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

Lyndsay Faye (Author)

Book Description

Release date: December 1, 2009

• Sherlock Holmes is one of literature’s most beloved characters: Ever since Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created the character of detective Sherlock Holmes, fans have clamored for more. Numerous authors have taken up the task of keeping Holmes alive, but few have successfully delivered as faithful an offshoot as Lyndsay Faye. In Dust and Shadow, she brings an unveiled authenticity to the legendary hero..

• A thoroughly gripping, old-fashioned investigator: Penned as a pastiche by the loyal and courageous Dr. Watson, Dust and Shadow tells the harrowing story of Sherlock Holmes’s attempt to hunt down Jack the Ripper on the gritty streets of late nineteenth-century London. Brimming with impeccable historical detail, this astonishing debut novel explores the ?terrifying prospect of tracking a serial killer without the advantage of modern forensics and profiling. A tour-de-force, this promising debut signals the arrival of a tremendous talent in mystery and historical fiction..

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Following in the footsteps of such crime writers as Ellery Queen and Michael Dibdin, Faye pits Sherlock Holmes against Jack the Ripper in her impressive if flawed debut. In the autumn of 1888, the savage slaughter of two prostitutes in London's East End piques Holmes's curiosity. Inspector Lestrade, no fool in Faye's rendering, calls on the unconventional sleuth for help. As the killer continues to claim more victims, the Baker Street duo spare no effort to bring the Ripper to justice. Meanwhile, a disreputable journalist accuses Holmes of being the Ripper. The author uses a convincing Watsonian voice to present versions of Holmes and his chronicler faithful to the originals. While the paucity of suspects makes guessing the killer's identity too easy and the motive for the crimes is less than convincing, Sherlockians will hope to see further pastiches of this quality from Faye. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

It has been more than 120 years since his last murder, so perhaps we should allow Jack the Ripper to rest in peace. Not a chance! The slashing murders and mutilations committed by perhaps history’s most notorious serial killer terrified the impoverished residents of the Whitechapel area of London’s East End in 1888. Because the killer was never caught, who better to track him down than the greatest Victorian-era sleuth, Sherlock Holmes? Faye narrates the investigation through the supposed memoir of Holmes’ constant companion, Dr. Watson. Faye displays a superb grasp of the known facts about the murders, and she effectively captures the vibrancy and squalor of the underclass in late-nineteenth-century London. Although her effort to mimic Conan Doyle’s literary style seems a bit strained, she knows how to unfold a tale of murder and mystery. Holmes, typically brilliant and relentless, unpeels layer after layer of confusion and deceit as the dramatic tension builds and bursts. Mystery aficionados, especially those with an interest in the Ripper murders, will find this work a worthy revisiting of the case. --Jay Freeman --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; Reprint edition (December 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416583319
• ISBN-13: 978-1416583318
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (121 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #76,864 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lyndsay Faye moved to Manhattan in 2005 to audition for work as a professional actress; she found her days more open when the powers that be elected to knock her day-job restaurant down with bulldozers. Her first novel Dust and Shadow: an Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H Watson is a tribute to the aloof genius and his good-hearted friend whose exploits she has loved since childhood. Faye's love of her adopted city led her to research the origins of the New York City Police Department, the inception of which exactly coincided with the start of the Irish Potato Famine. Her second and third novels, The Gods of Gotham and its sequel, follow ex-bartender Timothy Wilde as he navigates the rapids of his violently turbulent city, his no less chaotic elder brother Valentine Wilde, and the perils of learning police work in a riotous and racially divided political landscape.

After growing up in the Pacific Northwest, Lyndsay migrated to Belmont, California and graduated from Notre Dame de Namur University with a dual degree in English and Performance. She worked as a professional actress throughout the Bay Area for several years, nearly always in a corset, and if not a corset then at the very least heels and lined stockings. As her roles ranged from Scrooge's lost fiancée in A Christmas Carol to Lavinia DuPlessy in Andrew Lippa's world premiere of A Little Princess, whalebone prevented her from drawing a natural breath for a number of years. She is a soprano with a high pop belt, if it interests you. Her performances were generally reviewed well, with adjectives ranging from "soaring" and "delightful" to "sausage-curled."

Lyndsay and her husband Gabriel Lehner live just north of Harlem with their cats, Grendel and Prufrock. During the few hours a day Lyndsay isn't writing or editing, she is most often cooking, or sampling new kinds of microbrew, or thinking of ways to creatively mismatch her clothing. She is a very proud member of AEA, MWA, ASH, and BSI (Actor's Equity Association, Mystery Writers of America, the Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes, and the Baker Street Irregulars, respectively). She is hard at work on the sequel to The Gods of Gotham.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

91 of 95 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Sherlock Holmes and 'Saucy Jack' April 10, 2009

By Philip K. Jones

Format:Hardcover

Review: This is a first novel for Ms. Faye and it is subtitled "An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson." As a Sherlockian scholar, I maintain a database of Sherlockian pastiches, parodies and related fiction. Among other things, this database keeps reference to the subjects of its entries and "Jack the Ripper" is the single most popular subject for pastiche writers, other than "The Hound of the Baskervilles." There are at least seventy five different items on file about attempts to tell the story of JACK, including Ellery Queen's excellent "A Study in Terror" and Carol Nelson Douglas' two volumes from her Irene Adler series; "Chapel Noir" and "Castle Rouge."

The literature on the Ripper killings is also complex and lengthy. Numerous individuals have been nominated for the role and reasons for the abrupt end to the killings are also legion. Among the Sherlockian offerings, the number of ripper suspects approaches seventy five with almost as many explanations offered for the end to the killings. Although the Sherlockian works are often interesting, they offer little in the way of solid evidence from history for their resolutions of the questions left by the events. The true Ripper Literature tends toward the `Police Procedural' school and is often merely gross, with little entertainment value except to sensationalists.

In this book, one is taken by the Good Doctor along on an investigation by The Master into the world of monsters. This is not the world of Vampires and Ghosties; instead a sense of growing horror brings both the investigators and the reader to the awarenes of the monsters that dwell amongst us, the human monsters that may be our neighbors or our contemporaries. Holmes and Watson are driven to face this reality and to find ways to deal with apparently `motiveless crimes.' Holmes says "But I have repeated to myself Cui bono? until I can feel the words burned upon my brain, and the only answer is No one." This adjustment in outlook is what made the Ripper Killings so difficult for contemporary society to deal with. No one could believe that Jack wandered around like a normal person, killed his victims and then dissolved back into the crowd of humanity in Whitechaple.

This novel presents an interesting solution to the identity of The Ripper and to the resolution of his fate. So far as I have read, it does not duplicate other proposed solutions, but it does seem to fit the established facts. There are a number of `unestablished facts' that surround the Ripper Murders but many of those have been debunked by one author or another and many are discussed here. The activities of Press and the reactions of the denizens of Whitechaple are well covered in this book, in fact, they are integral to it. I wish I could call it a `pleasant read' or a `good Holmesian tale,' but it is not either of these things. It is dark and disturbing and frustrating. Holmes is discouraged, the Doctor is outraged and Scotland Yard is held up to ridicule by everyone involved.

The resolution is believable and the identity given for the Ripper is plausible. The book is hard to leave for even a moment and the usual distractions of Americanisms and untimely slang are mostly absent. Holmes' investigation is real to the reader and his frustrations are apparent. The book is well worth reading and deeply disturbing.

Reviewed by: Philip K. Jones, February 2009.

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Commendable debut and satisfying pastiche April 28, 2009

By Z Hayes HALL OF FAMETOP 50 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Having grown-up on a steady diet of Sherlock Holmes' stories as well as the macabre tale of Jack the Ripper [thanks to mom who is an ardent true crime fan], my interest was piqued by this latest pastiche of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes' stories. Though I'm no Sherlockian scholar, I thought Lyndsay Faye's debut was well-written and made for a riveting read, engrossing me in the period details as much as the intriguing plot and character development.

In "Dust and Shadow", the master detective Sherlock Holmes, and his able sidekick Dr John H Watson undertake to solve a series of gruesome murders committed in the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. Those familiar with the story of Jack the Ripper know that the number of victims attributed to the Ripper totaled five in all: Mary Ann "Polly" Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth "Long Liz" Stride, "Catherine Eddowes", and "Mary Jane Kelley". In this pastiche, the author attributes another earlier murder to the Ripper, that of Martha Tabram, who was murdered on Aug 7th 1888, a victim of multiple stab wounds [39 in all].

In the process of solving the murders and uncovering the killer's identity, Holmes himself falls victim to the press of the day, and his very reputation is put on the line as he has to deal with speculations that he himself may have something to do with the murders. Thus the stage is set for a true potboiler, with rich period details and complex characterizations that had me racing through the pages.

I am amazed that this is a debut novel by the author - she writes with flair and assurance, and through the authentic re-creation of Whitechapel in 1888, manages to transport readers into a world that seems altogether familiar. The resolution of the Ripper's identity is also deftly managed, and though this is once again pure speculation, I'd have to say, Ms Faye made quite a convincing case. "Dust and Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings" is a great period thriller, and will appeal to fans of the genre as well as fans of both Holmes and "the Knife".

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Ripping Yarn April 29, 2009

By S. Berner VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

The idea of Sherlock Holmes facing off against Jack the Ripper is such a natural (they "operated" in the same time frame) that one is surprised that Conan Doyle didn't use it himself. But no worries, at least a dozen others have used it since. Probably the best novel version is Nicholas Meyers' "The West End Horror', and, undeniably, the best film version is "Murder by Decree" starring Christopher Plummer as Holmes and James Mason as the best Watson ever! All of which is a long-winded way of saying that each new version must be viewed by, not the originality of the idea, but how well each writer pulls it off. By that standard, first time author Lyndsay Faye pulls it off very well indeed, thank you. Her Holmes, Watson, indeed all her characters, are more than credible as human beings and, within the confines of paying all due homage to the Conan Doyle canon, she manages not a few very interestting surprises of her own. A must for Sherlockians and a damn good read for anyone else!