It is 1891, and London is still reeling fromt he horror of the unsloved Jack the Ripper murders when Inspector Sholto Lestrade is sent to the Isle of Wight to investigate a strange corpse found walled up in Shanlkin Cline.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Dry neo-Wodehousian wit runs through this bold revisionist mystery, the first in a successful British series which Gateway is publishing to launch its first foray into mysteries. Trow's Sherlock Holmes is a sad, cocaine-addled doofus; Dr. Watson is a bitter author; poor Conan Doyle is afraid of his own shadow; and the true sleuthing brain of the times belongs to Scotland Yard's Inspector Sholto Lestrade. Still smarting from the official debacle of the Ripper murders, Lestrade must now trail a diabolical killer whose motiveless murdering spree follows a series of fictional characters in a cautionary children's tale. Lestrade's method is to eliminate every possible suspect, in the process of which he gets into all kinds of trouble, breaking some bones and falling into bed with two women, one a widow, the other his superior's daughter. Both, like most every character in this giddy novel, are suspects on the detective's long list. Trow delights in droll wordplay and wicked vignettes of the period's livelier personalities, e.g., Lord Tennyson and Oscar Wilde. The buffoonish Holmes and his idiotic disguises are a hoot. Future Lestrade period frolics are planned. Author tour.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Pure entertainment!,
By
This review is from: The Adventures of Inspector Lestrade (The Lestrade Mystery Series) (Hardcover)
Graham Greene used to divide his novels into two categories, "serious"novels and "entertainments". The Lestrade novels of J M Trow are definitely in the "entertainment" category. This one is first in what is a very welcome reprinting of the Lestrade series. The plot is fantastic (as in 'unbelievable') and wanders all over the country, but that doesn't matter because it is richly comical, full of in-jokes that make you feel good when you recognise them, witty puns (and some vile ones too), and a host of historical characters both real and fictional. It is a joy to read.And later volumes in the series just get better.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A romp!,
By Joseph R. Nacy (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Adventures of Inspector Lestrade (The Lestrade Mystery Series) (Hardcover)
Baker Street Irregulars who have kept a sense of humor will relish this little gem. They will raise eyebrows, place tongue firmly in cheek, and fall right in. Stuffier Holmes fans will be appalled, of course, but that's their problem.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Bizarre murders and historical personages,
This review is from: The Adventures of Inspector Lestrade (The Lestrade Mystery Series) (Hardcover)
M.J. Trow has written a series of (I think!) 16 books about Inspector Sholto Lestrade of Scotland Yard. Lestrade will be (more or less) recognisable to readers of the Sherlock Holmes stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.In this book, though, those stories are pure fiction. Lestrade is not as incompetent as Holmes' many fans have been led to believe, and indeed, Doyle has taken liberties with the real Sherlock Holmes, a not terribly bright consulting detective. In this book, Lestrade is investigating a series of murders which turn out, unsurprisingly, to be related. The story is richly populated with historical characters, who wander in and out of the story with great regularity. Some of them are even considered, if briefly, as suspects. Mr. Trow has an interest in the period, not the least of which is in the mysterious murderer known as Jack the Ripper (he has written 'The Many Faces of Jack the Ripper'), and the Ripper gets some mention in this book. Lestrade's immediate superior is Sir Melville McNaghten, who was a senior officer involved in the Ripper investigations. I would have preferred if the book involved more detective work - Lestrade's methods are pretty hit and miss - but the nature of the murders are bizarrely amusing. There is also a significant streak of comedy in the book, mostly of the punning kind, but quite often this is may lead you to think that the characters, rather than the author, are joking. It's an interesting book, although perhaps not everyone's cup of tea.
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