson.
The author therefore writes clearly and with little repetition uplifting thoughts based on biblical teaching. What makes it special is the departure point which remarkably lies in 60 quotes from Doyle’s stories about Holmes and Watson.
Perhaps a book for the Sherlock fan or detective mystery lover. It isn’t a magic trick to deceive the reader, rather a reflection on these works from 100 years ago to help one’s devotions. The reader will learn some Holmes information in passing but the purpose of the book is to bring the reader closer to God and have a deeper love for the Bible.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book! Since requesting it, however, I have moved to a new review website that features only fiction titles, so I am unable to post a review at this time. But I look forward to more great Barbour titles in the future!

A devotional inspired by THE Sherlock Holmes is definitely an interesting concept, the more so given the Sherlockian revival of the last years, The authoress is obviously an eager fan herself and shares a lot of trivia and less known facts here, but, most importantly, the multitude if devotionals based on the famous characters by A.C. Doyle and their environment.
So, what is the reason for 3 stars? The concept is definitely interesting, but the execution feels like a stretch too often for me. The Holmes books, however brilliant, were written as an entertainment read, not as a motivational read, and they are based on the intellect-driven aspects (mostly). And Holmes and friends are the characters of fiction, let's not forget that. So the search for moral messages in these stories might appear as artificial. While some devotions (mostly the ones based on more general aspects) are very good and I was able to take the morale from them, in some devotionals the connections between the Holmes aspect and the Christian message feel unnatural.
The book might be better if the amount of the devotionals was cut down with the preferences towards the selected messages.