The Holmes Factor (Sebastian Holmes) [Hardcover]

Brian Freemantle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2005 | Series: Sebastian Holmes

The second in the successful Sebastian Holmes series, following The Holmes Inheritance. It's just weeks from the outbreak of the First World War, a conflict few expect to erupt. If it does, Russia is pivotal. But Russia, having survived one abortive revolution, seeths with unrest. Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin plot a second. The hypnotic monk, Rasputin, has ingratiated himself sufficiently with the Tsar and Tsarina to dictate government policy. Will Russia fight? Will the Romanov dynasty be overthrown? If they are, will Britain accept them in exile? To answer such questions upon which British war policy depends Sebastian Holmes, son of the legendary Sherlock Holmes, is despatched to St Petersburg, where he infiltrates the revolutionaries and the imperial court. There, the unpredictable chief of the Tsar's secret police tries to manipulate Sebastian for personal reasons. As does his contact in the British embassy in which Sebastian discovers spies for both Russia and Germany and by whom he is betrayed into giving a false assurance that threatens his own life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The mundane title gives no hint of the rich panorama of events chronicled in British author Freemantle's second thriller (after 2004's The Holmes Inheritance) starring Sebastian Holmes, Sherlock's audacious son. In 1913, amid suspicions of German meddling in Russia's growing unrest, Sebastian travels to St. Petersburg in the guise of a journalist to check the British legation's rosy reports that all is well under the czar. Sebastian soon learns that all is not well, as he's imprisoned by the secret police, attacked by a crowd of urchins and bombed as he enters the offices of Pravda to meet Josef Stalin. Meanwhile, Britain's inept ambassador, Sir Nigel Pearlman, hoping for a cushy job in London, overlooks all sorts of treason and intrigue among his own staff. Somewhat implausibly, the young sleuth manages to connect with every important Russian of the pre-WWI era, from Grand Duke Orlov, head of the powerful imperial police, to Alexander Kerensky, speaker of the fledgling parliament, all while having a torrid affair with a princess. Still, Freemantle provides literate and thoughtful escapist fare.
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About the Author

Brian Freemantle is the author of over 30 books, which have sold more than ten million copies worldwide. He lives in England.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 313 pages
• Publisher: Severn House Publishers (May 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0727862073
• ISBN-13: 978-0727862075
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,265,251 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Brian Freemantle [b. 1936] is one of Britain's most acclaimed authors of spy fiction. His novels have sold over ten million copies worldwide. Born in Southampton, Freemantle entered his career as a journalist, and began writing espionage thrillers in the late 1960s. Charlie M (1977) introduced the world to Charlie Muffin and won Freemantle international recognition--he would go on to publish fourteen titles in the series.

Freemantle has written dozens of other novels, including two featuring Sebastian Holmes, an illegitimate son of Sherlock Holmes, and the Cowley and Danilov series, about an American FBI agent and a Russian militia detective who work together to comabt organized crime in the post-Cold War world. Freemantle lives and works in London, Englad.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars SON OF SHERLOCK, September 14, 2005

By 

charles falk (Novato, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Holmes Factor (Sebastian Holmes) (Hardcover)

Coutless authors have tried their hand at resurrecting Shelock Holmes with varying degrees of success. I have read two recently that merit the attention of mystery readers and Holmes afficionados. The better of the two, A SLIGHT TRICK OF THE MIND, by Mitch Cullin rivals Meyer's THE SEVEN PERCENT SOLUTION in my esteem. The second, THE HOLMES FACTOR,by Brian Freemantle,is thoroughly enjoyable, without deserving such exalted comparisons.

The most important Holmes in THE HOLMES FACTOR is Sebatian Holmes, a son Sherlock fathered while hiding out in Switzerland following his supposed death at the Reichenbach Falls. Sebastian was raised by Mycroft Holmes, learning only a year ago the true identity of his father. Sherlock and son have just returned from a reconciliatory trip to Switzerland, but are still prickly with each other.

It is the eve of World War I and Mycroft is in charge of Great Britain's secret service. He and Winston Churchill (First Lord of the Admiralty)send Sebastian on a mission to St. Petersburg to gather intelligence on the stability of the Russian monarchy. An unhappy Sherlock is consigned to the distinctly secondary role of analyzing the information Sebastian sends back.

This book reminds me of the Laurie King series of Holmes novels starring Mary Russell. In spite of the impausibility of the entire concept, Freemantle tells an engaging story, full of derring-do and romance. Sebastian encounters Stalin, Trotsky, and Rasputin, while romancing the daughter of the chief of the Tsar's secret police. I see Brad Pitt as Sebastian in the movie version.