Happily, however, a new scientific treatise upon the art of detection will shortly make its way into the world, the quality of which I hope will balance out the endless stream of sentimentality flowing from the pens of loosely factual biographers and adventure authors alike.
In the authentic style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself, Lyndsay Faye delivers a collection of short stories featuring the iconic pair of Holmes and Watson. Her revival of the voices of this dynamic crime duo is entertaining and the bite-sized length of each adventure provide frequent satisfaction throughout the book. The story follows a timeline from the pre-Baker Street on through to the late life of Sherlock Holmes and the personalities of each character and their relationship to each other are explored, providing access to those even the least familiar with the original stories.
 
It has long been a dictum of my internationally celebrated friend Sherlock Holmes that work is the best antidote to sorrow. As his biographer, therefore, I have been given occasion to wonder whether the almost superhuman effort he himself expends over his cases is relevant to this credo.When at work, he is an indefatigable automaton: dashing hither and thither consulting all relevant parties, weighing the value of data to hand provided by the police, and more often discovering clues everyone else has overlooked. When idle, however, he is a listless creature, hollow-eyed to a degree which ever causes me the deepest sympathetic consternation.
Faye does an exceptional job writing as Doyle writing as Waston writing about Holmes and we are still able to fully understand the complexity of Waston's and Holmes' character throughout their entire career together.
My earliest relations with Mr. Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street were rendered much the more intriguing due to the fact that I spent an inordinate amount of time— or more than I believe to be usual with fellow lodgers, for I know of no other men who reside with independent consulting detectives— deciphering which aspects of his peculiar character were innate and which adopted due to his singular choice of profession. As with every individual, some of his tastes must have been bred from the cradle, while others surely were cultivated to grant him greater chance of success in his field.
It is easy to forget that the crimes to be solved were not penned, in their entirety, by Doyle himself. Faye is a well studied Sherlockian and exceeds at her undertaking. Holmes and Waston have risen again in The Whole Art of Detection.

An excellent collection of new Sherlock Holmes stories by an author who knows Canon, respects the original characters, and infuses her work with the warmth of Holmes and Watson's extraordinary friendship.

Sherlock Holmes fans will enjoy this book of short stories, told by the author in the manner of the original Holmes tales by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Other readers may find them a little ho hum. While the author is talented, especially in her imitation of Doyle's style, the stories lacked suspense and the mysteries' solutions seemed obvious to the reader who is paying attention.

Full Disclosure--Net Gallery and the publisher provided me with a digital ARC of this book. This is my honest review.

PROS: I loved that this had the same writing style as the original stories. I’ve read almost all of the originals written by A.C.Doyle and I loved them so much and this book in no way ruins the originality that we see in Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. And I also loved that we got to read a few stories from Sherlock’s POV and the way he would make fun of Watson’s fanciful ways of writing always made me smile.

CONS: I loved ALL of the stories except one called, “The Adventures of the Lightless Maiden” It was an okay story, it just felt really bland to me. It was not really unique and I guessed the whole thing right at the start which I hardly ever do with Sherlock Holmes. That’s really the only negative point I can think of.

Final declaration: I absolutely, completely enjoyed this book and this is a must-read for fans of A.C.Doyle’s Holmes.

I don't think I know enough about Sherlock Holmes for this book.  It was well written and I'm sure well researched and filled with nods for Sherlock afficiandos, but I just didn't know enough about the chronology and minutiae of the series to be able to get the most out of it.  Which made me sad because I loved Jane Steele.

Review "The whole art of detection, lost mysteries of Sherlock Holmes"   by Lyndsay Faye

I received it for free from Netgalley, and was really very much impressed and pleased. Not knowing it wasn't a Conan Doyle's book.
The writing of the author is so similar than Sir Arthur's one, it is really astonishing! The dialogues, the atmosphere, the vocabulary, ... give you the feeling you are reading an undiscovered story of the great master.

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I've only read one Sherlock Holmes book before and it was a while ago.   These collection of stories fit right in with the stories that  Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote.  A few of the stories I really enjoyed.

*4 Stars

I first came across Lyndsay Faye's work in 2012 after reading The Gods of Gotham, the first in her Timothy Wilde series, and completely fell in love. Her writing wrapped itself around me and fully transported me to mid-19th century New York City in a way that few historical fiction books can accomplish. Accurately capturing the dialogue of these classic characters is one of her strongest skills and sets her apart from other historical fiction authors. Her newest anthology is no exception, and I jumped at the chance to review this one.

The Whole Art of Deception is a collection of Faye's original short stories based upon the canon of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes mysteries. The anthology is broken into four sections: Before Baker Street, The Early Years, The Return, and The Later Years. This division allows the reader to really get a full perspective of Holmes' and Watson's characters, particularly the stories that take place before the two met when each solved mysteries on their own. I thought that the story An Empty House was quite heart-wrenching, but gives a powerful glimpse of Dr. Watson's profound grief after the death of his wife Mary. 

Overall, the variety of stories presented was great! A handful of them were in the form of diary entries from both Holmes and Watson. The entries from Holmes were particularly insightful as they give a look into his mind's inner workings and how he views those around him, especially Watson. I gained a better understanding of the degree and strength of their friendship, which is an area at which Faye excels. While accurately mimicking Doyle's writing style, she manages to capture how much these two frustrate and irritate one another while still displaying how true their friendship really is. A story that stands out is a retelling of the Hound of the Baskervilles but from Sherlock's perspective as he is called away from the main action in the original. There are many little tidbits for those who are serious fans of Doyle's canon.

While I haven't read all of Arthur Conan Doyle books, I am a fan of the Sherlock Holmes character in his many different forms from tv to film to books with Benedict Cumberbatch's portrayal being one of my favorites. His is the image I had in my head as I read through each story, and I think it helped increase my enjoyment overall. There was a good mixture of story composition types as some were longer and others were mere snippets while some stories were either complex or a more straight forward deduction. The simplicity of the stories really stood out to me though, in a positive way. Faye focuses more on the cases and character quality than trying to recreate a perfect, historically accurate setting that many times winds up bogging down a story with excessive details.

The anthology format makes this collection easy to pick up and put down at a leisurely pace without the feeling of fragmentation. Many of these stories have been published in other places, but it's nice to see all of them together and with the addition of two new tales. This one is highly recommended for fans of either Lyndsay Faye's previous works or fans of Sherlock Holmes.


*I received this book as an advance reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lyndsay Faye never disappoints when channeling Doyle and creating wonderful additions to the Holmes and Watson Canon. I particularly enjoyed this anthology's timeline which includes stories taking place in different stages of Holmes' career and chronicles the friendship between the two men. The stories portray the growth of the deep friendship and we can see Holmes developing a genuine respect for the good Dr. Watson. By the conclusion of the final page the reader discovers that even the aloof Holmes, when writing in his own diaries, has become quite fond of having Watson around. Not being a long-time Sherlockian, I found the language and dialogue in these stories delightful which has sent me back to my copy of Doyle's original adventures.

This is a must read for lovers of Sherlock Holmes or for those looking for an introduction to the series.  Faye has done a terrific job of pulling together the tales and writing in the voice of Conan Doyle.  Others have tried this- and there are so many other books (and TV series) based on the characters- but seldom do they succeed this well.  THanks to Netgalley for the ARC- this was a terrific read!

An exceptional collection of Sherlock stories, conceived and executed in an almost perfect Doyle style.  Although, and this could get any reader kicked out of the Holmes fan club, I find this type of modern take on Strand style short stories to be much more entertaining - they give you all the flavor of Victoriana without the endless sentences, casual xenophobia, and bone deep misogyny but with a self-awareness that a person in 21st needs.  Anyway, some great mysteries here and a fresh approach - especially in those excerpts from Holmes and Watson that fill in the blanks between the landmarks in the cannon (Mary's death, Baskerville, etc.) and are a bit more character driven.  Highly recommended.

Faye has crafted a collection of short stories centered around Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson. These stories cover the early years of Holmes' career, through his supposed death and return, all the way through to years after he has resumed his life in London.

I loved everything! The mysteries are fantastic and varied, and read just like the original canon stories do. Faye truly has a gift for capturing Doyle's spirit and voice within her takes on the tales.

I especially loved the more personal glimpses we get into Holmes' and Watson's hearts and heads. Holmes' return from the dead, and its emotional effects, is really examined here, in a beautiful way that is true to the original characters.

I absolutely loved this collection. I want to run out and own it right now so I can put it on my Sherlock Holmes' shelves. There was nothing I didn't like.

I highly recommend this book for any and all Holmes' fans.

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of this novel. 

Loved it! I have been a Sherlock Holmes fan since reading my first story in 8th grade. I have since then collected Sherlock Holmes collections & enjoy reading & re-reading. I even play Sherlock Holmes computer games! I loved these new stories, they do Holmes justice. I am excited to see what's next from this author.

What a fantastic book. I had just finished reading Conan-Doyle's complete Sherlock Holmes series, and I honestly couldn't detect a change in style. The stories and ambience were spot on, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading each and every one. Honestly, it was like finding a set of original unpublished stories from And, and I can't give higher praise than that! I have read many other Sherlock Holmes novels from more other contemporary authors, but none have come close to this. PHENOMENAL and highly recommended

I am a serious Sir Arthur Conan Doyle fan, and the character of Sherlock Holmes holds something special to me as it reminds me of lazy Sundays with my Dad and Grandad watching the old Basil Rathbone stories. This in turn lead me to read as many stories as i can. This lead me to this book and author. This collection was great to read and the thrilling stories kept me engaged and the author does in capturing the style and language of the stories which cam from Doyle. I have never read this author before, but i am keen now to read her other Sherlock Holmes work because of this book

review on goodreads under the name kimothy

From Litsy: 
Out today! Reading this book feels like Lyndsay Faye entered the fictional world of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson and observed them first hand throughout their careers. The camaraderie between Watson and Holmes is perfect and the stories are a delight to get lost in. Perfect for fans of Sherlock Holmes, historical fiction, and well crafted sentences.

Goodreads and Twitter provided in links. Author's retweet also in links.

Growing up I loved watching any version of The Hound of the Baskerville’s that I could find, and as an adult I love watching Sherlock,  and I loved reading The Adventure of the Speckled Band in school. This is the first time I have read a book with Sherlock Holmes in for many years. 
This collection of short stories features never-seen-before cases of Sherlock Holmes. It was entertaining, funny and educational - there were a number of words peppered throughout whose meaning I had to look up.
The first tale in this collection was The Case of Colonel Warbuton’s Madness. It begins with the following words:
“My friend Mr Sherlock Holmes, while possessed of one of the most vigorous minds of our generation, and while capable of displaying tremendous feats of physical activity, when the situation required it, could nevertheless remain in his armchair perfectly motionless longer than any other human being I have ever encountered.”
The collection is full of information like this and observations made by Dr Watson on Sherlock Holmes and Vice versa. This book is essentially a study of a timeless friendship and provides numerous insights into the character of Sherlock Holmes. It made me think of the friendship portrayed so clearly in the TV series Sherlock.
“It has long since been a dictum of my internationally celebrated friend Sherlock Holmes that work is the best antidote to sorrow. As his biographer, therefore, I have been given occasion to wonder whether the almost superhuman effort he himself expends over his cases is relevant in this credo. When at work, he is an indefatigable automaton: dashing hither and thither consulting all relevant parties, weighing the value of data to hand provided by the police, and more often discovering clues everyone else has overlooked. When idle, however, he is a listless creature, hollow-eyed to a degree which ever causes me the deepest sympathetic consternation…so mournful does he appear when inactive that I shall never rule out the possibility of some tragedy having befallen my friend.”
The most touching moment for me was when Sherlock attempts to cheer Dr. Watson up when he is thinking about his dead wife Mary and Sherlock fears he is not the best person for the task.
“I wanted to contradict him, for he was egregiously wrong on two counts. First, he was not the worst person on earth to trust with confidences, for he never pitied the giver of them, only listened with focused impatience or silent sympathy, which is why such a hubbub of strangers continuously clattered up and down his staircase begging for his help. He was, in fact, the foremost keeper of confidences in London – and he create the profession no less. Second, be the person a mother, a brother, a sister, a friend or some other beloved ghost, I by 1897 knew him to be mistaken in suggesting he lacked for feeling entirely. “
It stays true to the portrayal of Sherlock Holmes as a dry, witty and sharp man who can come across as harsh and unfeeling but is surprisingly sentimental at times.
If you enjoy Sherlock Holmes cases then this is the book for you.

This is a collection of stories that covers Holmes's career. We see Holmes and Watson banter through various entertaining stories and mysteries and each chapter feels like a Cliffs Notes version of a longer novel yet still shows the fantastic ability they have in solving cases and baffling those around them.

I've never been a fanatical Sherlock Holmes fan, a lover of short stories OR historical fiction. So why would I pick this book up? Because it's Lyndsay freakin' Faye! After reading Jane Steele and being WOWed by it, I just had to get my hands on this. She has a way of really conveying the feel of the original stories and putting you right into that era with ease. Such a rare talent to have and she does this seamlessly. My favorite of this book is "The Adventures of the Honest Wife". For some reason this one just sat with me throughout the entire read. If you are a Sherlock Holmes fan, this is a must read!