Die Again, Mr. Holmes

1898 and at a trial Sherlock Holmes is approached by Miss Florence Janine to find her missing fiancé, Inspector John Swafford. Unfortunately he doesn't consider the case with any urgency. Meanwhile Lucy James investigates the case of the missing personal maid of Lady Lynley. Also the British government wants Holmes to locate if it exists missing opium from three ships, supposedly lost in a typhoon but one of the crates has turned up in London.
Another interesting well-written mystery in this series. I also like the main characters of this series plus Dr. Watson and the family of Lucy.
It is easily read as a standalone story but I would recommend reading the earlier books to chart the progression of the interplay between the characters.

it's the first book I read in this series and it won't surely be last.
I appreciated the style of writing, the fleshed out characters and found the plot entertaining and engaging.
I look forward to reading other books in this series.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC

I highly recommend this series. Since the characters progress through the series, I recommend reading them in order, but if you can't you won't be lost. Sherlock’s daughter, Lucy James, works on her own case along with her husband. Watson works with both Lucy and Sherlock on a different case, These mysteries are always fun, entertaining and keep me guessing.

Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review. - This is one of the best series in the expanded Holmes universe .

March 7, 2019 – Finished Reading
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Review The father daughter writing team of Charles Veley and Anna Elliott have created a series that adds wonderfully to
the Sherlock Holmes adaptations. In this version, Sherlock is a father. His daughter, Lucy is every bit as intelligent like her father has mastered deductive reasoning An American actress, now living in London, she is newly married to Jack, who now works for Scotland Yard. Completing their family is Becky who is Jack's younger sister.

In this novel, Sherlock takes on the opium trade. When asked to assist the crown in locating a huge missing shipment of the drug, he declines. While opium use is legal in Britain, at this time, Holmes sees the damage caused by addiction, thus chooses not to participate. He is drawn back into the matter when three people he was helping are found dead. Trouble is also headed towards Becky, Jack's ward. Her father has been released from prison and is determined to reclaim her. Becky usual spunky resilience is completely submerged by the terrifying prospect of living with her father.

The novel is written from two points of view. Charles Veley writes the chapters narrated by Watson. Anna Elliott writes with Lucy's voice. The vocabulary and descriptions well researched leading the reader to feel they are back 1898 with Holmes and his company. Witnesses do report Holmes drowning in the Thames. Is another adventure like that found at Reichenbach Falls? No spoilers here.
A welcome addition to Sherlockiana.

I received this book via Netgalley and the publisher in return an honest review. I enjoyed this book. It is not the first in the series and, while I did find some of the initial development assumes that readers are familiar with all of the characters, it didn't detract from the story and I was able to figure everyone out. The premise is that Sherlock Holmes had a daughter, Lucy James, of whom he was unaware. The details of how their relationship was discovered and developed appears to have been covered in the previous books. Lucy met and married a police officer, through the course of her helping Sherlock and Dr. Watson (Uncle John) with various cases. Her husband brings a half sister to their marriage, who is ten. This case centers on the sad and historical spread of opium addiction through China and into England during the latter parts of the 19th Century and into the 20th. It begins with the conviction of the leader of a London group of thugs; Sherlock and Lucy, upon leaving the courtroom, are accosted by a young woman who says her fiancee, a London police detective, is missing. Subsequently, the young woman and her mother are killed, shortly after being informed of the discovery of her fiancee's dead body. And...Sherlock is reported as being shot and falling into the Thames at night, leaving Dr. Watson and Lucy to seek confirmation of his death, while trying to figure out who killed the police detective and why. The story is well-written, the characters are strong and the plot line is believable. The authors do a good job of weaving the several plot lines together into a cohesive story. I look forward to reading the other books in this series and finding out both what happened before and what happens next.

"Die Again, Mr. Holmes" eBook was published in 2019 and was written by Anna Elliott (http://www.annaelliottbooks.com) and Charles Veley (https://sherlockandlucy.com). Ms. Elliott has authored or co-authored more than a dozen novels. Mr. Veley has authored or co-authored eight novels. This is the eighth novel in the "The Sherlock Holmes and Lucy James Mysteries" series. 

I categorize this novel as ‘G’. The story is set in 1898 England. The primary characters are Sherlock Holmes and his young American daughter, Lucy James.

Both Holmes and James have missing person cases they are working on independently. James though has the complication of also having to protect her 10-year-old sister-in-law Becky from her estranged criminal father. Then the news that devastates them all - Holmes has died! Will James and the faithful Watson be able to protect the young Becky and find the missing woman without Holmes?

I thoroughly enjoyed the 8.5 hours I spent reading this 471-page Sherlock Holmes mystery. This is the second novel in this series I have read (the other "Remember, Remember" I read back in late 2017). I have thoroughly enjoyed them both. The mystery definitely has the feel of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original stories. I think that the cover art was well chosen. I give this novel a 5 out of 5.

Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/. 

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

Fans of Sherlock Holmes and Watson will enjoy this new book, Die Again, Mr. Holmes by Charles Veley and Anna Elliott. The authors collaborated to write this well developed story by developing the characters and creating tension. It was a new experience for me to read a mystery in which both Holmes and his married daughter, Lucy, help to solve the mystery at great risk to themselves. The authors also capture a side of Watson’s personality that is believable as well as different. And Becky, a young girl who lives with her brother and Lucy adds additional elements of surprise and suspense with her friend Flynn, one of the Baker Street Irregulars. This is a very engaging book!

A unique story line continues in the next book of the Sherlock/ Lucy series. Not only written about Sherlock Holmes and his daughter, Lucy, the series is written by a father/ daughter team, giving the books a unique twist. At the beginning of this book, Lucy and Dr Watson are notified of Sherlock's death. Their efforts to find the body run throughout their investigations. Lucy's husband, a member of Scotland Yard, has custody of his younger sister and is fighting with the girl's father over custody. Throughout the book, indeed the series, the characters follow their investigations in typical Holmes fashion. The crimes and criminals are interesting as only a Holmes book can be. While not written by Arthur Conan Doyle, this father/ daughter team have done an excellent job of carrying on a reader's favorite mystery series. A truly great read.

I read and loved Remember, Remember. However, this one was a bit of a struggle for me. The mystery was not as compelling and was predictable. Also, Lucy seemed to be very overshadowed by Watson. There were more Watson scenes than Lucy. It was a bit disappointing because it was supposed to be about Lucy and Sherlock Holmes. The pacing of this story was also slow with bits of suspense sprinkled in. Overall, this was a cozy mystery but I would have liked more of Lucy Holmes.

It’s hard to think of Sherlock Holmes without Arthur Conan Doyle as the writer but I believe as a sequel to those wonderful stories these come quite close. No, they are not Conan Doyle but they are not supposed to be. The new characters are as believable as was Sherlock. Why can the series not evolve? With a daughter as cunning as Sherlock himself and the involvement of her set of cohorts this story was delightful. Lucy James is the daughter of the famous Sherlock Holmes and wants to solve mysteries just as her father is doing. The issues are complex, beginning with the death of Holmes, and the interplay of the characters is good. They are trying to move forward after this disaster but are not sure what is truth and what maybe fiction. So the unraveling of each thread tells more of the story. Meanwhile, a love interest develops and the action keeps the reader’s interest. A strong woman character is what pushes the story forward but Holmes is the anchor. This was a good read.