Dust and Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson

Dust and Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson
Lyndsay Faye
Simon & Schuster, Apr 2009, $25.00
ISBN: 1416583300

In 1888 London is shocked by the brutal murders of two prostitutes in the East End. Inspector Lestrade knows this is no run of the mill killer and he will need help. He asks renowned private sleuth Sherlock Holmes to investigate the homicides. Already fascinated by the accounts Holmes welcomes the case.

As Holmes and his sidekick Dr. Watson investigate, more vicious murders occur by the same killer the media dubs Ripper for his brutality. In an ironic twist one reporter claims Holmes is the Ripper, which is why he insists the famous detective has failed to end the reign of terror.

Holmes fans will welcome Lyndsay Faye to Baker St as her Watson comes across as a winner telling readers the tale of Holmes and Ripper. Fans will enjoy the great detective’s efforts even as the press badgers him to solve the case; which ironically readers do earlier than the sleuth does. Although Homes and Ripper co-starring has been used before by Carole Nelson Douglas (in her Irene Adler series) and Michael Dibdin in THE LAST SHERLOCK HOLMES STORY, etc. Ms. Faye provides a fresh entry.

Harriet Klausner